Abraham, Bulgarian holy wonderworker. Abraham of Bulgaria: saint of the Volga Bulgars Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Vladimir wonderworker

The chronicler says about him that Abraham of Bulgaria lived in the 13th century and was “of a different language, not Russian” (name unknown before baptism). He probably came from the Bulgars (“Volga Bulgars”, “Kama Bulgars”), was brought up in a Muslim environment and initially professed Islam.

However, Abraham of Bulgaria is in no way connected with Bulgaria, the city of Bolgar is located in Tatarstan.

Abraham of Bulgaria was a rich and noble merchant who traded in the cities of the Volga region.

Under the influence of communication with Russian merchants, Abraham of Bulgaria converted to Orthodoxy, becoming an active missionary.

Muslims persistently persuaded him to renounce Christ. But Abraham of Bulgaria was unshakable in his faith. Having learned that he was not Russian and was not under the protection of the Vladimir-Suzdal prince, Abraham of Bulgaria was arrested and admonished for a long time. Seeing the inflexibility of Abraham of Bulgaria, he was tortured and hanged upside down. As stated in the chronicle, the holy martyr “cursed Mohammed and the Bulgarian faith.” On April 1, 1229, he was beheaded with a sword (quartered) near the bank of the Volga.

The body of Abraham of Bulgar was buried by Russian merchants (according to one of the assumptions, from Murom) in the Christian cemetery in Bulgar.

Soon, according to the chronicle, as punishment “for the blood of the martyr of Christ,” the city of Bulgar (Bolgar) burned down. At the place of execution, a source of clean water began flowing to Abraham of Bulgaria, from which healing began to flow. Local legend says that the first person to receive healing from this source was a man of the Mohammedan faith.

The Vladimir merchants told the Grand Duke of Vladimir Georgy Vsevolodovich a lot about the holy wonderworker. After concluding peace with the Bulgars, the prince made it a condition for the surrender of the body of the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria.

As the chronicle reports, the pious Prince George, Bishop Mitrofan of Vladimir with the abbots, princesses and all the people far outside the city with great honor greeted the holy relics brought to the city founded by his mother, Grand Duchess Maria Shvarnovna Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery and placed in the chapel of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, where numerous miracles began to be performed from them.

The twentieth century holy confessor lived and served in the Dormition Princess Monastery, Hieromartyr Athanasius, Bishop of Kovrov, whose relics also rest in Vladimir.

February 17, 1923 Saint Athanasius (Sakharov) wrote from Taganskaya prison in Moscow: " Yes, it’s better to let all churches be closed, but Orthodox Christians shouldn’t pray with apostates. Well, it’s hard to lose your temple, it’s hard to lose proximity to the relics of the holy saints (martyr Abraham). But the Lord lives in temples not made by hands, and in every place He is with those who call upon Him and those who remain faithful to Him. And the holy saints of God do not abandon their help, not only to those who have the opportunity to directly worship their bodily remains, but also to those deprived of this opportunity. They are everywhere in spirit with the Orthodox. That is why visible physical distance from the shrine is not scary for Orthodox Christians. It may happen that apostates will serve near our shrines, but the saints will not be with them. A clear proof of this is that they are thoroughly imbued with a feeling of anger and have no peace. And even if they seized all the holy things into their own hands, they will not be freed from the spirit of evil that possesses them. But now I look at the bishops and priests imprisoned and persecuted for the cause of Christ, I hear about Orthodox pastors in other prisons, how calm and complacent everyone is. Obviously the Lord helps and the saints do not abandon them, and what is characteristic is that we have no malice towards the Renewed. Of course, we cannot talk about any communication with them, nor any condescension or indulgence. Until they repent and actually show their repentance, they are all like pagans and tax collectors to us. It is they who bear the mark of Cain on themselves, walking groaning and shaking....

And we have nothing to fear from prisons. It's better here than outside. I say this without exaggeration. True Orthodoxy is with us here. It’s as if we were taken into isolation here during an epidemic. And how many sorrows you have at your disposal, the constant danger of becoming infected with renovationism, the constant expectation of some kind of dirty trick from them, the possibility of painful, I would say disgusting encounters with them... Try to resist here."

In 1923, the relics of St. Abraham were transferred to the museum. In 1954, their trace was lost as “not of historical significance.”

Before the removal of the relics, the abbess of the monastery Olympics (Medvedeva) gave a piece of the relics for safekeeping to a resident of Vladimir, and in 1992 it was transferred to the bishop. This particle of relics is revered in Vladimir as the main holy relics of the martyr Abraham.

The same particle of the relics of St. Abraham is located in Tatarstan, in the city of Bolgar. After the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, not far from the place of suffering of the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, a temple was erected, where part of his holy relics (right hand) rested. At the very site of the saint’s martyrdom, above the healing spring, a well was built, and next to it a monument-chapel in the form of a tetrahedral pillar, on the sides of which icons were placed.

In 1878, Bishop Theognost (Lebedev) of Vladimir sent an icon of the holy martyr with a particle of his relics to Bolgar. In 1892, the Holy Governing Synod allowed, at the request of the village residents, to move from Vladimir the wooden shrine in which the saint’s relics were located until 1806, and place it in the Assumption Church of the Bolgars in the chapel in the name of Abraham of Bulgaria.

During Soviet times, the shrines were lost, the chapel at the well at the site of the martyr’s death was destroyed, and the well itself was desecrated. Only the phalanx of the finger of the right hand has been preserved, preserved by the residents of the city in their homes, which is now located in the Temple of the Holy Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria (St. Abraham's Church) in the city of Bolgar.

It is believed that the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria has a special grace-filled power to intercede before God for sick children (records of the healing of the sick have been preserved). Abraham of Bulgaria is prayed for patronage and success in trade and personal entrepreneurship.

The Volga Bulgarians called Abraham of Bulgaria an apostate, the Russians - a holy martyr. Having suffered death at the hands of his fellow tribesmen, Saint Abraham of Bulgaria, by the will of the Lord, rested his relics in the Assumption Cathedral of the Princess Monastery.

Life Wonderworker Abraham of Bulgaria full of traditional hagiographic formulas and images that turn it into a kind of verbal icon; Tradition offers only a few undoubted facts of life: they, in essence, can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Saint Abraham of Bulgaria was born and raised in Volga Bulgaria in a devout Muslim family - accordingly, from a young age he professed Islam as his native religion, absorbed with his mother’s milk. At the same time, as usually happens with saints, even in childhood Abraham was noticeably different from his peers, not taking part in noisy and often evil fun, not having an addiction to material goods, loving solitude and reflection. With age, these qualities of his mental organization manifested themselves only brighter and more prominently. And observation and reflection prompted Abraham to think about the unrighteous life of his compatriots and ultimately forced him to doubt the truth of Mohammedanism.

Having matured, Abraham, like many Volga Bulgarians, became a merchant. This was a providential decision, because it allowed him to visit Rus' and become better acquainted with the Christians he had already seen in the bazaars of Bolgar: there were Russian traders here. And soon the saint, renouncing Mohammedanism, was baptized. Where this happened is not known, but with high probability it can be assumed that in the Russian lands there were simply no Christian churches and priests in Volga Bulgaria.

The trading affairs of Abraham of Bulgaria went well, luck accompanied him, bringing him wealth, which, however, did not kindle greed in the saint, as usually happens - he gave away the extra money as alms. Internally, on the contrary, he became even more strict and focused than before - carrying the fear of God within himself, Abraham, imitating the ancient ascetics, secretly put chains on himself and never took them off. His mercy towards the unfortunate and suffering has increased even more since then.

The only thing that brought him acute suffering was that his fellow tribesmen, who did not know the true God, continued to remain in delusion, ignorance and unrighteousness. When the heartache from this exceeded all limits, Saint Abraham took the path of confession. In 1229, having returned to Bolgar from another commercial trip, he addressed his compatriots with a direct Christian sermon, calling on them to abandon the errors of Mohammedanism and turn their hearts to Christ.

Those who listened to Abraham of Bulgaria were at first surprised, and then became extremely furious. With persuasion and outright flattery, they tried to return Abraham to the bosom of Islam, but he was adamant, and, despairing in their attempts, exhausted from anger at the “traitor,” his former co-religionists hung the martyr upside down and then quartered him.

Russian merchants, who were at the fair in Bolgar at that time and witnessed the cruel massacre, buried the body of the martyr, and later told the Vladimir prince Georgy Vsevolodovich about his feat.

How the Relics of the Wonderworker Abraham of Bulgaria came to Rus'

In 1223-1229, the Principality of Vladimir waged war with the Volga Bulgarians. At the beginning of 1230, Bulgarian ambassadors came to Prince George Vsevolodovich, the son of the founder of the Knyaginin monastery, Princess Maria Shvarnovna, to ask for peace - by that time Volga Bulgaria had already experienced the first onslaught of the Tatars and was trying to avoid a war on two fronts.

Shortly before this, Georgy Vsevolodovich heard the story of Russian merchants returning from Bolgar the Great about the holy wonderworker Abraham of Bulgaria, who in the spring of 1229 suffered a martyr's death in the main city of Volga Bulgaria at the hands of his fellow Mohammedans.

The prince considered the proposals of the Volga Bulgarians favorably, but agreed to peace only on the condition that the body of the murdered Abraham was transferred to Vladimir. This condition was accepted, and in early spring the people of Vladimir met the relics of the martyr - according to legend, Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich himself carried them to the Princess Monastery, where they were to remain, on his shoulders.

The veneration of Saint Abraham immediately developed - already in 1231, the Vladimir and Rostov bishops established the celebration of the martyr on March 6, the day of the transfer of his relics to Vladimir.

The monastery inventory of 1665 indicates that the tomb of St. Abraham is located in the northern, Annunciation, chapel to the right of the royal doors. At the same time, researchers suggest that in 1230 the relics of the martyr were placed in the temple itself, and they were hidden in the chapel after Vladimir began to suffer from Tatar raids. Then the old Assumption Cathedral was destroyed. When it was resumed at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, Abraham's relics were discovered and transferred to a wooden coffin, mentioned in the inventory of 1665. In 1711, the relics were transferred from the chapel to the temple, placing them in a new wooden shrine - in this place they remained until 1916, when they were again transferred - this time to the Avraamievsky chapel of the Kazan Church.

Relics of Abraham of Bulgaria after the revolution

In 1919, the Bolsheviks committed a blasphemous autopsy of the relics of Saint Abraham - with the inevitable “exposure of priestly tales.” Nevertheless, until the closure of the Princess Monastery, the holy relics continued to reside in the monastery, and then their “circulation” began in museums.

Since 1923, they have been listed as an exhibit of the museum, located in the former Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, since 1931 - in the anti-religious department of the Ivanovo Museum, since 1945 - presumably again in the Vladimir Museum, and later - in the Suzdal Museum. The last time the martyr’s relics were mentioned was in 1954 among the “things” “subject to exclusion from the inventory book of the main fund of the Suzdal Museum as having no museum significance.” Then, most likely, they were destroyed.

In 1993, Saint Abraham nevertheless returned to the Assumption Cathedral - with a particle of his relics, preserved by Saint Athanasius (Sakharov), vicar bishop of the Vladimir diocese, and transferred by him after the closure of the monastery to the last abbess of the monastery, Abbess Olympias (Medvedeva).

After the death of mother, a particle of the relics was passed from hand to hand by her cell attendants and spiritual daughters - now it is kept in a reliquary in the southern part of the Assumption Cathedral.

Today, a huge number of pilgrims travel to the city of Bolgar in Tatarstan. There are not just many of them, there are a lot of them. People come from Moscow, Samara, Kazan and even from Japan to the small St. Abraham Church to strengthen their faith and spiritual life. This temple is dedicated to the wondrous saint - the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria - who lived in these places back in the 13th century and accepted death here for the faith of Christ. At that time, the state of Volga Bulgaria was located here, and its inhabitants professed Islam.

Saint Abraham of Bulgaria (emphasis on the first syllable) is one of the saints of pre-Mongol Rus'. He was canonized long before the council of 1547. His life is amazing, his martyrdom is holy and his help to everyone who turns to him with faith is great.

Saint Abraham lived at the end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th centuries in Volga Bulgaria. During his life he was a merchant, but not an easy merchant: by nature he had a pure, compassionate heart. He helped the needy a lot, spent his wealth on the poor, and was merciful to the suffering. On his merchant business, Abraham visited Russian cities and, communicating with Russian merchants, became interested in the Christian faith. The grace of God touched his heart, and he received holy baptism with the name Abraham (his name was not preserved in the chronicles before his baptism).

Saint Abraham learned the truth of the Orthodox faith and was very sad that his fellow countrymen in Bulgaria did not know the true faith. Therefore, one day, while on trade business in the capital of the Volga Bulgars, right during a large fair (aga-bazaar), Saint Abraham began to preach the faith of Christ to his fellow countrymen, completely putting aside his trade. Saint Abraham was more concerned about the wickedness of his fellow citizens than about the earthly profit that he could receive. Having received holy baptism, Abraham became a true Christian and was inflamed with zeal for the faith.

He told the Bulgars about Christ and His teaching, but they did not heed his words and began to persuade him to leave the faith of Christ. When the Bulgars saw that the persuasion was not working, they began to threaten the saint with taking away his property - but he courageously declared that for the sake of the Lord Jesus he was ready to lose not only his property, but would not spare his life. Then they began to beat the saint, so much so that not a single intact spot was left on his body. They tried to silence him, to renounce Christ, but it was all in vain. The Bulgars, enraged, tormented him in prison for many days, forcing him with many torments to renounce the Christian faith. Saint Abraham remained faithful to the Lord.

The saint was taken outside the city and brutally executed there: first his arms and legs were cut off, and then his head was cut off. Today, at the site of the martyrdom of Saint Abraham, a holy spring dedicated to this wondrous saint flows.
So on April 1, 1229, the holy martyr Abraham, a kind and sincere man, departed to the Lord, remaining faithful to Christ to the end. Murom merchants became witnesses to Abraham's feat, and they buried the saint's body in a special cemetery where all Christians were buried.

Very soon, miracles and signs began to occur at the tomb of Saint Abraham. In 1230, just a year after the death of the martyr, Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich of Vladimir transferred the relics of Saint Abraham to the city of Vladimir to the Princess Monastery. For a long time, the relics of the wondrous saint of God rested in Vladimir, and the people revered them very much. Shortly before the revolution, an icon of St. Abraham with a particle of his relics and an ancient wooden shrine were transferred to the village of Bolgar (Tatarstan). During the godless Soviet times, these shrines were lost; only the phalanx of the saint’s right hand was preserved (it was preserved by believers in their homes as a great shrine).

Today in the city of Bolgar there is a wonderful temple in honor of the holy martyr Abraham, where a particle of his relics is also located. Many pilgrims from all over Russia and other countries come to this temple to venerate Saint Abraham. There are many known cases of his help: many cases of healing from various diseases, especially sick children are healed through his prayers.

Many turn to Saint Abraham, asking for help in trade or personal entrepreneurship, because during his life he was a merchant, regularly conducted trade affairs, but at the same time did not forget the beggars and was not a lover of money.

They also pray to Saint Abraham for a good Christian death with repentance.

For many years, Archpriest Vladimir Golovin, a famous shepherd, has served in the St. Abraham's Church of Bolgar, and people from all over the country come to him for advice. Father Vladimir receives pilgrims, holds unction for the sick, serves prayers for the healing of the sick, and helps with wise, spiritual advice in various needs.

Many people testify that through the prayers of Saint Abraham of Bulgaria, the Lord grants miraculous healings. Here are a few stories of help from the wondrous martyr Abraham.

Servant of God Nadezhda from Togliatti received healing at the holy spring of Abraham of Bulgaria. In June 2010, she hit her head hard, causing headaches and swelling. Her condition worsened every day, and she had to take regular breaks at work to recuperate. While passing through the Moscow region, Nadezhda had an MRI. The examination diagnosed single small-focal changes in the brain substance of vascular origin, as well as an expansion of the subarachnoid space at the level of the frontal and parietal lobes.

Returning from Moscow to their native Tolyatti, Nadezhda and her husband stopped at the holy spring of the martyr Abraham. There were already people there: some were singing quietly on the sidelines, others were drawing water from the well. Suddenly, the eye of the bucket broke, but a certain man shared with Nadezhda the holy water that he managed to collect in his containers.

Together with two women, Nadezhda found herself in a dousing booth and began dousing herself with healing water from a bottle. The water seemed very warm to the women, and even a small amount of water gave Nadezhda a severe headache.

Together with her husband, she returned home, went to work, and after 2 weeks she unexpectedly noticed that the pain no longer bothered her, and the bump on her head had noticeably decreased. In 2013, a grateful woman sent her healing story to St. Abraham's Church.

From time to time, the relics of the holy martyr Abraham are taken to different cities for veneration. For many residents of the Volga region, this wondrous saint became a dear and quick intercessor. Thus, during the next removal of the relics of the martyr Abraham, a resident of Naberezhnye Chelny named Nail was healed through his holy prayers.

Nail is a Muslim, but by blood he is a fellow tribesman of Saint Abraham. He was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of pneumonia, where he was also diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Nail's condition was so bad that he couldn't even get up. In the hospital, his neighbor in the country, a believer, visited him and read a prayer over him for healing. When Nail was discharged, his condition remained serious. He and his wife moved to the country in the hope that nature and fresh air would have a beneficial effect on his health. One day, that same neighbor told Nail that the relics of the holy martyr Abraham had been brought to their city church for veneration. They immediately went to church and were among the last to arrive, but, fortunately, they managed to venerate the relics of the saint and pray to him. The next day Nail began to walk! The weakness went away, and every day his health improved. After 4 days, he took tests at the hospital and got very good results! After a three-month sick leave, Nail went back to work! Despite his Muslim tradition, he read the troparion to Saint Abraham every day, as well as a prayer for healing and a prayer of thanksgiving! Soon Nail arrived at the St. Abraham's Church of Bolgar, driving the car himself, to find out how to build his life further.

Sergei from Saratov talks about how his life changed after visiting the temple in Bolgar. He was a man far from faith. By his own admission, outwardly he looked quite flourishing, but inside he lost all interest in life. In addition, he became addicted to drugs, from which even prison could not save him.

One day, together with his believing relatives, he found himself in the St. Abraham's Church. According to him, after the church service and after venerating the relics of St. Abraham of Bulgaria, an unusual feeling arose in his soul, which he could not explain. For a whole week he lived with this, as if fighting with himself, and then the realization came and the desire to confess. On Sunday he again came to the temple and again venerated the relics of the martyr Abraham. During the service, Sergei was embarrassed to go to confession, but when the church was empty, he turned to the rector. This is how this long-awaited confession took place. “I didn’t leave the church, but it was as if I was flying on wings,” Sergei recalls his state after the Sacrament. Soon he had to go home, and there he suddenly noticed that he was no longer addicted to drugs. His soul was filled with joy, and his heart again called him to Bolgar. Leaving all his affairs, a month later he again visited the Holy Abraham Church, and also visited the holy well.

“My life has changed dramatically. The circle of acquaintances changed, an interesting job was found, and a sober attitude towards life appeared. I can’t say with certainty how my future will turn out. But the feeling of the miracle that happened to me on Bulgarian soil will always live in me.” Thus, through the prayers of the holy martyr Abraham, the Lord heals not only physical, but also mental ailments, correcting a person’s life and helping him see the true path.

Many pilgrims testify that after visiting the holy well of the martyr Abraham (which is located at the site of his martyrdom), they receive healing from many diseases: sinusitis, flu, osteochondrosis, etc. Through the prayers of Saint Abraham, health improves, and difficult everyday problems are solved.

The history of the ancient Bulgars was known for the adoption of Islam back in 944, but few people know that among the Bulgar people (and among the Kazan Tatars) the Christian faith also shone through. And they also had their own saints, martyrs and saints, there were ancient churches and monasteries, there were miracles and holy Christian places, and miraculous icons appeared.
Alas, relations between Muslims and Christians were not always peaceful, but we also note that there were periods when different peoples of our country united together to protect our Fatherland from an external enemy.
And more often than not, it happened that much more united us than separated us, so we hope that the name of Saint Abraham will be remembered by all the peoples of the Volga region.
Abraham of Bulgaria (d. April 1, 1229, city of Bolgar, Volga Bulgaria) - Orthodox saint, martyr, miracle worker of Vladimir.

The memory is celebrated (according to the Julian calendar): April 1 - on the day of death, March 9 - on the day of the first transfer of relics, in the fourth week after Easter (“Sunday of the Paralytic”) - on the day of the second transfer of relics, in the Cathedral of the Vladimir Saints, in the Cathedral Kazan saints.
The oldest source reporting about Abraham of Bulgaria is the Laurentian Chronicle (XIV century; PSRL. T. 1. Stb. 452-453). St. ABRAHAMIUS OF BULGARIA

FROM THE HISTORY

April 14 is the day of remembrance of Saint Abraham of Bulgaria, who suffered for the Christian faith. This happened in 1229 in Volga Bulgaria, at that same holy well, the water of which has not lost its healing power to this day.
Now on the site of the holy spring of the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria there is an architectural ensemble in the style of Volga Bulgaria buildings with a well inside. From here you can see the Volga, and you can admire its vastness. In windy weather, the river with its choppy waves even looks somewhat like the sea.
This place was once the site of Agha Bazar (big bazaar). Here you could buy whatever your heart desired: Siberian furs, oriental spices, fabrics, jewelry, etc. And at the source, under the coolness of the trees, local residents and visiting merchants rested and quenched their thirst. One of them subsequently glorified this place for many centuries, consecrating it with his martyr’s blood.
From the ancient chronicles it follows that this merchant is a Bulgarin, a merciful, virtuous and compassionate person. He was baptized with the name Abraham and was executed for this.

HOLY SPRING

Visiting Russian cities and communicating with Russian merchants, he became deeply interested in the Christian faith. According to God's vision, grace touched his heart and, having learned the truth of the holy faith of Christ, he accepted Holy Baptism. So this merchant becomes a Christian and receives a new name, with which he is written on the pages of the book of life - Abraham (nowhere in the chronicles is the name of the saint mentioned before Baptism). After Baptism, the saint, with the word of the Gospel, and - most importantly - with the Christian way of life, carries the apostolic sermon among his people. And just as before the adoption of Christianity Abraham had compassion for the misfortunes and deprivations of his neighbors, so after accepting the saving faith of Christ, he began to be sick in spirit and grieve over the spiritual misfortunes of his fellow citizens, about their ignorance of the true God of heaven and earth, revealed to us through His Only Begotten Son in the Holy Spirit, and about the disorder and disorder of morals that results from this ignorance (John 17:3; Rom. 25:31).

The chronicle testifies that Abraham of Bulgaria arrived on trade business in the city of Bulgar (Bolgar), the capital of Volga Bulgaria, where he began to preach Christianity among his fellow tribesmen.
Inspired by holy zeal for the holy faith and brotherly love for his wicked fellow tribesmen, Abraham, being on trade business in the capital of Volga Bulgaria - the Great Bulgars, during the fair (aga-bazaar), instead of engaging in trade and acquiring temporary, earthly goods, begins to preach to his fellow tribesmen about eternal, incorruptible blessings, and offers them a sermon about Christ the God-man, “who was crucified for us with his will, who rose from the dead and ascended with glory in the flesh into heaven,” about His beginningless Father and about the co-eternal Father and Son, the All-Holy Spirit.

HOLY SPRING

The Bulgarians were amazed when they heard a Christian sermon from their fellow tribesman and former co-religionist. His compatriots not only did not express sympathy for the preaching of the holy man, but even became irritated with the preacher, especially when they saw his inflexibility after repeated admonitions and advice to leave the Christian faith. They initially began to persuade Abraham, as someone beloved by everyone, to leave the faith of Christ. When gentle persuasion did not have an effect on the confessor of Christ's name, they began to threaten him with taking away his property. To these threats the blessed one replied that for Christ the Savior he was ready to lose not only his property, but would not spare his very life. After that the beatings began. They beat Abraham “with the whole world,” they beat him so cruelly that not a single undamaged place was left on the martyr’s body, “as if there was no place on it that was intact and unhurt” (from the akathist to the martyr). They tried to silence him, to renounce Christ, but it was in vain. Then the Bulgarians, furious as animals, tormented the confessor for many days in prison, forcing him with many torments to renounce the Christian faith. The valiant sufferer for the true faith did not faint in torment, but strengthened by the grace of God, he was even more confirmed in holy love for the Redeemer of the world. Then, seeing his inflexibility in faith, the evil fanatics took him out of the city and at a well, not far from the bank of the Volga, they first cut off his hands, then his legs and head.
The body of Abraham of Bulgar was buried by Russian merchants (according to one of the assumptions, from Murom) in the Christian cemetery in Bulgar.
Soon, according to the chronicle, as punishment “for the blood of the martyr of Christ,” the city of Bulgar (Bolgar) burned down. At the place of execution, a source of clean water began flowing to Abraham of Bulgaria, from which healing began to flow. Local legend says that the first person to receive healing from this source was a man of the Mohammedan faith.

As the chronicle reports, the pious Prince George, Bishop Mitrofan of Vladimir with the abbots, princesses and all the people far outside the city with great honor greeted the holy relics brought to the Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery founded by his mother Grand Duchess Maria Shvarnovna and placed in the chapel of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where Numerous miracles began to be performed from them.
The Laurentian Chronicle reports that the transfer of the relics took place on March 9, 1230. The same day is indicated in the calendar of Simon (Azaryin) of the 1650s. (RGB. MDA. No. 201. L.l. 312 vol.-313). Later sources indicate March 9, 1231 (Life of Abraham of Bulgaria 1798, published by L. Kavelin) or 1229 (calculation calendar from the Russian National Library. Weather. No. 637. Sheet 326 vol., 3rd quarter of the 17th century. ).
The time of the local canonization of Saint Abraham of Bulgaria is unknown. It is likely that the local celebration of the memory of the martyr began immediately after the bringing of his relics to Vladimir, while the main information about the saint is contained in chronicles and literary monuments of the 17th century. By that time, he was especially revered in Vladimir, called the Great Martyr, his chains were placed on the mentally ill, and many were healed, and was considered the patron saint of weak babies.
During the Tatar-Mongol raids, the relics were hidden in the Annunciation chapel of the Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery, where they remained until the beginning of the 18th century.
In the middle of the 17th century. in Vladimir, among other writings dedicated to locally revered saints, the “Torment and Praise of the Martyr Abraham, the Bulgarian and Vladimir Wonderworker” was compiled. In addition, miracles that occurred from the relics of the saint began to be recorded: for example, in a manuscript of the 17th-18th centuries. there is an indication of six miracles, mainly related to the healing of eye diseases.
In 1798, in the Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery, the life of St. Abraham of Bulgaria was written or rewritten.

Second transfer of relics Abraham of Bulgaria

On May 11, 1711 (on the “Sunday of the Paralytic”) the relics of Abraham of Bulgaria were transferred from the Annunciation chapel of the Assumption Church to the main, Assumption, chapel and transferred to a new wooden shrine. The dilapidated old shrine was destroyed, and the top board with the image of the saint was placed in a special icon case near the left pillar of the Assumption Church on the north side, where it was located until the beginning of the 20th century.
Since then, residents of Vladimir began to call this Sunday Avraamiev. On this day, a huge number of people flocked to the Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery to worship the holy martyr, and in 1785, in memory of the second transfer of the relics, a religious procession was established from the city Assumption Cathedral to the Princess Monastery. In 1806, a new silver shrine was made for the relics; iron chains, according to legend, which belonged to Abraham of Bulgaria, were kept in a special cabinet.
in 1916, the relics of the holy martyr were transferred to the warm Kazan Church, to a splendidly decorated shrine with a granite canopy, which has been preserved to this day.
In 1919, the relics of St. Abraham of Bulgaria underwent an “examination.” In 1923, the Vladimir Dormition Princess Monastery was closed, and the relics were transferred to the museum.
In 1931, the Ivanovo Regional Museum received a number of “exhibits” from the Vladimir regional department, among which the first on the list was the relics of the martyr Abraham. Subsequently, the trace of the relics is lost. And the last mention of them, as “not of historical significance,” is found in the “Act on Things Subject to Exclusion from the Inventory Book of the Suzdal Museum Fund” for 1954.

In the 1950s they were written off from museum storage; their current location is unknown. Before the removal of the relics, the abbess of the monastery Olympiada (Medvedeva) gave a particle of the relics for safekeeping to a resident of Vladimir, and in 1992 it was transferred to Bishop Evlogiy of Vladimir.
In 1993, the monastery was restored, and on April 10 of the same year, a religious procession took place from the Assumption Cathedral to the revived monastery. The religious procession was led by Bishop Evlogii, who transferred the reliquary with a particle of the relics of Abraham of Bulgaria to the monastery. The reliquary was installed in the Assumption Church of the Princess Monastery, on the salt, opposite the northwestern pillar of the temple. Above it is a gold-embroidered icon of a martyr from the late 19th century. the work of monastery craftswomen, according to legend, belonged to Abbess Olympias and before the opening of the monastery was located in the Assumption Cathedral. Abraham Week continues to be celebrated in Vladimir with special solemnity; after the liturgy, a religious procession is held around the monastery with a particle of the saint’s relics.

From the middle of the 19th century. the memory of Saint Abraham of Bulgaria began to be especially revered in Kazan.
In 1873, at the request of Archbishop Anthony of Kazan and Sviyazhsk (Ya. G. Amphiteatrov), known for his missionary activities, an icon of Abraham of Bulgaria with a particle of his relics was sent from Vladimir to Kazan, placed in the right aisle of the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
In Kazan, as in Vladimir, Abrahamic Week was solemnly celebrated. On this day, the liturgy was celebrated by the bishop's service; after the liturgy, a prayer service to the saint was served with an akathist; the icon of Abraham of Bulgaria was taken out of the icon case and placed on a lectern. With the blessing of Archbishop Anthony of Kazan and Sviyazhsk (Ya. G. Amphiteatrov), a short life of Abraham of Bulgaria was compiled and published in the Chuvash and Tatar languages.

In 1899 the following order for the diocese was published:
The names of the holy martyrs Abraham of Bulgaria, John, Peter and Stephen, who suffered within the Kazan flock, as their patrons and intercessors, should be commemorated in all churches of the Kazan diocese always on holidays from church services and on other occasions after the names of Saints Guria, Barsanuphius and Herman, Kazan miracle workers.

Veneration in Bulgar (Bolgar)
Abraham of Bulgaria was especially revered and is also revered in the village (now the city) of Bolgars, located on the site of ancient Bulgar.
After the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, not far from the place of suffering of the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, a temple was erected, where part of his holy relics (right hand) rested. At the very site of the saint’s martyrdom, above the healing spring, a well was built, and next to it a monument-chapel in the form of a tetrahedral pillar, on the sides of which icons were placed.
In 1878, Bishop Theognost (Lebedev) of Vladimir sent an icon of the holy martyr with a particle of his relics to Bolgar. In 1892, the Holy Governing Synod allowed, at the request of the village residents, to move from Vladimir the wooden shrine in which the saint’s relics were located until 1806, and place it in the Assumption Church of the Bolgars in the chapel in the name of Abraham of Bulgaria. The ceremonial transfer, with a religious procession, took place on May 30, 1892; the icon of the martyr sent from Vladimir was placed on the shrine.
During Soviet times, the shrines were lost, the chapel at the well at the site of the martyr’s death was destroyed, and the well itself was desecrated. Only the phalanx of the finger of the right hand has been preserved, preserved by the residents of the city in their homes, which is now located in the Temple of the Holy Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria (St. Abraham's Church) in the city of Bolgar.
In the fall of 1993, the chapel was rebuilt and consecrated, along with it the well, which had previously been cleared of sewage and debris, was consecrated. At the same time, two springs of clean water were discovered at its bottom.
It is believed that the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria has a special grace-filled power to intercede before God for sick children (records of the healing of the sick have been preserved). Abraham of Bulgaria is prayed for patronage and success in trade and personal entrepreneurship.

And miracles and healings continue to this day from the water of the holy spring.
After the reconstruction of the source, carried out between 2004 and 2007 by a few enthusiasts, its appearance changed radically: the chapel was lined with decorative facing bricks, the area was covered with paving stones, benches for rest were installed along the paths, and cabins for dousing were equipped. The structure is surrounded by a low fence with a brick base, matching the chapel, in combination with metal.
In front of the entrance there is a stone pillar with a description of the life of the martyr Abraham. After cleaning the springs, the water became suitable for drinking, and, as laboratory studies have shown, it is enriched with trace elements and minerals that are beneficial to the body. Many local residents and tourists and pilgrims coming from all over Russia use this crystal-clear healing water for drinking.
Since 1989, a tradition has been established to perform a religious procession from the St. Abraham's Church to the holy spring on the fourth Sunday after Easter, where a water-blessing prayer service with an akathist is served. This day is celebrated as the patronal feast of the church, the service is particularly solemn, and many people gather at the source. But people come here all the time.

Bulgarian. Chapel of Abraham of Bulgaria

Chapel at the Avraamievsky Spring
Chapel. Valid.
Year of construction: Date of construction is unknown.

HOW TO GET THERE, WHERE IT IS
Address: Republic of Tatarstan, Bolgar, 400 meters west of the "Bulgars" pier.
Directions:
After entering the city of Bolgar at the Avramievskaya Church, turn right into the second turn after the gas station (on the right) onto Lenin Street (the first turn will be on Smirnov Street to the Bolgars Museum-Reserve). After 1.4 km, turn left towards the main road to Surgeon Sheronova Street.
Drive straight through the entire city, after the end of urban development, drive straight through the forest, only about 2.2 km. Drive straight along the dirt road for about 500 meters, when the asphalt road turns left. The source with the chapel will be on the left, immediately after the intersection of two dirt roads.
Coordinates: 54.997072, 49.008761.

TEMPLE OF SAINT ABRAHAMIUS OF BULGARIAN IN BULGARI

GOD'S HELP THROUGH THE PRAYERS OF ST. ABRAHAMIUS OF BULGARIA

Miraculous healing

In the summer of 2002, on the Day of the Holy Trinity, we, Ulyanovsk pilgrims, came to a festive service at the Holy Abraham Church in the city of Bolgar. It was joyful, but I personally was bothered by physical ailments: acute pain in the spine (osteochondrosis worsened) and a flu-like condition. Therefore, of course, it was difficult to stand in church and participate in common prayer.

After the service, overcoming pain in the lower back, I went with everyone to a prayer service at the source of St. Abraham.
The day turned out to be warm and sunny; It seemed that nature rejoiced along with people on the holiday.
After the prayer service, Mother Vera poured holy water on me from two buckets with the good wish to receive healing through prayer to the holy martyr.
Then I got into the car to go home, and soon felt that the back pain had gone away, the flu-like state had disappeared - I felt healthy. And here I am again in your temple, where I receive great spiritual joy.
Shanina L.A., Ulyanovsk.

Help of the martyr Abraham to his blood relatives
By the providence of God, thousands of people come to the city of Bolgar every year in order to come into contact with the life of the martyr Abraham and offer him their prayers. He lived more than eight centuries ago, preaching about Christ not only by word, but also by example of Christian life. Both after his martyrdom, and today - in the twenty-first century - Abraham does not cease to glorify the name of God with his apostolic service. Thanks to the fact that this summer the removal of his relics for veneration in other cities was organized, he became a dear and quick intercessor for many residents of the Volga region.
In the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, a man of the Muslim tradition, a fellow tribesman of the martyr Abraham, was healed after venerating his holy relics. One autumn day the Lord brought this man to St. Abraham's Church. Here's what he said:
Nail Mardanov:
-I ended up in the hospital with a diagnosis of pneumonia. During the examination, doctors also discovered cirrhosis of the liver. For forty days I did not get up at all, I was in bad condition. A believing neighbor in my summer cottage came to my room and read a prayer for healing. After discharge, my wife came with me to the dacha, hoping to improve my health in the fresh air. One day, a neighbor excitedly said that the relics of a saint - a certain Abraham of Bulgaria - had been brought to the city church. We immediately got ready and went to church. At the moment when we arrived at the place, the relics of the martyr were already about to be taken away, but at the last moment we managed to venerate and pray to him. The next day I started walking! Every day the weakness went away, I felt better. On the fourth day, I went to the hospital on my own and was surprised by the positive tests. I felt like a completely different person. Every day I read a prayer for healing, a troparion to the martyr Abraham and a prayer of gratitude. In two days I return to work after a three-month sick leave. By religion, I am a Muslim and have never come into contact with the Orthodox Church before. But after such a miracle, I have a burning desire to continue praying to the saint who helped me and through whose prayers I was healed. Having traveled three hundred kilometers myself, driving a car, I came to Bolgars in order to understand how to live further.
In a series of flashing events, the Lord revealed Himself through illness and suffering and entered the heart of this man. Through the prayers of the holy martyr Abraham, He, by His Holy Spirit, performed the physical healing and spiritual birth of Nail. The merciful Lord, through the action of grace, demonstrated His Power and boundless love!

“Wonderful is God in His saints...”
In my less than thirty years, I have seen a lot in my life. He was a spoiled mama's boy and was fond of music and its “heavy metal.” A sated, carefree life led to drugs, which even prison did not stop him from becoming addicted to.
On the outside I was a blossoming young man, but on the inside I had lost all interest in life.
By the will of fate I ended up in the city of Bolgar. The relatives I came to see were believers, and I, far from anything spiritual, had, most likely out of boredom, to visit the local church of the Holy Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria.
After the church service and after I venerated the relics of Abraham, a new feeling was born in me, which I could not explain. I was embarrassed to ask anyone. For a whole week I lived as if fighting with myself. My whole previous life seemed disgustingly empty and meaningless to me.
I began asking relatives about the church, about religion, and learned that the icons in the church were being renewed. I was surprised that there were no doubts within me about the truth of the Orthodox faith; I had a strong desire to go to church again.
My experiences did not go unnoticed; a relative half-jokingly remarked: “The name of our district is Spassky! Didn’t the Lord bring you here for salvation?”
I realized that I needed to confess.
On Sunday I went to church again, where I venerated the holy relics. I didn’t have the courage to confess during the service. And when the church was empty, he approached the rector. I started talking. From the darkest depths of my soul, my memory dragged out such abominations that I was afraid not only to talk about, but to think about. I spoke, and I was surprised how I could say all this out loud.
The confession lasted more than an hour. For the same amount of time I listened to the spiritual instructions of the rector of the temple. He didn’t leave the church, but seemed to fly on wings.
Soon I had to go home. I couldn’t believe it, but there was no addiction to drugs. My heart was filled with a joyful feeling that I could live differently. I really wanted to come to Bolgar again. I dropped everything and visited this land again a month later. Having visited the holy well, he poured himself from it with faith for the healing of the soul.
My life has changed dramatically. The circle of acquaintances changed, an interesting job was found, and a sober attitude towards life appeared. I can’t say with certainty how my future will turn out. But the feeling of the miracle that happened to me on Bulgarian soil will always live in me.
I want to tell everyone: don’t pass by such a great place. God is truly marvelous in His saints, who send us their help and save us!
Sergey, Saratov

SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads.
http://www.kazeparhia.ru/temples/poblagochiniym/spasskoe/svklavraam/
http://sobory.ru/
Photo: user Terenty.
Abraham of Bulgaria // Open Orthodox Encyclopedia “Tree”.
Abraham (Abramiy) Bulgarian // Orthodox Encyclopedia. Volume I. - M.: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2000. - P. 172-173. — 752 p. — 40,000 copies. — ISBN 5-89572-006-4.
Life of the Holy Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria // Orthodox Bulgarian.
http://www.bolgar-hram.info/

Abraham lived in the 13th century, came from the Kama Muslim Bulgarians and was a wealthy merchant. He was very kind and merciful to the poor. After the adoption of Christianity in the city of Bolgars, Abraham began to preach to his Muslim compatriots about Christ the Savior. He was captured and executed after torture. Heavenly patron of pious merchants, philanthropists and missionaries. They pray to him for the granting of faith, the conversion of Muslims, other people of other faiths and sectarians to Orthodoxy.

***

Troparion to the Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, tone 4

Today, people of good faith, having come together, let us praise this noble martyr and sufferer Abramius, for this, we are strengthened by the power of God, lay down your soul for Christ, having suffered much from the evil Bulgarians. For this reason, the crown has been accepted from the Lord and now stands before Him and He prays for this city and for all of us who honor its memory.

Kontakion to Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, tone 3

Strengthened, gloriously, by the love of the Lord and His honorable Cross upon the frame, the yoke of the Lord, you put to shame the devil’s deceit and you suffered even to death, and for this reason, most wonderfully, the great sufferer, Abraham, appeared, and the armorer of the brave secret and the participant of God’s grace.

Second kontakion to the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, tone 8

Like a valuable treasure, your most honorable body, martyr Abraham, was quickly brought from the Bulgarian country to the city of Vladimir, with which you bestow upon all those who honor your glorious memory an abundance of healing, standing in Heaven to Christ God and praying to Him for the salvation of our souls.

Greatness

We magnify you, passion-bearing saint Abraham, and honor your honest suffering, which you endured for Christ.

Prayer to the martyr Abraham of Bulgaria

Holy Martyr Abraham, valiant warrior of Christ, the King of Heaven, our glorious helper and protector in sorrow and misfortune! Nothing can separate you from your love for the Lord Jesus: neither flattering promises of temporary blessings, nor rebuke, nor torment from the evil enemies of Christ’s most holy faith; You, like a lion, went out to battle against the mental wolves, the spirits of malice, who incited against you, for the sake of your good confession, the Bulgarian people of your kindred, and, like a fiery arrow, you struck them down with the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit and strong, like death, love yours to God. Even though you shed your blood for Christ our God, having destroyed your temporary life, you also soared with an immortal soul, like an eagle, into the heavenly abode of our Father, inheriting there eternal life, glory and unspeakable bliss, and leaving us your incorruptible remains, like a valuable and valuable treasure. fragrant. We believe, O passion-bearing saint, that, standing with the Angels and all the saints at the Throne of Glory of the Trinitarian God, you offer fervent and God-pleasing prayers not only for us and for our city, but also for all the saints of Christ’s Church and the Orthodox Fatherland of Russia. We believe, glorious miracle worker, like you, by the power of the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, through your holy relics, you exude abundant gifts of grace-filled help for the salvation of everyone who flows to you with faith, most of all, you ask for the death of those who honor you with repentance and you mercifully help a weak baby, and all from small to large, we unanimously glorify the inscrutable greatness of God’s goodness. With the same faith and love for the saints, we bow down and reverently kiss them, we beg you, our kind prayer book and intercessor in Heaven: help us, sinners and humble, with your prayers in all our sorrows, needs and circumstances, save us and this city from all evil and all sorts of misfortunes, but most of all, promote the eternal salvation of us and everyone who asks you for help and intercession. To her, we humbly pray to you, servant of God: pray to Christ our God, may He give peace and silence to all Orthodox Christians and may he turn away from us all anger directed at us, may he deliver us from the snares of the enemy, languor in the bonds of sin and the torments of hell and may He vouchsafe us, the unworthy, to sit at His right hand at His righteous Judgment and bring us into the eternal rest of His saints, where those who celebrate the unceasing voice and ineffable sweetness of those who behold the kindness of His face; and thus we will be able with you and all the saints to endlessly glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible. Amen.