Lazarus was from Bethany near Jerusalem, the brother of Mary and Martha. During His life, the Lord loved them and often visited their home in Bethany, calling Lazarus His friend (John. 11 :3, 5, 11).

After the premature death of Lazarus, shedding tears over his tomb, the Lord, as the Almighty, raised him from the dead, when Lazarus had already been lying in the tomb for four days and was already stinking (John. 11 :17-45). This miracle is remembered by the Church on the sixth Saturday of Great Lent (Lazarus Saturday).

After his resurrection, Saint Lazarus retired to the island of Cyprus, since the high priests decided to kill him (John. 12 :9-11), where he was later installed as bishop.

According to legend, Lazarus, being a bishop, was honored with a visit to the Mother of God and received from Her an omophorion made by Her hands. After the miraculous resurrection, Saint Lazarus lived another 30 years, maintaining strict abstinence, and died on the island of Cyprus.

Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land are shown two tombs of the righteous: one in Bethany in Jerusalem, and the other in the city of Kitim on the island of Cyprus. Before reaching the Holy City about two and a half miles, pilgrims visit Bethany, located on the eastern side of one foothill of the Mount of Olives. And a little to the northeast and below is the tomb of Lazarus, also revered by the Mohammedans. A small entrance cut into the rock leads to a narrow, deep cave. After going down 25 steps, pilgrims encounter a small platform with a stone table in the corner, which serves as a throne during the services on Lazarus Saturday. The site is considered the place where the Lord called: “Lazarus, come out!” Five more steps down - and the burial cave. Here they usually read the Gospel of John about the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn. 11 :1-7, 11-45) and the troparia of Palm Week. First, the Lord was met by Martha, then by Mary, when He went to the tomb to awaken his friend Lazarus - here is a large rounded “stone of conversation”, from which many receive healings.

And on the island of Cyprus there is a second tomb of the righteous Lazarus. 90 km from the city of Limassol, along the road lying between the hills, pilgrims arrive in the city of Larnaca, where there is a temple dedicated to Lazarus, where he served. The temple stands on the site of the original church of the 9th–10th centuries, built over the tomb of Lazarus. The real building of the temple of the 17th century. made of stone, its size is 35x17 m, there are two doors (from the north and west), a three-tier bell tower, a vast courtyard, and a museum. The temple has four pillars, if you count two pillars in the altar, then it has six pillars, everything is covered with marble. There are three side aisles. In the center there is a large chandelier: 5 tiers of candles on the bottom and three tiers on top, and two chandeliers on the sides. To the left of the altar is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, and to the right of the altar is a cave - the tomb of the righteous Lazarus. At the back of the temple there are choirs at a height. The entrance to the cave is along seven steps under the altar of the temple. The size of the cave is 6x12 m.

The relics of righteous Lazarus are in the middle: the head and half of his bones. And the second half of the relics were in Constantinople; the crusaders in 1291 took them to France, to Marseille. On the right is the iconostasis, in which the icons are arranged in three rows, and there are decorations in two rows between the icons. Across the cave stands a tomb with the inscription: “ Lazarus - friend of God" Reliquary - like a table, like a large bathtub, stone - 1.3 x 0.8 x 0.7 m. Temple - with a bell tower, a gallery 2.5-3 m high runs along the length of the temple, like a corridor along the surface of the courtyard, there are side doors: northern and southern, from the west - large entrance. And there are two side pulpits for preachers. This place is also revered by all Orthodox Christians as a great shrine, as proof of the undoubted mercy, love and omnipotence of God. The resurrection of Lazarus revealed power and power over death.

This earthly life among people is very strange, when you strive to serve others, but they are only waiting for something bright, enchanting, waiting for primitive miracles: give us wealth, pleasures; but punish those of them, humiliate them, or even destroy them.

Even the manifestation of the highest earthly - unearthly glory should occur under the cover of darkness only in the presence of three disciple-witnesses on the mountain. This anointing from the Father makes him the King of Glory. But whose King? Where is the people who would want to have a Betrayed, Humiliated, Beaten, Executed over them?

Even the Disciples themselves do not immediately accept this. He tells them about His suffering and death, and they try to beg for glorious places at His throne...

Hearing without hearing is what we can do. We hear, but how skillfully we turn everything in our favor, we twist it! For many today, the Holy Scriptures are no longer expounded by the Church through its own lips. The enemy of the human race interprets it. And the world bows its ears to the soothing whisper of the evil one.

Lazarus is dead! - the Lord says bluntly, saying that he is returning to Jerusalem. And Thomas alone from the twelve exclaims: So let us also go with Him and die!
The slogan sounded beautifully decisive, but we remember that everything happened differently then...

The road to Jerusalem lies through Bethany. Then Bethany already put Christ’s friend Lazarus into the secret depths of corruption. The death shocked the sisters Martha and Maria with grief. With her hopelessness she danced her dance of triumph over all those living today in the house of the inconsolable. Death remained the only earthly truth that could not be crossed. She won't be able to change.

All humanity is so faithful to HER that Solomon exclaims: love is strong as death! O Solomon, who tasted death, you did not yet know that God is Love! The Life-Giver himself comes to destroy the stereotype of the victory of death. He goes to step over her, in order to then voluntarily fall into her greedy embrace through the depletion of human nature.

From the blooming Galilee, from the majestic hay in the middle of the Ezdrelon Valley - Tabor, a cavalcade of pilgrims marches to Jerusalem through the lifeless hills of the Judean Desert. And this desolation bathed the faces of the travelers with the heat of a mortal tribute: we will all be THERE!
Why rush to the grave cave of the deceased? What to look for there now? — there is decay, there is stench, there is the triumph of the fruits of Adam’s fall.

But the Teacher walks along the path of his admirers, familiar from childhood, and behind Him are His Disciples, who have seen many different miracles of the Lord. We saw it.
And what does this vision without knowledge give? In the rays of popular glory, which from time to time surrounded the Son of Man, people bathed, received pleasure and hope. They were proud of their Teacher.

Remember how Luke and Cleopas, in a conversation on the road to Emmaus, bitterly reproached Him: “But we hoped that He was the One who should deliver Israel; but with all this, it is now the third day since this happened.”?

They hoped, but He disappointed them so bitterly. I was disappointed that I allowed myself to be bullied. They saw His weakness in this. All they saw was exhaustion.
In their eyes, He had to remain a Wonderworker, a formidable King, punishing right and left, and in His radiance they had to be above everyone else...

Christians, woe to those who even now in Christ seek their glory, their earthly well-being, wealth! The Lord is a comforter, but not the organizer of earthly pleasure and peace.
And He came to rescue Lazarus from the bowels of the earth, from pus, to tear him away from being eaten by worms, not for the sake of earthly happiness: immediately after his resurrection from the dead, the friend of Christ was forced to flee to unknown Cyprus, saving the life resurrected by the Lord.

The Lord of Life stands at the tomb cave in Bethany. Another stone blocks the narrow, low entrance to the place where the decomposing body lies. He alone knows what he intends to do. But he does not do this without the Father. Therefore, he prays, calling on the Creative Power from the Father-Spirit, so that everyone will later remember His words about the general Resurrection of everyone from the dead.

How long ago it was. And today it sounds like a fairy tale. But how joyful is the heart that believes. Because it is impossible not to believe in Him, the One who first wept humanly over the tomb, and then cried out: “Lazarus, come out!!!”

And you yourself, with your whole soul, bound hand and foot, come out blindfolded, out of this stench of yours, out of this corruptible corruption of passions. You come out, crawl out, wriggle like a snake, but you go towards the Light of Life. Because He called. And Lazarus (Eleazar) is you! Your soul.

Together with Raskolnikov, together with the harlot Sonya Marmeladova, you stand amazed to the unknown depths of your heart over this abyss of the tomb of godlessness, from which you were called. And you understand that living with Christ means creating something new! It's Easter! First the Godmother. There is purification in it. But after all, it is Easter of Light! Easter joy!

Eliazar- translated - to the one whom God helps. Who doesn't it help? Helps everyone. We are all Lazari. You just need to give a reason, an opportunity, so that God will help. It takes work. Above yourself, above your soul. Help will rush to the worker and will not leave him alone in the darkness of the grave.

Memorial Days:

Troparion of Righteous Lazarus the Four Days, tone 4

How great is the treasure and wealth that is not stolen / came to us from Cyprus, Lazarus, / By the providence of all God, by the command of the pious king, / giving free healing to those who honor you, / delivering from troubles and from all harm, / by faith crying to you: / save everyone with your prayers , Our Father Lazarus.

Troparion for the resurrection of righteous Lazarus

Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. Likewise, we, like the youths of victory who bear signs of victory, cry out to You, the conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Kontakion of the Righteous Lazarus of the Four Days, tone 8

Rise up, like a bright star, / from Cyprus your honorable relics, Lazarus, / the reigning city, sanctifying and cheering the Christ-loving king / and enriching its people, / giving you the grace of healing, faithfully calling to you: / Rejoice, Lazarus, friend of God.

The resurrection of Lazarus is the greatest sign, a prototype of the General Resurrection promised by the Lord. The figure of the resurrected Lazarus himself remains, as it were, in the shadow of this event, but he was one of the first Christian bishops. How did his life turn out after returning from the captivity of death? Where is his grave and are his relics preserved? Why does Christ call him a friend and how did it happen that the crowds of witnesses to the resurrection of this man not only did not believe, but denounced Christ to the Pharisees? Let's consider these and other points related to the amazing gospel miracle.

Did you know that many people attended Lazarus' funeral?

Unlike the hero of the same name from the parable “About the Rich Man and Lazarus,” righteous Lazarus from Bethany was real person and besides, not the poor. Judging by the fact that he had servants (John 11:3), his sister anointed the Savior’s feet with expensive oil (John 12:3), after the death of Lazarus they put him in a separate tomb, and many Jews mourned him (John 11: 31, 33), Lazarus was probably a wealthy and famous man.

Due to their nobility, Lazarus’s family apparently enjoyed special love and respect among people, since many of the Jews living in Jerusalem came to the sisters who were orphaned after the death of their brother to mourn their grief. The holy city was located fifteen stages from Bethany (John 11:18), which is about three kilometers.

« The wondrous Fisher of Men chose the rebellious Jews as eyewitnesses of the miracle, and they themselves showed the coffin of the deceased, rolled away the stone from the entrance to the cave, and inhaled the stench of the decomposing body. With our own ears we heard the call to the dead man to rise, with our own eyes we saw his first steps after resurrection, with our own hands we untied the burial shrouds, making sure that this was not a ghost. So, did all the Jews believe in Christ? Not at all. But they went to the leaders, and “from that day they decided to kill Jesus"(John 11:53). This confirmed the correctness of the Lord, who spoke through the mouth of Abraham in the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus: “ If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were raised from the dead, they will not believe"(Luke 16:31)."

Saint Amphilochius of Iconium

Did you know that Lazarus became a bishop?

Exposed to mortal danger, after the murder of the holy protomartyr Stephen, Saint Lazarus was taken to the sea coast, put in a boat without oars and removed from the borders of Judea. By divine will, Lazarus, together with the Lord’s disciple Maximin and Saint Celidonius (a blind man healed by the Lord), sailed to the shores of Cyprus. Being thirty years old before his resurrection, he lived on the island for more than thirty years. Here Lazarus met the apostles Paul and Barnabas. They elevated him to the position of bishop of the city of Kitia (Kition, called Hetim by the Jews). The ruins of the ancient city of Kition were discovered during archaeological excavations and are available for inspection (from the life of Lazarus the Four-Day).

Tradition says that after the resurrection, Lazarus maintained strict abstinence, and that the Episcopal omophorion was given to him by the Most Pure Mother of God, having made it with Her own hands (Synaxarion).

« Indeed, the unbelief of the leaders of the Jews and the more influential teachers of Jerusalem, which did not yield to such a striking, obvious miracle performed in front of a whole crowd of people, is an amazing phenomenon in the history of mankind; from that time on, it ceased to be unbelief, but became a conscious opposition to the obvious truth (“now you have seen and hated Me and My Father"(John 15:24)."

Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky)

Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca, built on his grave. Cyprus

Did you know that the Lord Jesus Christ called Lazarus a friend?

The Gospel of John tells about this, in which our Lord Jesus Christ, wanting to go to Bethany, says to the disciples: “ Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep" In the name of the friendship of Christ and Lazarus, Mary and Martha call on the Lord to help their brother, saying: “ The one you love is sick"(John 12:3). In the interpretation of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, Christ deliberately places emphasis on why He wants to go to Bethany: “Since the disciples were afraid to go to Judea, He tells them: “ I am not going after what I followed before, to expect danger from the Jews, but I am going to wake up a friend”».

Relics of Saint Lazarus the Quadruple in Larnaca

Do you know where the relics of Saint Lazarus the Four-Days are located?

The holy relics of Bishop Lazarus were found in Kitia. They lay in a marble ark, on which was written: “Lazarus the Fourth Day, friend of Christ.”

The Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise (886–911) ordered in 898 that the relics of Lazarus be transferred to Constantinople and placed in a temple in the name of the Righteous Lazarus.

Today, his relics rest on the island of Cyprus in the city of Larnaca in a temple consecrated in honor of the saint. In the underground crypt of this temple there is a tomb in which the righteous Lazarus was once buried.

Crypt of the Church of Lazarus. Here is an empty tomb with the signature “Friend of Christ”, in which the righteous Lazarus was once buried.

Did you know that the only described case when the Lord Jesus Christ cried was associated precisely with the death of Lazarus?

“The Lord weeps because he sees man, created in His own image, undergoing corruption, in order to take away our tears, for for this he died, in order to free us from death” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

Did you know that the Gospel, which speaks of the weeping Christ, contains the main Christological dogma?

“As a man, Jesus Christ asks, and cries, and does everything else that would testify that He is a man; and as God He resurrects a four-day-old man who already smells like a dead man, and generally does what would indicate that He is God. Jesus Christ wants people to make sure that He has both natures, and therefore reveals Himself either as a man or as God” (Eufimiy Zigaben).

Do you know why the Lord calls the death of Lazarus a dream?

The Lord calls the death of Lazarus the Dormition (in the Church Slavonic text), and the resurrection that He intends to accomplish is an awakening. By this He wanted to say that death for Lazarus is a fleeting state.

Lazarus fell ill, and Christ’s disciples said to Him: “ God! the one you love is sick"(John 11:3). And after this He and his disciples left for Judea. And then Lazarus dies. Already there, in Judea, Christ tells the disciples: “ Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep; but I'm going to wake him up"(John 11:11). But the apostles did not understand Him and said: “ If you fall asleep, you will recover"(John 11:12), meaning, according to the words of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, that the coming of Christ to Lazarus is not only unnecessary, but also harmful for a friend: because "if sleep, as we think, serves for his recovery, If you go and wake him up, then you will prevent his recovery.” In addition, the Gospel itself explains to us why death is called sleep: “ Jesus spoke about his death, but they thought that He was talking about an ordinary dream"(John 11:13). And then He directly announced that “ Lazarus died"(John 11:14).

Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria speaks of three reasons why the Lord called death a sleep:

1) “out of humility, for he did not want to seem boastful, but secretly called the resurrection an awakening from sleep... For, having said that Lazarus “died,” the Lord did not add: “I will go and raise him”;

2) “to show us that all death is sleep and tranquility”;

3) “although the death of Lazarus was death for others, for Jesus Himself, since He intended to resurrect him, it was nothing more than a dream. Just as it is easy for us to wake up a sleeping person, so, and a thousand times more, it is convenient for Him to resurrect the dead,” “may the Son of God be glorified through” this miracle (John 11:4).

Do you know where the grave is where Lazarus came from, returned by the Lord to earthly life?

The tomb of Lazarus is located in Bethany, three kilometers from Jerusalem. Now, however, Bethany is identified with the village, in Arabic called Al-Aizariya, which grew up already in Christian times, in the 4th century, around the tomb of Lazarus himself. Ancient Bethany, where the family of righteous Lazarus lived, was located at a distance from Al-Aizariya - higher up the slope. Many events of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ are closely connected with ancient Bethany. Every time the Lord walked with his disciples along the Jericho road to Jerusalem, their path passed through this village.

Tomb of St. Lazarus in Bethany

Did you know that the tomb of Lazarus is also venerated by Muslims?

Modern Bethany (Al-Aizariya or Eizariya) is the territory of the partially recognized state of Palestine, where the overwhelming majority of the population are Muslim Arabs who settled in these areas already in the 7th century. The Dominican monk Burchardt of Zion wrote about the worship of Muslims at the tomb of righteous Lazarus back in the 13th century.

Did you know that the raising of Lazarus is the key to understanding the entire fourth Gospel?

The resurrection of Lazarus is the greatest sign that prepares the reader for the Resurrection of Christ and is a prototype of the eternal life promised to all believers: “ He who believes in the Son has eternal life"(John 3:36); " I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live"(John 11:25).

Sretenskaya Theological Seminary

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Lazarus the Four Days

Konstantin Ikonomos, teacher

Ο Άγιος Λάζαρος, ο τετραήμερος

cancer with the relics of St. Righteous Lazarus in Larnaca

SACRED SCRIPTURE AND RATIONALISTS: Lazarus grew up in Bethany and was the brother of Martha and Mary. He was a friend of Jesus Christ () John. 11.5, 36; Matt. 21, 17; Mk. 11:11) and was raised from the dead by the Lord. The resurrection of Lazarus is described in the most detailed detail in chapter 11 of the Gospel by John the Theologian. Many rationalists look at the story of this resurrection simply as a " symbol of the sinner's spiritual restoration" and nothing more.

However, these views contradict some details in the description of this event in the Gospel, which, strictly speaking, leave no doubt about the authority and certainty of his words. So the city of Bethany (15 stadia from Jerusalem), time (four-day dead), fear of stench, description of the coffin, grave clothes, emotional reaction of the Lord, the presence of Sadducees (who do not believe in the resurrection), as well as the enemies of the Lord who wanted to kill the Lord himself Jesus, are living proof that John the Evangelist is speaking of a real and earth-shattering event.

LAZARUS IN CYPRUS: Lazarus, after his resurrection, around 30-33 A.D., left Bethany and came to Larnaca on the island. Cyprus. Here he met the apostles Paul and Barnabas as he walked from Salamis to Paphos, and he was ordained bishop of the Church, which he himself had founded. Saint Lazarus was thirty years old after his resurrection by the Lord in Bethany, St. reported this. Epiphanius of Cyprus says: “In the legend we find that Lazarus was thirty years old when he was resurrected (by the Lord), and he lived another thirty years after his resurrection and then reposed before the Lord.”
During the thirty years of the saint’s stay at the episcopal see in Kitia, St. Theodore the Studite in his Catechism. Popular legend says that Saint Lazarus was serious and did not laugh for all the thirty years that he lived after his resurrection, not at all because he did not have the grace of God, because among the blessings that he gave to believers by the All-Holy Spirit there are “joy , peace, long-suffering, meekness” (Gal. 5:22), but because his eyes, during his four-day stay in hell, saw the endless, eternal condemnation of sinners. It is also said that he smiled only once when he saw a certain woman who stole a clay vessel and commented on this event as follows: “Clay steals a pylon,” that is, an earthen man steals something made from earth, not knowing that “the day The Lord will come like a thief” (I Thess. 5:2). The Western tradition that Lazarus was an active missionary in Provence and became Bishop of Marseille dates back to the 12th century.
DEATH OF THE SAINT: After his second death, which occurred on October 16, according to the Codex Kausocalivia, Saint Lazarus was buried in a marble tomb, which, according to the Synaxarium of Constantinople, had the inscription: Lazarus of the four days and friend of Christ.” In the Codex Kavsokalyvia, under October 16, it is accordingly reported that it is necessary to especially celebrate such a great saint, since he was resurrected by the Lord (just like the placing of the finger of the Apostle Thomas in the side of Christ), since they are not simply feasts of saints, but feasts of the Lord. October 16 is also associated with the memory of the discovery of his venerable relics, which occurred during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, in 890 AD. This event is celebrated on October 17. The resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated as “Lazarus Saturday.” With extraordinary zeal and love, he ruled the holy Church of Cyprus until the end of his earthly life.

Troparion: The general resurrection before your passion, I assure you that you raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. In the same way, we, as the youths of victory bearing the sign, cry out to You as the conqueror of death. Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Church of Saint Lazarus in Larnaca in Cyprus

After his resurrection, Lazarus lived another 30 years. He was a bishop in Cyprus and preached Christianity.

After his death, the relics of Bishop Lazarus were placed in a Marble Ark, on which was written: “Lazarus of the Four Days, friend of Christ.” In the 9th century, the Byzantine emperor Leo the Wise ordered the relics of Lazarus to be transferred to Constantinople. And in the city of Kition (now Larnaca) a temple was built in honor of Christ’s friend Lazarus.

The church was built on the very tomb of the saint. This temple is a place of pilgrimage for believers.

The temple was built around 890. The English consul in Syria, Alexander Drumond, who visited Cyprus in 1745, wrote with admiration about the Church of Lazarus: “I have never seen anything like it!”

The iconostasis of the church is considered an example of the most skillful wood carving. The temple houses several ancient Byzantine icons. Directly below the iconostasis there is a small church carved into the rock - steps lead there from the right side of the iconostasis. It contains two sarcophagi. Lazarus was once buried in one of them.

Around the temple there are still several buildings of the monastery that existed here many years ago. One of them now houses a museum. A small cemetery with stunningly beautiful carved stone sarcophagi has also been preserved on the territory of the church.

The ringing of the bells of the Church of St. Lazarus can be heard in all corners of Larnaca. The life of the townspeople is closely connected with this temple: children are baptized here, weddings take place, and a huge number of believers gather here for Sunday and holiday services.

The first Christian archbishop, and after his death, the heavenly patron of the city, was Lazarus, resurrected by Christ. The most famous tomb in Larnaca is the tomb of St. Lazarus. She is in Church of St. Lazarus, which was built around 900. The Church of St. Lazarus and his tomb can be seen in the city center.

Righteous Lazarus. The resurrection in Bethany, in a small village southeast of Jerusalem, of the righteous Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, whom the Lord himself called his friend, greatly outraged the Jews. Exposed to mortal danger, after the murder of the holy protomartyr Stephen, Saint Lazarus was taken to the sea coast, put in a boat without oars and removed from the borders of Judea. By divine will, Saint Lazarus, together with the Lord’s disciple Maximin and Saint Celidonius, a blind man healed by the Lord, sailed to the shores of Cyprus. Having been thirty years old before his resurrection, he lived on the island for more than thirty years. Here Saint Lazarus met the holy apostles Paul and Barnabas. They elevated him to the position of bishop of the city of Kitia (Kition, called Hetim by the Jews). The ruins of the ancient city of Kition were discovered during archaeological excavations and are available for inspection.

The following legend is associated with the name of the righteous Lazarus. Arriving on the island on a hot summer day, and walking around the outskirts of Kition in search of shelter, righteous Lazarus wanted to quench his thirst. Not finding a source nearby, he asked a bunch of grapes from a woman working near his house. She refused the saint his modest request, citing crop failure and drought. When leaving, righteous Lazarus said: “So, as punishment for your lies, let the vineyard dry up and turn into a salt lake.” Since then, five kilometers west of Larnaca, Cypriots have shown the Salt Lake to pilgrims and tourists and are famous for their hospitality. From December to March, hundreds of white and pink flamingos spend the winter here. The road leading to the city and airport opens great view to the mountains reflected in the lake, among which the peak of the Holy Cross with the Stavrovouni monastery dominates.

Righteous Lazarus really wanted to meet the Mother of God, but due to persecution he could not leave the island. Having received a message from the Most Holy Theotokos and sent a ship for Her from Kition, he awaited Her arrival. Having left Palestine, Holy Mother of God Accompanied by the Apostle John the Theologian and other companions, she set off on a journey across the Mediterranean Sea. In “Tales of the Earthly Life of the Most Holy Theotokos,” published by the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Athos, further events are described as follows: “There was already a little way left to Cyprus, when suddenly a strong contrary wind blew, and the shipmen, with all their efforts and skill, could not cope with ship. The wind, growing strong, turned into a storm; and the ship, not listening to the earthly helmsman, surrendered to the instructions of the finger of God and rushed away from Cyprus. Carried by the force of the storm into the Aegean Sea, it quickly rushed between the numerous islands of the archipelago and, without damage or the slightest loss , landed on the shores of Mount Athos." By the will of God, the Ever-Virgin Herself laid the foundation for monastic life on the Holy Mountain. Returning to Jerusalem, the Mother of God visited Cyprus, blessed the local Church created by the apostles and handed over to Saint Lazarus the bishop's omophorion sewn by her hands.

After his death, righteous Lazarus was buried in the vicinity of Kition, in a place that later received the name “Larnax” - “coffin, sarcophagus”. On the marble tomb of the saint there was an inscription: “Four-day Lazarus, friend of Christ.”

According to legend, it was found at the burial place of St. Lazarus in 392. Cyprus icon of the Mother of God. On it, the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted sitting on a throne with the Infant God, and on either side stand two angels with branches in their hands. The celebration of the icon takes place on May 3/April 20 (Old Art.). Copies of the icon were distributed to many countries. In Russia, the Cypriot image of the Virgin Mary is known, kept in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. In the village of Stromyn, Moscow region, on July 22/9 (old style) and on the 1st Sunday of Great Lent, a celebration of the miraculous Cypriot icon is celebrated.

The relics of righteous Lazarus were found in 898, under the Byzantine Emperor Leo IV the Wise (886-911) and transferred to the city of Constantinople, where a silver shrine was built for them, and earlier a temple was built in honor of the saint under Emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867- 886). On the day of the transfer of the holy relics of the saint from Cyprus to Constantinople, October 30/17 (O.S.), his memory is celebrated. Later, the Frankish crusaders took the relics to the Mediterranean port city of Marseille.

A stone temple was built in honor of the righteous Lazarus over the tomb of St. Lazarus in Cyprus in the 9th century. At the beginning of the 1970s (namely in 1972), during restoration work in the temple, stone tombs were discovered under the altar, in one of which part of the relics of St. Lazarus was found. A silver-gilded ark in the form of a bishop's miter was specially made for them and a carved gilded shrine (tomb) was built, with a canopy and a small Byzantine dome topped with a cross. The relics of Saint Lazarus are constantly displayed for public veneration in the center of the temple near the southern column. Along a specially constructed passage at the base of the temple, the entrance to which is located in the southern part of the sole, pilgrims descend several steps into a low, semi-dark sub-part, covered with a modern concrete vault. At the eastern wall, at the entrance to this underground room, there is a holy spring enclosed in a pipe. There are rectangular stone tombs with heavy lids dating back to the Roman period. There is a custom to bring to the tomb and to the icon of St. Lazarus in the temple, in gratitude for the healing, wax-cast figurines of people and body parts, and they stand in abundance in this place. The candle workshop is located on the next street, a few tens of meters, northeast of the Temple of Lazarus. It produces wax figurines and various candles. Among them, huge holiday candles stand out, more than a meter high and several centimeters in diameter.

The temple in honor of righteous Lazarus, built of massive stone blocks, was rebuilt several times, but basically retained the three-nave basilica of the 9th century. The outside of the temple has undergone some changes over its centuries-old history. The three domes that crowned the temple have been completely dismantled. A large open gallery is attached to it from the south. There is a high, four-tiered bell tower near the southeastern wall. What especially stands out in the decoration of the temple is the multi-tiered carved wooden iconostasis, installed in the 18th century. On the northern pillar in the center of the temple hangs an icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” in a frame, painted in the 18th century in Russia. From the south and west, the Temple of Lazarus is surrounded by two-story buildings. Part of the western building is occupied by a small church-archaeological museum telling about the history of the temple. Its exhibition includes ancient icons of the righteous Lazarus and other saints, church vestments and utensils. A rare image of St. Lazarus, painted in the 12th century, is also kept here. On the icon he is depicted in bishop's vestments. Another ancient icon, heavily damaged by fire, the image of St. Lazarus was miraculously preserved. Right hand he blesses (the emperor), and holds the Gospel in his left. The rector of the temple is Archimandrite Lazar.

Also Special attention It is worth paying attention to the iconostasis, consisting of 120 icons, which is a wonderful example of ancient wood carving. The most valuable icon is considered to be one dating back to 1734, in which Saint Lazarus is depicted in the rank of Bishop of Kition. In addition, the church houses a small museum containing magnificent objects of Byzantine religious art, including ancient wood carvings, icons and church utensils. And next to the cathedral there are burial places of a number of Europeans who lived in the city in the 17th and 18th centuries. Saint Lazarus himself is considered the patron saint of Larnaca, and the celebration of his Resurrection takes place in the city on a grand scale. This happens a week before Orthodox Easter.

Temple icon of the Resurrection of St. Lazarus in the temple in his honor. Larnaca, Cyprus.

On this day we celebrate the resurrection of the holy righteous Lazarus of the Four Days, a friend of Christ. He was a Jew by birth, a Pharisee by religion, the son of the Pharisee Simon, as they say somewhere, from Bethany. When our Lord Jesus Christ made His earthly journey for the salvation of the human race, Lazarus became His friend in this way. Since Christ often talked with Simon, for he also hoped for the resurrection of the dead, and came to their house many times, Lazarus, together with his two sisters, Martha and Mary, fell in love with Him as if they were his own.

The saving Passion of Christ was approaching, when it was time for the mystery of the resurrection to be revealed with certainty. Jesus stayed beyond the Jordan, having first raised the daughter of Jairus and the son of a widow (of Nain) from the dead. His friend Lazarus, having become seriously ill, died. Jesus, although he was not there, says to the disciples: Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep, and after a while he said again: Lazarus is dead (John 11: 11, 14). Called by his sisters, Jesus, leaving the Jordan, came to Bethany. Bethany was near Jerusalem, fifteen stages away (John 11:18). And Lazarus’ sisters met Him, saying: “Lord! if You had been here, our brother would not have died. But even now, if You please, You will raise it up, for you can do (all) things” (cf. John 11:21-22). Jesus asked the Jews, “Where have you laid it?” (John 11:34). Then everyone went to the tomb. When they wanted to roll away the stone, Martha said: Lord! already stinks; for he has been in the tomb for four days (John 11:39). Jesus, having prayed and shed tears over the one lying down, cried out in a loud voice: Lazarus! get out (John 11:43). And immediately the deceased came out, they untied him, and he went home.

translation of “Orthodox Apologist” 2013

LAZARUS FOUR DAYS. A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE RESURRECTED LAZARUS AND HIS FURTHER FATE

The resurrection of Lazarus is the greatest sign, a prototype of the General Resurrection promised by the Lord. The figure of the resurrected Lazarus himself remains, as it were, in the shadow of this event, but he was one of the first Christian bishops. How did his life turn out after returning from the captivity of death? Where is his grave and are his relics preserved? Why does Christ call him a friend and how did it happen that the crowds of witnesses to the resurrection of this man not only did not believe, but denounced Christ to the Pharisees? Let's consider these and other points related to the amazing gospel miracle.

Resurrection of Lazarus. Giotto.1304-1306

Did you know that many people attended Lazarus' funeral?

Unlike the hero of the same name from the parable “About the Rich Man and Lazarus,” righteous Lazarus from Bethany was a real person and, moreover, not poor. Judging by the fact that he had servants (John 11:3), his sister anointed the Savior’s feet with expensive oil (John 12:3), after the death of Lazarus they put him in a separate tomb, and many Jews mourned him (John 11: 31, 33), Lazarus was probably a wealthy and famous man.

Due to their nobility, Lazarus’s family apparently enjoyed special love and respect among people, since many of the Jews living in Jerusalem came to the sisters who were orphaned after the death of their brother to mourn their grief. The holy city was located fifteen stages from Bethany (John 11:18), which is about three kilometers.

“The wondrous Fisher of Men chose the rebellious Jews as eyewitnesses of the miracle, and they themselves showed the coffin of the deceased, rolled away the stone from the entrance to the cave, and inhaled the stench of the decomposing body. With our own ears we heard the call to the dead man to rise, with our own eyes we saw his first steps after resurrection, with our own hands we untied the burial shrouds, making sure that this was not a ghost. So, did all the Jews believe in Christ? Not at all. But they went to the leaders, and “from that day they decided to kill Jesus.”(John 11:53). This confirmed the correctness of the Lord, who spoke through the mouth of Abraham in the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were raised from the dead, they will not believe.”(Luke 16:31).”

Saint Amphilochius of Iconium

Did you know that Lazarus became a bishop?

Exposed to mortal danger, after the murder of the holy protomartyr Stephen, Saint Lazarus was taken to the sea coast, put in a boat without oars and removed from the borders of Judea. By divine will, Lazarus, together with the Lord’s disciple Maximin and Saint Celidonius (a blind man healed by the Lord), sailed to the shores of Cyprus. Being thirty years old before his resurrection, he lived on the island for more than thirty years. Here Lazarus met the apostles Paul and Barnabas. They elevated him to the position of bishop of the city of Kitia (Kition, called Hetim by the Jews). The ruins of the ancient city of Kition were discovered during archaeological excavations and are available for inspection (from the life of Lazarus the Four-Day).

Tradition says that after the resurrection, Lazarus maintained strict abstinence, and that the Episcopal omophorion was given to him by the Most Pure Mother of God, having made it with Her own hands (Synaxarion).

“Indeed, the unbelief of the leaders of the Jews and the more influential teachers of Jerusalem, which did not yield to such a striking, obvious miracle performed in front of a whole crowd of people, is an amazing phenomenon in the history of mankind; from that time on, it ceased to be unbelief, but became conscious opposition to obvious truth (“now you have seen and hated Me and My Father” (John 15:24)."

Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky)

Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca, built on his grave. Cyprus

Did you know that the Lord Jesus Christ called Lazarus a friend?

The Gospel of John tells about this, in which our Lord Jesus Christ, wanting to go to Bethany, says to the disciples: “Lazarus, our friend, has fallen asleep.” In the name of the friendship of Christ and Lazarus, Mary and Martha call on the Lord to help their brother, saying: “The one you love is sick”(John 12:3). In the interpretation of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, Christ deliberately emphasizes why He wants to go to Bethany: “Since the disciples were afraid to go to Judea, He said to them: “I am not going after what I followed before, to expect danger from the Jews, but I am going to wake up a friend.”

Relics of Saint Lazarus the Quadruple in Larnaca

Do you know where the relics of Saint Lazarus the Four-Days are located?

The holy relics of Bishop Lazarus were found in Kitia. They lay in a marble ark, on which was written: “Lazarus the Fourth Day, friend of Christ.”

The Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) ordered in 898 that the relics of Lazarus be transferred to Constantinople and placed in a temple in the name of the Righteous Lazarus.

Today, his relics rest on the island of Cyprus in the city of Larnaca in a temple consecrated in honor of the saint. In the underground crypt of this temple there is a tomb in which the righteous Lazarus was once buried.

Crypt of the Church of Lazarus. Here is an empty tomb with the signature “Friend of Christ”, in which the righteous Lazarus was once buried.

Did you know that the only described case when the Lord Jesus Christ cried was associated precisely with the death of Lazarus?

“The Lord weeps because He sees man, created in His own image, undergoing corruption, in order to take away our tears, for for this purpose He died, in order to free us from death.”(St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

Did you know that the Gospel, which speaks of the weeping Christ, contains the main Christological dogma?

“As a man, Jesus Christ asks, and cries, and does everything else that would testify that He is a man; and as God He resurrects a four-day-old man who already smells like a dead man, and generally does what would indicate that He is God. Jesus Christ wants people to make sure that He has both natures, and therefore reveals Himself either as a man or as God.”(Evfimy Zigaben).

Do you know why the Lord calls the death of Lazarus a dream?

The Lord calls the death of Lazarus the Dormition (in the Church Slavonic text), and the resurrection that He intends to accomplish is an awakening. By this He wanted to say that death for Lazarus is a fleeting state.

Lazarus fell ill, and the disciples of Christ said to Him: "God! Behold, the one you love is sick.”(John 11:3). And after this He and his disciples left for Judea. And then Lazarus dies. Already there, in Judea, Christ says to the disciples: “Lazarus, our friend, fell asleep; but I'm going to wake him up"(John 11:11). But the apostles did not understand Him and said: “If you fall asleep, you will recover”(John 11:12), meaning, according to the words of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, that the coming of Christ to Lazarus is not only unnecessary, but also harmful for a friend: because “if sleep, as we think, serves for his recovery, but If you go and wake him up, you will hinder his recovery.” In addition, the Gospel itself explains to us why death is called sleep: “Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of an ordinary sleep.”(John 11:13). And then He directly announced that "Lazarus Died"(John 11:14).

Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria speaks of three reasons why the Lord called death a sleep:

1) “out of humility, for he did not want to seem boastful, but secretly called the resurrection an awakening from sleep... For, having said that Lazarus “died,” the Lord did not add: “I will go and raise him”;

2) “to show us that all death is sleep and tranquility”;

3) “although the death of Lazarus was death for others, for Jesus Himself, since He intended to resurrect him, it was nothing more than a dream. Just as it is easy for us to wake up a sleeping person, so, and a thousand times more, it is convenient for Him to resurrect the dead,” “may the Son of God be glorified through” this miracle (John 11:4).

Do you know where the grave is where Lazarus came from, returned by the Lord to earthly life?

The tomb of Lazarus is located in Bethany, three kilometers from Jerusalem. Now, however, Bethany is identified with the village, in Arabic called Al-Aizariya, which grew up already in Christian times, in the 4th century, around the tomb of Lazarus himself. Ancient Bethany, where the family of righteous Lazarus lived, was located at a distance from Al-Aizariya - higher up the slope. Many events of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ are closely connected with ancient Bethany. Every time the Lord walked with his disciples along the Jericho road to Jerusalem, their path passed through this village.

Tomb of St. Lazarus in Bethany

Did you know that the tomb of Lazarus is also venerated by Muslims?

Modern Bethany (Al-Aizariya or Eizariya) is the territory of the partially recognized state of Palestine, where the overwhelming majority of the population are Muslim Arabs who settled in these areas already in the 7th century. The Dominican monk Burchardt of Zion wrote about the worship of Muslims at the tomb of righteous Lazarus back in the 13th century.

Did you know that the raising of Lazarus is the key to understanding the entire fourth Gospel?

The Resurrection of Lazarus is the greatest sign that prepares the reader for the Resurrection of Christ and is a prototype of the eternal life promised to all believers: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life"(John 3:36); “I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.”(John 11:25).

Sretenskaya Theological Seminary

Lazarev Saturday. The resurrection of righteous Lazarus. Day of celebration - on the eve of the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
October 30 - transfer of the relics of rights. Lazarus, Bishop of Kitia (898).

LAZARUS SATURDAY. RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS

The last Saturday before is called Lazareva. On this day Orthodox Church remembers the last great miracle of Christ in His earthly life - the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus.

Lazarus himself lived in Bethany, near Jerusalem, along with his sisters Martha and Mary. Jesus Christ often stayed in their house (Luke 10:38-41; John 12:1-2); the Lord called Lazarus his friend.
One day, news of Lazarus’ illness reached Jesus, to which He said:

“This sickness does not lead to death, but to the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

But Christ did not have time to see His friend, Lazarus died. Hearing about the death of Lazarus, “ Jesus shed tears"(John 11:35). But these were tears not only about the loss of a loved one. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh explains that these tears were

“that Lazarus had to die, because the world lies in evil and every person is mortal due to the fact that sin controls the world.
Christ here wept for His friend Lazarus, and in a broader sense - about this horror: God gave eternal life to all creation, but man introduced death through sin, and now the bright young man Lazarus must die, because sin once entered the world."

When the Lord came to the burial place of Lazarus, four days had already passed, but Jesus commanded “ take away" stone from the cave in which the righteous man was buried, and called out to him: " Lazarus! Get out”.
And so Lazarus, alive and unharmed, emerged from the burial cave.

Everyone in Judea quickly learned about such a miracle. And when, the next day, Christ rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, He was greeted by crowds of people like a real king.

His resurrection from the dead on the fourth day (hence the nickname Lazarus of the Four Days), performed by Christ in the form of a public messianic “sign”, became for the Jewish authorities, fearing religious unrest, the final argument in favor of immediate reprisal against Him (John 11:47-53) .

From the point of view of Christian theology, this miracle turned out to be a symbol of Christ’s power over life and death, as proof to the disciples of His Resurrection and the future resurrection of the dead. Therefore, the Saturday of the sixth week of Great Lent (Lazarus Saturday), before the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), is dedicated to this event.

THE LIFE OF LAZARUS, GOD'S FRIEND. ACQUISITION AND TRANSFER OF POWERS

Saint Lazarus Was from Bethany near Jerusalem, the brother of Mary and Martha. During His life, the Lord loved them and often visited their home in Bethany, calling Lazarus His friend (John 11:3, 5, 11).

After the premature death of Lazarus, shedding tears over his tomb, the Lord, as the Almighty, raised him from the dead, when Lazarus had already been lying in the tomb for four days and was already stinking (John 11:17-45). This miracle is remembered by the Church on the sixth Saturday of Great Lent (Lazarus Saturday).

After his resurrection, Saint Lazarus retired to the island of Cyprus, since the high priests decided to kill him (John 12:9-11), where he was subsequently installed as a bishop.

According to legend, Lazarus, being a bishop, was honored with a visit to the Mother of God and received from Her an omophorion made by Her hands. After the miraculous resurrection, Saint Lazarus lived another 30 years, maintaining strict abstinence, and died on the island of Cyprus.

Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land are shown two tombs of the righteous: one in Bethany in Jerusalem, and the other in the city of Kitim on the island of Cyprus.

Tomb of Lazarus in Bethany

Before reaching the Holy City about two and a half kilometers, pilgrims visit Bethany, located on the eastern side of one foothill of the Mount of Olives. And a little to the northeast and below is the tomb of Lazarus, also revered by the Mohammedans. A small entrance cut into the rock leads to a narrow, deep cave. After going down 25 steps, pilgrims encounter a small platform with a stone table in the corner, which serves as a throne during the services on Lazarus Saturday. The site is considered the place where the Lord called: “Lazarus, come out!” Five more steps down - and the burial cave.
Here they usually read the Gospel of John about the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1-7, 11-45) and the troparia of Palm Week. First, the Lord was met by Martha, then by Mary, when He went to the tomb to awaken his friend Lazarus - here is a large rounded “stone of conversation”, from which many receive healings.

And on the island of Cyprus there is a second tomb of the righteous Lazarus. 90 km from the city of Limassol, along the road lying between the hills, pilgrims arrive in the city of Larnaca, where there is a temple dedicated to Lazarus, where he served. The temple stands on the site of the original church of the 9th–10th centuries, built over the tomb of Lazarus.

Tomb of Lazarus in Cyprus

To the left of the altar is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, and to the right of the altar is a cave - the tomb of the righteous Lazarus. The entrance to the cave is along seven steps under the altar of the temple. The size of the cave is 6x12 m. The relics of righteous Lazarus are located in the middle: the head and half of his bones. And the second half of the relics were in Constantinople; the crusaders in 1291 took them to France, to Marseille. Across the cave stands a tomb with the inscription: “Lazarus is the friend of God.”
This place is revered by all Orthodox Christians as a great shrine, as proof of the undoubted mercy, love and omnipotence of God, because the resurrection of Lazarus revealed power and power over death.

The holy relics of Bishop Lazarus were found in Kitia. They lay in a marble ark, on which was written: “Lazarus the Fourth Day, friend of Christ.” The Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise (886–911) ordered in 898 that the relics of Lazarus be transferred to Constantinople and placed in a temple in the name of the righteous Lazarus.

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