The priest told what prayers are read on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Every year on September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the twelve—day feast dedicated to the discovery of the Life-giving Cross on which Jesus was crucified in 326 and the return of the shrine from Persian captivity in 628. On this day, believers pray to Christ and worship the Cross of the Lord, asking for recovery, protection from evil, strength in trials, preservation of faith, victory over enemies and enlightenment of mind and heart. The dean of the Baltai district of the Saratov diocese, Priest Oleg Zhilyakov, told "Izvestia" about the main prayers of the holiday.

What prayers are recited for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, various liturgical texts are played in the church. It can be a prayer to the Holy Cross, troparion, kontakion and magnification.

"The prayer that sounds in the church for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: "We worship your Cross, Vladyka." But there are also other prayers — these are troparia, kontakion and prayer to the holiday itself," Oleg Zhilyakov said.

He stressed that one can read the same thing at home prayer as in church.

"The texts for home prayer are the same as those read in church: troparia, kontakion, magnification. We can read all this at home," the priest explained.

What is prayed for on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, believers pray for recovery, because on the day of the finding of the Life-Giving Cross in Jerusalem and during its Exaltation, many miraculous healings took place.

"They mostly pray for recovery, because on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross many people were healed — the Lord performed this healing, therefore it is appropriate to pray for recovery on this day," the priest said.

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In their prayers, believers also ask for protection and protection from evil, for strength in trials and courage, for salvation and the preservation of faith, for victory over internal and external enemies, for enlightenment of mind and heart.

The prayers reflect the two main events that the church celebrates. This is the finding of the Cross by the holy Queen Elena in the IV century, and the sacrifice of Christ, and the victory of the Cross over death. Oleg Zhilyakov noted that believers pray, offering the hymn "Glory to the Lord Your Christ and Ascension," and at the same time, first of all, they remember the sufferings of the Savior.

Why does the Cross occupy a central place in the celebration worship

The cross occupies a central place in the celebration of the feast of the Exaltation, because the feast itself is associated with the finding of the Cross on which Jesus died and his solemn exaltation before the people. When the news that Queen Elena had found the Cross of the Lord spread through Jerusalem and the surrounding cities, many people came to worship the shrine. Due to the pandemonium, many could not get close to the Honest Tree or even see it. Then Patriarch Macarius ascended to a high place and raised the Cross over his head — this is the Exaltation.

The events of the holiday are being played in the temples on September 26 and 27. The key element of the service is the rite of Exaltation: the priest carries out the cross, raises it five times, turning it to different sides of the world, and the faithful bow to the shrine. In this way, the church relives the event of the acquisition and emphasizes the importance of the cross as an instrument of salvation.

Earlier, "Izvestia" told about the traditions and prohibitions of the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist.