ШароноваИринаАндреевна, учительанглийскогоязыка МКОУ
«Средняя общеобразовательная школа № 7» города Миасса
Additional material for pupils and teachers of English.
This material can be used while studying themes “Family”,
“Holidays” or “Holidays of Russia”
“The Day of the family, love and faithfulness.”
Nowadays all know the holiday “St. Valentine’s Day”. And very a few people know the Day of Peter and Fevronia, the Russian Saints who are the symbol of love and faithfulness, which is celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on a certain day{the 8-th of July} every year. Some years ago the Russian Government made the decision and declared this day the official holiday of Russia to honour these great Russian Saints. ThisHoliday was named “The Day of the Family, love and faithfulness”. It is celebrated on the 8-th of July.
Do you want to learn more about these Saints? I think you do and I’ll try to help you in it.
Here is a legend about these Saints. It was written by one of the Church writers Yermolai-Yerasm in the 16-th century. His Story about Peter and Fevronia from Murom is considered to be one of the precious pearls of the ancient Orthodox literature,singing the union of love and wise marriage.
So, once upon a time Russian prince Peter lived in the old town of Murom. He ruled his land and was happy. To defend his brother’s honor Peter had to fight a dragon. He killed the dragon, but some drops of the dragon’s blood fell on Peter’s skin and a terrible disease came to him. Peter fell ill. His body was covered with ulcers and they hurt him badly. Nobody could help him but, as the people said, the only girl who lived in a far village. She treated people with herb and did it successfully. The Prince went there and asked this girl for help.
She told him that she would help but only in case he married her. The Prince gave his promise. The girl Fevrania by the name helped the Prince: his skin became clean only one small spot was left. Fevronia told the Prince Peter if he fulfilled his promise, she would finish her treatment and the illness would never return.
The Prince Peter promised and went to his native town Murom to get ready for wedding, but his relatives and landlords didn’t want a village girl to become their Princess. They managed to convince Prince Peter not to marry Fevronia, a poor girl, but send her some rich presents and that would be enough. Fevronia did not take these rich presents and sent them back to the Prince.
Some time passed and the illness returned to the Prince, he suffered greatly and understood that the reason of his illness was the breaking of his promise to merry Fevronia
So he went to the village where Fevronia lived, excused and got married. Fevronia became the Princess of Murom. They lived according to the god’s laws.
Rich landlords of Murom couldn’t resign themselves with the thought that their Princess was a girl from an ordinary family. They decided to send her away. The Prince Peter followed his wife. They went to a far village and lived there.
Some time passed and the delegates of the Murom landlords came to this far village, asking the Prince and the Princess to return to Murom. They told their Prince that many men perished fighting for thethrone in Murom. They promised to be respectful and fair to him and his wife, the Princess Fevronia.
Peter and Fevronia came back to Murom and lived and ruled there till their death. They died at the same time and were buried together in one tomb, so it was done.
Nowadays the remains of Peter and Fevronia are kept in the Murom cloister. Near it there is a spring, the water of which is tasty and medicinal. Many people come to visit these Saints of Murom and ask them to keep their families and give them health and happiness.
I am lucky to visit this saint place. I wish you to have a chance to go there and get pleasure of it.
LITERATURE
-“Peter and Fevronia” by O .Sukhova, the editor Yu. Smirnov, MIKHM, 2003
-“Lives of the Saints prince Peter and the princess Fevronia the Murom miracles-workers” Publication of the Saint-Trinity women’s cloister, 2003.
-“Spassky Cloister of Murom”, Vladimir/ 2003.
-‘Murom in chronicles” by E. Casanova, the editor Yu, Smirnov, MIKHM, 2003