The ancient crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the village of Godenovo does not burn in fire, it is not chopped by an ax and is not taken by a saw. And the blasphemers who raise their hands to the shrine die a terrible death. Experts from the Russian Museum, who examined the miraculous cross, came to the conclusion that there are no analogues of such a relic in Russia.
The nuns of the St. Nicholas Pereslavl Monastery cherish the Life-Giving Cross as the greatest value. The shrine is kept in a monastery seventy kilometers from the monastery, among forests and swamps. Near the place where it was first found five hundred years ago.
“It is impossible to take it away,” says Mother Evstolia, the abbess of the monastery. “Over five centuries, many have tried to do this. But they couldn’t even lift it up. The cross immediately becomes too heavy to lift, as if filled with lead. This amazing quality of the Life-giving Cross is recorded in ancient chronicles. And to move it in the temple, only two nuns are enough…
MIRACLE OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE CROSS
In the Rostov Chronicle, the date and circumstances of the appearance of the Life-Giving Cross are recorded with documentary accuracy. This miracle happened on June 11, 1423 in the Sakhota swamp, 55 versts from Rostov the Great. The shepherds saw a pillar of fire — “an indescribable light appeared from the Greek side, pouring out from heaven to earth.” Overcoming their fear, they came closer. And they saw a cross with the image of Jesus Christ. He seemed to be floating in the air. And nearby, the icon of St. Nicholas the Saint shone in the rays. The shepherds heard a voice coming from the cross: “The Grace of God and the house of God will be in that place. And whoever comes with faith to pray, there will be many healings and miracles from the Life-giving Cross, prayers for the sake of the Wonderworker Nicholas.”
The news of the miracle reached the church authorities. The bishop sent craftsmen from Rostov the Great with instructions to sculpt a temple at the site of the appearance of the cross. But the architects did not dare to build on the swamp. They laid the oak crowns of the church in a dry place, to the side. At night, a new miracle happened: the log house found itself in the middle of a swamp. It was where the cross first appeared to the shepherds. And again the crucifix shone in the rays of light. The carpenters heard a voice coming from the cross: “In this place build my church, and the mountain will be great, and many miracles will happen to those who come to pray with faith, and there will be many healings.”
That same night, a stream formed in the middle of the swamp, which washed a sandy hill. A church was erected on it, in which a crucifix was placed.
People from all over Rus’ came to venerate the Life-Giving Cross. There were so many healings that a chronicle of miracles began to be kept at the temple. Eighty years after the discovery of the Cross, there was a fire that engulfed the entire temple. They managed to take out the icons, but they could not move the crucifix from its place. The church burned to the ground. People came to the fire to collect the surviving metal utensils. And in the ashes they found the Life-Giving Cross — unharmed! At the beginning of the 16th century, a new church was erected at the fire site, in which a cross was placed. In 1776, it was replaced by a stone church.
THE CROSS DURING THE YEARS OF PERSECUTION
They could not destroy the Life-Giving Cross even during the years of persecution of the faith.
— Whatever the blasphemers did with the crucifix, says nun Feofania, — When they couldn’t take it out of the church, they fell into a rage. They burned with acid, chopped with an ax, and cut with a saw. But hydrochloric acid was like water to the cross. And the ax bounced off the wood, leaving barely noticeable scars. The teeth stuck and broke.
A local resident named Sorokin was an ardent atheist. He showed up at the temple with an axe. There were only a few old women in the church. They tried to stop the blasphemer. But Sorokin easily pushed the women aside. He shouted:
— Why are you bowing in front of the idol!
He swung it and hit the crucifix. The ax bounced off. He hit again and again. But the sharply sharpened ax did not take the tree! The blasphemer did not understand what was happening. He, the strongest man in the village, could not do anything with the cross. Jesus Christ, sculpted from wood, was stronger than steel.
Exhausted, Sorokin looked at the cross again. The tree below seemed rotten to him. Sorokin applied the tip of the ax to the little toe of Christ’s right foot. He took aim and hit with all his might. The blade cut off only a small sliver.
— Monster! The Lord will punish! – the women shouted.
“There is no God,” Sorokin grinned. “Your Christ is an ordinary piece of wood.
…Dying, he cursed himself for blaspheming the Lord.
“ Sorokin had a bleeding wound on his right little finger,” says nun Feofania. “Gangrene set in and he died in terrible agony.” It turned out that he was not cutting for Christ — for himself.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE LIFE-GIVING CROSS IS NOT A LEGEND
Scientists, having examined the amazing cross from the wilderness of the village, recognized it as Byzantine. And they came to a sensational conclusion — the image of the Savior is in many ways similar to the imprint of the body of Jesus Christ from the Shroud of Turin.
The village of Godenovo, where the relic is kept, is lost among swamps and forests. And in 1423, the year in which the first information about the Life-Giving Cross is dated in the chronicles, that area was completely wild. The chronicles say that the shepherds saw the crucifix as if hanging in the air, from it came “an indescribable light from heaven to earth.” And that light came “from the Greek side.”
It turned out that the chronicle legend about the appearance of the Life-Giving Cross is not a legend.
“The cross is clearly Byzantine work,” says restorer of the State Russian Museum Mikhail Bushuev. – This can be seen not only by the way the Savior is sculptured. Particles of paint pigment that cover the cross are characteristic of late Byzantium. There are no analogues of such crosses in Russia. It is created from two solid pieces of wood. It was not possible to determine which one it was from.
The damage caused by the sacrileges who tried to destroy the cross was repaired by restorers with mastic. The face of the Savior was left as it is. And the feet were not touched. There were traces of liquids on them, which fighters against religion used to try to destroy the cross. When it was not possible to destroy the cross, zealous atheists smeared it with waste transformer oil (the restorers found particles of it in the lower part of the crucifix).
But believers still continued to venerate the Life-Giving Cross. And a miracle happened — the crucifix began to smell. Instead of the sharp, nasty smell of technical oil, the cross gave off a wonderful aroma of peace. It is felt even now.
LIVING CRUCIFIXION
We ask permission to venerate the cross.
It feels like lips are kissing not a tree, but a living body. The crucifix is warm!
“Many feel this way,” says nun Feofania. – To each according to faith is given…
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