In Russian, the word cathedral has several meanings. One of them is the meeting. It is in this sense that the word “council” is used to refer to the days of memory of saints or prophets, who are honored the day after the great celebrations. Immediately after the Baptism and Epiphany of the Lord, the church is marked by the Cathedral of John, whom we call the Baptist.
Believers gather together to commemorate the greatest prophet, the man who symbolizes the transition from the Old to the New Testament. The man who laid his hand on the head of the Savior, and therefore blessed him.
Little is known about John’s life before the age of 30. We know that he was a relative of Mary and through her of Jesus. The last mention of little John is that of his father Zacharias. When, during the beating of the infants, the soldiers began to demand that Zacharias open the place of residence of the lad, he refused to do so. For this he was killed right in the temple, at the altar.
After many years, John comes to the Jordan, where he begins to preach repentance and atonement for sins and baptize the Jews in the waters of the river. He denounces the sins of rulers, calls to renounce the sinful life of all people and predicts the appearance of the Messiah.
One day, Christ comes to the shore of the Jordan and asks John to baptize him. He refuses, but Jesus insists even after the rite, John and many people who were there become witnesses of the Epiphany. The Holy Spirit descends upon Christ, the voice of God the Father is heard from heaven, and Jesus represents the incarnation of the divine essence in man.
After Baptism, Christ began his ministry, and John continued his reproaching speeches. He did not hesitate to criticize even King Herod. Finally, he ordered the prophet to be arrested. Herod’s stepdaughter, Salome, asked for the head of the Forerunner as a gift for her dance. Herod commanded John to be beheaded and bring his head Salome on a silver platter. She gave the tray to her mother. Herodias, in a fit of hatred, grabbed the dagger and pierced their head with all her might.
The disciples of the prophet buried his body, but the head of Herodias was thrown into an unclean place. Fortunately, one of the maids hid her on the Mount of Olives.
When Herod heard rumors about the sermons and miracles that Christ performed, he and his wife decided to look at the remains of the head of the Baptist. Discovering her absence, the rulers were horrified. They thought it was John who had risen and now they were to be punished. They were right about punishment, but they were wrong about Christ.
The head of the Baptist was found 3 times. For the first time in the 4th century, then again lost during the period of iconoclasm, found in the 5th century. Then they hid on the outskirts of the empire, in present-day Abkhazia. Only in 860 it was found again, solemnly transferred to Constantinople. From there it was taken by the Crusaders in the 13th century. Since then, the shrine is kept in the French city of Amiens, where a magnificent Gothic cathedral was specially built for it.
The right hand of the Forerunner, after many wanderings, was in Russia. This happened when Emperor Paul became a Master of the Order of Malta. The shrine from Malta was transported to St. Petersburg, first to Gatchina, and then to the Church of the Winter Palace (The Savior Without Hands).
The very name of the holiday tells us what to do on this day: go to the congregation of believers, to the church. Listen to the service, pray, realize the importance of John’s ministry and his role in Christ’s ministry.
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