Church of St. Spyridon of Trimythous in Fili-Davydkovo
Spyridon of Trimifunt (270-348) was a Christian saint and wonderworker, revered among the saints. Born on the island of Cyprus, in the village of Assia, from childhood he tended sheep and led a simple, righteous life, imitating the Old Testament saints – David in meekness, Jacob in kindness, Abraham in hospitality. He is known as a kind-hearted man, always ready to shelter the homeless, feed the wanderers and help those in need. The Lord endowed him with the gifts of clairvoyance, healing incurable diseases, exorcising demons, and even resurrecting the dead. He was married, but widowed early, but the bereavement did not break his spirit – he devoted himself to God and good deeds. During the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, he was elected bishop of the Cypriot city of Trimifunt. The saint did not abandon his habitual way of life: he continued to graze sheep, lived modestly, and took care of those in need. During the drought and famine in Cyprus, his prayer brought saving rains, stopping the disaster. The saint’s kindness was combined with righteous severity: he denounced injustice and sins, punishing, according to legend, an unmerciful grain merchant who profited from the poor. One day, he hurried to save an innocently convicted friend, but a torrent blocked his path. After praying, the saint walked along a dry riverbed, just as Joshua had once walked along the Jordan. According to church tradition, the saint performed many miracles. One day, during the service in the temple, the oil in the lamp caught fire, and it began to go out, but at the prayer of the saint it was filled again. On another occasion, during a divine service, angels invisibly served him, and after the litanies, angelic singing of “Lord, have Mercy” was heard. He healed the seriously ill Emperor Constantius II, resurrected his daughter Irina so that she could point out the place of hidden things, and brought the pagan baby and his mother, who had died of shock, back to life. Spyridon had the gift of seeing people’s secret sins, calling them to repentance. In 325, he took part in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, where the Arian heresy was condemned. According to legend, he miraculously proved the truth of the Orthodox faith by clutching a brick in his hand, from which fire, water and clay simultaneously emerged – as a symbol of the unity of the Holy Trinity. The saint was distinguished by simplicity and humility, strictly observed church canons and rebuked priests if they inaccurately quoted the Holy Scriptures. Saint Spyridon is revered as the patron saint of ordinary people, pilgrims and the suffering. His relics annually participate in religious processions in Corfu, and many believers testify to the miracles performed through his prayers. In the Orthodox Church, his memory is celebrated on December 12 (25), and in the Catholic Church on December 14. The name of St. Spyridon of Trimifutinsky is borne by the temple located in Moscow at 2 Oleko Dundicha St.
Address: Moscow, Oleko Dundicha str., 2
