The Life of Saint Veronica in Orthodoxy. Martyr Veronica's life. Study, hobby and career
Name days for girls and women with a name happen three times a year. They are celebrated on the day closest to the date of birth. According to the Orthodox calendar, the church and secular names are the same. In all Orthodox rites the name remains unchanged -.
- 25.07 – St. Veronica the Righteous
- 30.07 – Martyr Veronica
- 17.10 – Martyr Veronica (Virineya) of Edessa
Character and interpretation of the name Veronica
According to the translation from Greek, the name Veronica is interpreted as “bringer of victory.” It appeared in honor of the goddess of Victory - Nika. There is also a translation from Latin and it is interpreted as “genuine image”.
Veronica's character is very difficult to define in one word. Little Veronica is a timid, indecisive and shy girl. With age, her character becomes stronger. She becomes more confident and decisive, but can be stubborn and even irritable. She is always different. On the one hand, it is full of fun and lightness. On the other hand, she is full of wisdom and whims. She is very sociable. In the company of friends and acquaintances - the soul of the company. Veronica has a sharp mind, wild imagination and creative potential. She loves art, studies music, theater, dance, writes poetry and paints. Veronica constantly has her head in the clouds, dreams and fantasizes.
Veronica is a very amorous, flighty and stubborn person. She always has a lot of fans and suitors. She always prefers male society to female society. Her relationships are short-lived and she may be married several times. She can play dirty tricks on her rivals in love affairs or men who have rejected her and do everything out of spite. She has many acquaintances and friends. She worries about them, helps in difficult situations and supports them. Just don’t abuse her kindness and mutual assistance. She might get tired of it. She will not allow herself to be pushed around and put under pressure. She is characterized by pride and pride. A negative character trait can be called her prudence. Veronica uses people so cleverly for her purposes that they don’t even suspect it.
A woman named Veronica is full of energy and liveliness. She is very restless and obstinate. She never loses heart and goes through life with her head raised towards her goals and victories, because this is inherent in the energy of her name. She achieves everything in life that she deems necessary. With all her strength and tenacity, she remains a feminine and gentle person, so attractive to the stronger sex. In family relationships she is gentle, caring and reverent, in her career she is wise and purposeful. She will become a happy wife with a good, patient husband, but she will get married quite late. Since she loves to be the object of attention of everyone around her, public professions are suitable for her, for example, TV presenter, journalist, actress. Veronica, with her attractive appearance, will become a successful model.
Patrons of the name
On July 25, Saint Veronica is venerated. It was Veronica who helped Jesus when he, condemned to death, followed the path to Golgotha. She was among the people accompanying the procession. She wanted Christ to heal her from an illness from which she had suffered for many years. When the Savior fell along with the cross, Veronica gave him water to drink and wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead. At that moment, she felt that with one touch her illness went away. Returning home, she saw that the holy face remained on the piece of cloth with which she wiped Jesus. Veronica placed a copper statue of Christ near her house. The grass that grew near the monument became healing and made many women healthier. The miraculous image was sent to Rome and to this day is considered an icon not made by hands, and Veronica was canonized. Saint Veronica is considered the patroness of photography and photographers.
Martyr Veronica (Virinea) of Edessa lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, for whom torture and persecution of Christians were commonplace. Together with her mother and sister, she fled to Edes, where they were captured and tried to return to their hometown of Antioch. To avoid torture and bullying, in the name of faith, they accepted martyrdom by throwing themselves into the river. A particle of the relics of Saint Veronica is in Kolomna, in the Staro-Golutvinsky Monastery.
According to the life of the holy martyr Veronica as presented by Dmitry of Rostov, she, along with her sister and mother, suffered during the end of the reign of Emperor Diocletian, around 304. Just a year later, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine signed an edict, which granted the right of free conversion to Christianity to anyone who wished, which, in fairness, it should be noted, did not particularly reduce the number of tortures and executions of Christians by local administrators who were adherents of paganism.
But in 304, the persecution of Christians was officially resolved, and Saint Veronica (Virinea), together with her sister and mother, trying to escape from their persecutors, went from Syrian Antioch to the city of Edes. Therefore, the full magnification of the saint is listed as: holy martyr Veronica (Virinea) of Edessa. But their hopes were not justified; in Edessa the holy martyrs were captured by soldiers and sent back to Antioch.
The soldiers failed to deliver the holy martyrs to their homeland; in the middle of the journey, they accepted death by water in the name of the Lord, depriving the pagan judges of the pleasure of watching the torture of their bodies. Having waited for the soldiers escorting them to sit down to dinner, Saint Veronica, her mother Domnina and sister Proskudi, dressed in their best clothes, prayerfully turned to the Lord and threw themselves into the river, thereby winning themselves the crown of martyrdom.
The legend about the holy righteous Veronica is also widely known, whose life story is closely connected with the discovery of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Despite frequent references to the fact that the day of remembrance of Righteous Veronica is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on July 12/25, the official publications of the Moscow Patriarchate say nothing about her; for some reason the saint is not included in the official calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to legend, righteous Veronica, touching the hem of the Savior’s robe, received healing. This event is described in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9 (20-22). It is also believed that the biography of this saint is closely connected with the story of the acquisition of the Miraculous Image. When Christ was led to Calvary, Veronica wiped the sweat and blood stained face of Jesus with a cloth, and it was reflected on the material. There is another version of this legend, according to which Veronica was a student of the Savior, but she could not accompany him all the time, then she decided to order a portrait of the Savior from the painter. But on the way to the artist, she met the Savior, who miraculously imprinted his face on her plate. Veronica's cloth was endowed with the power of healing. With its help, the Roman Emperor Tiberius was cured.
Day of celebration: October 4/17
People have called their daughters by the name Veronica since ancient times. Veronica, Ferenice, Berenice, Verenice, Virinea - all these are variations of the same female name, sounding differently in the mouths of numerous peoples of the world.
But even with the same spelling, this name can have different pronunciation: among the Slavs it sounds like Veronica, and among Western peoples like Veronica (with emphasis on the second syllable).
From the history of naming
The custom of giving a newborn a name in honor of a saint arose in Rus' immediately after the adoption of Orthodoxy. It was believed that the canonized saint, after whom the child was named, would patronize him and protect him from adversity, becoming a kind of guardian angel of the namesake person.
The name of the canonized saint was given to the child at baptism and was chosen according to the calendar, or calendar - a list of saints compiled in calendar order. Sometimes, according to the calendar, up to a dozen names of saints fall on the same date, whose memory should be honored on this day. And the child’s parents are faced with a choice of whom to name their child after (by the way, Veronica’s name day according to the calendar also coincides with Mary, Marina and Margarita).
After the 1917 revolution, the tradition of giving a child a name according to the church calendar, as well as faith in God, fell into oblivion. Children of the Soviet era began to be called Vilens (in honor of V.I. Lenin) and Interns (in memory of the conference of the First International), as well as Angels and Ernests (in solidarity with the leaders of anti-capitalism).
The current generation of young parents, for the most part, names their children more fancifully, and if they choose a name according to the calendar, it is more often a tribute to fashion than faith in a heavenly patron.
Veronica and Veronique: interesting features of names
More than one and a half thousand names are mentioned in the calendar, and most of them are male. To compensate for this injustice, so-called paired names came into use among the people - Alexander and Alexandra, Valentin and Valentina, Evgeniy and Evgenia, etc. That is, the female name was derived from the male one.
In the case of the name Veronica, everything happens exactly the opposite. From the female Veronica came the male name - Veronik (victorious). However, the male version has remained almost unclaimed and is extremely rare.
When to celebrate Veronica's name day
Saint Veronica is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. There is a legend according to which this woman showed compassion for Jesus Christ going to the place of execution, giving him her headscarf so that the Savior could wipe his bleeding wounds and sweat. Subsequently, the face of Christ appeared on the board, and in memory of this event, pilgrims repeating the Savior’s ascension to Calvary make a stop at the supposed site of the significant action.
Despite the general interpretation of events, Veronica’s name day falls on different dates according to the Orthodox calendar and the Catholic church calendar. Catholics commemorate Saint Veronica on July 12. They, as a sign of the miraculous manifestation of the face of Christ on the scarf, endowed Saint Veronica with the ability to patronize photographers and photography.
Veronica celebrates Orthodox name days on the following dates:
- July 25 - Veronica the Righteous;
- July 30 - Veronica the Martyr;
- October 17 - Veronica (Virineya) of Edessa.
It turns out that Veronica can celebrate her name day more than once according to the church calendar. But it won't be right. A person should only have one and one angel day.
Determining the date of your name day is quite simple. Look at the calendar and find the nearest day when the memory of the saint whose name is destined for you is honored.
So it turns out that Veronica, like other people, should celebrate her name day not three times, but once - on the date closest to her birthday in honor of her patron.
The most famous Veronica in the world
In addition to the Christian and Catholic saints revered all over the world, the name Veronica became known to people thanks to:
- Veronica Castro - Mexican film actress;
- Louise Veronica Ciccone - American pop singer who prefers to be called Madonna;
- Veronica Izotova - actress of Soviet and Russian cinema;
- Veronica Kruglova - singer 60-70 years old;
- Veronica Dudarova - a woman conductor who led huge orchestras;
- Veronica Mavrikievna - the brilliant embodiment of an intelligent old woman by an actor
[Verenika, Verenika; Greek Βερονίκη; lat. Veronica] (1st century), St. (Greek memorial July 12, Western memorial February 4). Christ is identified. The legend of the bleeding wife, unnamed in the Gospels, who received healing by touching the Savior’s clothes (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48), and the pious resident of Jerusalem, who wiped the Savior’s face with a handkerchief in time of the Way of the Cross to Calvary. The bleeding wife, according to Origen (1st quarter of the 3rd century), in the teachings of the Gnostic-Valentinians acted as one of the personifications of Wisdom (Προυνικὸν σοφίαν - Orig. Contra Cels. VI 35). For the first time, the name V. appears in the “Acts of Pilate” (III-IV centuries), included later. as a component in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (IV-V centuries): during the trial of Christ, V. testified that she suffered from bleeding for 12 years and was healed by one touch to the hem of the Savior’s robe (Chapter 7). Eusebius of Caesarea reports that the bleeding wife healed by the Savior came from Caesarea Philippi (Paneada) in the north of Palestine (Euseb. Hist. eccl. VII 18) and next to her house there was a bronze sculptural composition depicting Jesus and the bleeding woman, made from a stone pedestal. healing herbs grew that cured various ailments. This sculpture was destroyed during the reign of the Emperor. Julian the Apostate. (Sozom. Hist. eccl. V 21). Eusebius's story is repeated and varied many times. Eastern Christian and Western Christians. by the authors. V.'s name and the story about the Paneadic statue are combined in the middle. VI century in the text of the Chronicle of John Malal (Ioan. Malal. Chron. P. 237).
In the Pseudo-Clementine homilies, the daughter of a Canaanite woman bears the name V. (Clem. Rom. Hom. 3.73), the healing of the Savior is spoken of in the Gospel (Matt. 15.22-28).
Dr. the cycle of apocrypha about V.'s payment arose under the influence of legends about the Edessa king Abgar, his correspondence with Jesus Christ and the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Tales about V. as the owner of the image of the Savior became widespread exclusively in Western Christianity. area; there is no doubt that these legends about V. are secondary in relation to the Avgar cycle. In later versions of this legend it is said that the image of the Savior was sent to Edessa and given to the daughter of King Abgar named V. It is believed that the name Veronica itself comes from the Latin. the name of the image of Christ is vera icon (genuine image).
According to Lat. apocrypha “The Death of Pilate” (Mors Pilati) (Ch. 2-3), a follower of Christ V. decided to order His portrait from an artist, but the Savior, having learned her desire, applied the canvas to His Face and imprinted His Image on it. Some time after the Crucifixion, until the seriously ill imp. Tiberius heard rumors about a famous healer who performed miracles in Palestine. Not knowing about the execution of Jesus, he sent his servant Volusian after him. V. convinced the emperor’s envoy that for healing it was enough to look with reverence at the Icon Not Made by Hands. Volusian and V. deliver the image of the Savior to Rome, and Tiberius, who paid honor to Him, recovered. The apocrypha “Punishment of the Savior” (Vindicta Salvatoris) tells that Volusian took by force the image of the Savior from V. and sent it to the emperor for worship. Tiberius, who was healed of leprosy. Before her death, V. handed over a card with the image of the Savior to the schmch. Clement, Pope of Rome.
The most widespread period was the Middle Ages. the legend about the meeting of Jesus Christ during His journey to Golgotha with V., she handed Him her head covering to wipe the sweat and blood from his face. When the Lord returned it to V., His Face, distorted by suffering, was displayed on the board. This legend arose in the XII-XIII centuries. and recorded in the Bible of Roger of Argenteuil (c. 1300). The Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa), which pilgrims walk in Jerusalem, includes the VI stop at the place where this event took place. Currently At the time, there is a temple here (architect A. Barluzzi), which belongs to the Greek Catholics. (Uniate) female mon-rue of the “younger sisters of Jesus”, in the lower part of which, according to legend, was the house of V.
The image on the board was stored for a long time in the c. Santa Maria Maggiore, and then - in the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. The first reliable information about the veneration of the V. plate in the chapel of the Virgin Mary, located in front of the inner entrance wall of the Basilica of St. Peter, date back to the 9th century.
From zap. medieval One legend identifies V. with Martha, the sister of the rights. Lazarus (Gervasius of Tilbury, c. 1210), others call her the wife of the tax collector Zacchaeus (later, according to legend, the hermit Amadour) and talks about their preaching of the Gospel to the Center. Gaul.
V.’s memory is not in Jerome’s Martyrology and other ancient calendars. She was revered locally: for example, her tomb was venerated in Bordeaux; in Milan, the memory of V. was celebrated with a special service until the 16th century, when Archbishop. Carlo Borromeo († 1584) excluded it from the Ambrosian missal. After the invention of photography, V. was declared by papal decree the patroness of photographers.
The memory of V. Bleeding (Greek ἡ αἱμορροοῦσα) was celebrated on July 12 in the Synaxar of the K-Polish Church. X century (SynCP. Col. 818) and Typikon of the Great Church. X century (Mateos. Typicon. T. 1. P. 338), under July 13 - in a number of Byzantines. calendars (for example, Paris. Coisl. 223, 1301) and Old Russian. Prologues (RGADA. Type. 173. L. 160; Type. 174. L. 116 volumes, XIV century). In Old Russian The literary legend about V. came from fame. translation of the chronicle of John Malala (through the Greek and Roman Chronicler) and was included in certain lists of the Four Mineas under August 16. (Joseph, archimandrite. Table of contents of the VMCH. Stb. 415-417 (2nd page)). In Russian Chronograph edition of 1617 in chap. 53 contains Art. “About the question of the wife who was healed of a bleeding illness from King Herod to create the Image of Christ,” which goes back to the same text of the Chronicle of Malala (Tvorogov, pp. 6-7).
Source: ActaSS. Feb. T. 1. R. 449-457; Mai. T. 7. P. 356; BHL, N 4218-4222, 8549; Νικόδημος. Συναξαριστής. Τ. 6. Σ. 59; Tischendorf C. Evangelia apocrypha. Lpz., 18962. S. 456-458, 478-485; Dobschütz E., von. Christusbilder: Untersuch. z. Christl. Legende. Lpz., 1899. S. 197-202 (1st page), 276-333 (2nd page). (TU; 18); NTApo. Bd. 1. S. 330-358; Apocryphal stories about Jesus, St. family and witnesses of Christ. M., 1999. S. 80, 121-123.
Lit.: Migne J.-B. Dictionnaire des apocryphes. P., 1858. T. 1. P. 1169-1180; T. 2. R. 1065-1068; Lipsius R.-A. Die Pilatus-Akten. Braunschweig, 1876. S. 34-38; idem. Die edessenische Abgar-Sage kritisch untersucht. Braunschweig, 1880. S. 62-67; Porfiryev I. I . Apocryphal tales about New Testament persons and events according to the manuscripts of the Solovetsky library. St. Petersburg, 1890. pp. 68-72, 279-281; Bourrieres M. Saint Amadour et Sainte Veronique: Disciples de Notre-Seigneur et apôtres des Gaules. P., 1895; Shestakov D. P . Research in the field of Greek adv. tales of saints. Warsaw, 1910. P. 11-12; 202; Darley E. Les "Acta Salvatoris": un Évangile de la Passion et de la Résurrection et une mission apostolique en Aquitanie. P., 1913; idem. Les Actes du Sauveur, la lettre de Pilate, les Missions de Volusien, de Nathan, la Vindicte: Leurs origines et leurs transformations. P., 1919; Tvorogov O. IN . The Legend of the Bleeding Wife Veronica // SKKDR. 1989. Vol. 2. Part 2. pp. 6-7; Belting H. Image and cult: the history of the image before the era of art. M., 2002. S. 237-238, 248-256, 601-604.
Many Orthodox people celebrate only birthdays, forgetting about the main church holiday - name day, which is also called "angel's day." Veronica is one of the oldest female names. According to legends, it was worn by a Jerusalem woman who helped Jesus as he carried his heavy cross. That is why it has long been believed that a girl would be incredibly good-natured.
Legends about bearers of the name
The name Veronica has a meaning according to the church calendar - “victory”. But there is a second version of the meaning of “bring.” If you combine the two meanings together, you get “bringer of victory,” which is how one can characterize the girl named after Saint Veronica. According to the church calendar, Angel Day is celebrated three times a year:
- July 25;
- July 30;
- 17 October.
In fact, name day is a serious holiday that everyone pushes into the background and forgets to celebrate. And some owners of the ancient name do not even know when the day of the angel Veronica is according to the Orthodox calendar. This holiday is celebrated for everyone once a year, and the number you need to choose is the one closest to your birthday.
Veronica's name day according to the Orthodox calendar is chosen for a reason. Each of the three days designated for the celebration of the name day is dedicated to the three Saints Veronica. On July 25, it is customary to venerate the righteous Veronica, on the 30th, the martyr Veronica, and on October 17, the martyr Veronica of Edessa, who is also called Virinea.
Veronica the Righteous
The story of Veronica the Righteous begins from the pages of the Gospel. It is known that during the time of Christ there lived a woman who suffered from bleeding. For twelve years, she spent her strength and resources on doctors, but no one helped her. Then she learned about the miraculous touches of Jesus, and while the Savior was exhaustedly carrying the cross to the mountain where he would be executed, the woman merged with the crowd and began to follow him.
A woman ran up with a jug filled with water and gave Christ something to drink when he fell under the weight of the cross. She wiped his blood from her face with a handkerchief and felt that her illness went away as soon as she touched the Saint. Twelve years of suffering ended at that very moment.
When Veronica returned home, she noticed that his silhouette appeared on the handkerchief with which she wiped the Savior’s face. To this day, this fragment is considered a miraculous icon.
After the miraculous healing, the woman installed a statue of Christ in her home, and with the grass growing at the foot, she began to heal other women. Now, on the day of the name of Veronica the Righteous - July 25 - the church celebrates the day of this woman and the appearance of a miraculous masterpiece. By the way, it was believed that the woman took the name Veronica after healing, and before that her name was different.
The story of the martyr
There is no reliable information about who this woman was and what kind of torment she endured. However, Orthodoxy remembers the martyr for her unshakable faith in Christ on July 30. Since the days of memory of the Righteous One and the Martyr Veronique are close to each other on the calendar, parents have the right to choose which day of the name they prefer for their child if the girl’s birthday falls between these dates.
Edessa woman
The martyr Veronica of Edessa was called Virinea. During the reign of Diocletian, the woman, along with her mother and sister, was forced to flee from her hometown to Edessa, since then mockery of believers and executions were the norm, which is why the Christian woman was nicknamed Edessa.
The life of the woman and her family was not free for long. Soon the people who were pursuing the women caught up with them and sent them home.
Veronica's family could not withstand such a blow and the women, waiting until the pursuers were distracted, turned to Christ and rushed into the river. They suffered terrible torment, but remained free. On October 17, the church remembers Virinea, who gave her life for her unshakable faith in the Almighty.
Origin and meaning
The name Veronica is of ancient Greek or Latin origin. The original form of the name is Ferenike or Birenika. The name Veronica comes from the name of the wife of the ruler of Egypt of the Ptolemaic dynasty. It is also known that the name received its strength and energy from the goddess of victory Nika.
According to the legend of Veronica the Righteous, the name came from the process of merging two words “icona vera”, which translates as a true image (talking about an icon not made by hands). In this case, the name is translated as “pure image.”
Today the name is very popular, especially in the territories of Ukraine and Russia. But in England, Italy, Romania and even Brazil you can also meet girls with this name. Various forms of the name:
- Vera, Nika, Vika;
- Rona, Ronya;
- Nikusha;
- Veritsa;
- Verusha and others.
Saints prefer more strict forms of the name: Veronica, Berenice, Ferenika. The official start date of popularization is 1991. By the way, despite the abundance of forms, the church version remains unchanged and the child will be baptized under the name of Saint Veronica.
Character traits
Little Nika is growing up to be a very sweet, obedient and charming child. He easily finds common interests with other children and often touches adults with his intelligence. The parents’ task is to correctly mark the path for the girl and put her in her place at the right moment. Positive and sociable Veronica can lose her head and forget about studying, although she has a lot of abilities.
As she gets older, a girl may become more irritable. Stubbornness becomes her main character trait. Ordinary life is unbearable for her, and she strives to change the whole world. She is characterized by spontaneous decisions and unusual actions. But all this can be avoided if parents involve the child in reading or painting.
Due to excessive narcissism, she will choose the best path for herself. A good job in the field of art or teaching. Nika can become a good music teacher, art teacher or doctor. Most likely, the profession will be related to children, because the girl loves them very much.
The girl does not get lost among men, she likes attention, and she often starts affairs. She cannot be called permanent, so long-term relationships are a burden for her. She needs a strong man, next to whom she will feel like the small and capricious girl she was in childhood. Marriages with women with this name often break up due to the desire to be the head of the family. But she strives for comfort.
If in her youth she leads a more riotous lifestyle, then at a conscious age she will look for a father for her children and will be an exemplary wife. As a friend, she is very loyal, but you shouldn’t trust her with secrets, otherwise she won’t be able to restrain herself and tell everyone. She always has many friends, but in her life she must have one person nearby. If she finds a guy, then her friends will fade into the background.
Nick's health is not her strong point. Especially, failure to maintain a proper and balanced diet can lead to stomach problems. Since childhood, girls eat poorly, which is why they often get sick. Parents should monitor their child's nutrition. But sports are an integral part of Nika’s life, especially swimming.
There are also bad sides. Vera is a rather calculating nature and often uses people for her own benefit. But it’s simply impossible to notice this, so you need to be careful with her and not trust her with big secrets. One of her shortcomings is laziness, so she is often lazy in her studies and does not want to cram anything. This makes her look unprofessional and she should not be trusted with responsible assignments.
Girls have bright appearance, but poor health. Despite the fact that they are not willing to work hard, due to the success that accompanies them, they achieve a lot in life. Between career and family, they will choose the latter. Because they would prefer to protect the family hearth than to work half their life.
Almost 100% compatibility in relationships and marriage with men named Stanislav, Leonid, Alexander, Vladimir or Sergey. But it’s better to avoid Eduard, Semyon and Vitaly. With them, other than problems, it’s unlikely that anything will happen.
Talismans named Veronica:
Saint Veronica is a wonderful name for a freedom-loving girl. It carries with it an ancient history of origin and has a special energy.
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