All prayers to the martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Memory: October 28 / November 10
Taking a vow of virginity and renouncing the blessings of the world, Saint Paraskeva endured torture and martyrdom and persecution by the emperor Diocletian. From ancient times, she enjoyed special love and reverence in Rus' as an assistant in agricultural labor and women's concerns. They also pray to her for the patronage of the family hearth; in marital infertility; about worthy suitors.
***
Troparion to the Holy Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, Tone 4
Wise and all-praiseful Christ’s martyr Paraskeva, accepting a male fortress, rejecting female weakness, defeat the devil, and shame the tormentor, crying out and saying: come, cut my body with a sword and burn it with fire, for rejoicing I go to Christ, my Bridegroom. With prayers, Christ God, save our souls.
Kontakion to the Holy Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, Tone 3
Having brought the all-holy and immaculate torment, like the most honorable wine, to the immortal Bridegroom of Christ, you rejoiced the angelic standing and defeated the demonic intrigues: for this sake, we honestly honor the faith, martyr Paraskevo, long-suffering.
Prayer to the Holy Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa
O holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo, beauty of a virgin, praise of the martyrs, wise surprise, the Christian guardian of faith, accuser of idol flattery, champion of the Divine Gospel, zealot of the commandments of the Lord, worthy to come to the haven of eternal rest and in the devil of your Bridegroom Christ God, lightly rejoicing, august adorned with the crown of virginity and martyrdom! We pray to you, holy martyr: wake up for us (names) sadness to Christ God, with His most blessed sight always rejoice; kindle with your holy prayers the darkness that has come from our sins: ask God for the light of grace with our soulful and bodily eyes: enlighten us, darkened by sins, with the light of God's grace, so that for the sake of your holy prayers, sweet sight will be given to the innocent. O great servant of God! O most courageous girl! O strong martyr, Saint Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be our sinful helper, intercede and pray for the accursed and negligent sinners, hasten to help us, for we are very weak; pray to the Lord, pure maiden, pray to the Merciful, holy martyr, pray to your Bridegroom, immaculate bride of Christ, but with your prayers help, the darkness of sin is gone, in the light of true faith and divine deeds, we will enter into the light of the eternal day of the never-ending, into the city of joy forever, into now you shine brightly with glory and endless joy, glorify and sing with all the powers of heaven the tri-radiant one Deity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
Second Prayer to the Holy Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa
Oh, most courageous girl! Oh, strong martyr Saint Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be our sinful helper, intercede and pray for accursed and negligent sinners, hasten to help us, for we are very weak. Pray to the Lord, pure maiden, pray to the Merciful, holy martyr, pray to your Bridegroom, immaculate bride of Christ, and help with your prayers, the darkness of sin is gone, in the light of true faith and deeds of the Divine, we will enter into the light of the eternal day of the never-ending, into the city of joy forever, into now you shine brightly with glory and endless joy, glorify and sing with all heavenly powers the Trisagionary One Deity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
Personal petition to the holy martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa
Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be a helper to us sinners (names), intercede, let us be honored with your prayers (the content of the petition), and together with you let us glorify and sing the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
Paraskeva Pyatnitsa is considered the patroness of the family hearth. She was born in a prosperous family, but after the death of her parents, having distributed the available inheritance, she became a nun. Paraskeva spent her life like a saint helping those in need. In her honor, many temples and springs are consecrated, which have healing powers. Paraskeva is depicted as a tall and strict woman, who has a radiant crown on her head.
How does Saint Paraskeva Friday help?
The feast day of this saint is November 10. On this holiday, people did not work and brought gifts to the temple for Paraskeva. By the way, on this day all the rites of the Intercession were repeated. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was considered an assistant in many matters, so they often turned to her for help in their own. This saint was especially revered by women who called her "The Holy Woman". In ancient times, people believed that Friday walks the earth and monitors how people observe Christian rules and customs.
What Paraskeva Pyatnitsa helps with:
- Many consider the saint a healer of various ailments, both bodily and spiritual. First of all, she helped to cope with women's diseases.
- Prayers are offered to her by lonely girls who dream of meeting their soul mate. To date, there are a huge number of messages from those whom Paraskeva Pyatnitsa helped to get married. She is also considered the patroness family well-being. Women who dream of procreation prayed to Paraskeva about this, and she also helps in safe and easy childbirth.
- People consider this saint the patroness household, fields and livestock. Paraskeva's support is requested by people whose activities are related to farming.
It will be interesting to know not only what Paraskeva Pyatnitsy helps in, but also what signs exist associated with her day. It is believed that this day is never dry. If a person saw a horse's hoof print filled with water on the ground, then a real winter will come in a month. By the amount of dirt on the day, the Paraskevas judged the weather of spring, that is, the more it is, the rainier it will be. Girls in the position of November 10 should never wash and comb their hair. People also believed that the more a person laughs on Paraskeva's day, the more he will cry in old age. It is forbidden to do dirty work on this holiday, that is, clean up, wash, etc. This is explained by the fact that by such actions a person can clog the eyes of a saint.
(about conception, about the birth of a child, from a rival)
“O holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo, beauty of a virgin, praise of the martyrs, wise surprise, the Christian guardian of faith, accuser of idol flattery, champion of the Divine Gospel, zealot of the commandments of the Lord, worthy to come to the haven of eternal rest and in the devil of your Bridegroom Christ God lightly rejoicing, adorned with a special crown of virginity and martyrdom!
We pray to you, holy martyr: wake up for us (names) sadness to Christ God, with His most blessed sight always rejoice; kindle with your holy prayers the darkness that has come from our sins: ask God for the light of grace with our soulful and bodily eyes: enlighten us, darkened by sins, with the light of God's grace, so that for the sake of your holy prayers, sweet sight will be given to the innocent. O great servant of God! O most courageous girl! O strong martyr, Saint Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be our sinful helper, intercede and pray for the accursed and negligent sinners, hasten to help us, for we are very weak.
Pray to the Lord, pure maiden, pray to the Merciful, holy martyr, pray to your Bridegroom, immaculate bride of Christ, but with your prayers help, the darkness of sin is gone, in the light of true faith and divine deeds, we will enter into the light of the eternal day of the never-ending, into the city of joy forever, into now you shine brightly with glory and endless joy, glorify and sing with all the powers of heaven the tri-radiant one Deity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen."
Prayer to the holy martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa for health
“Oh, most courageous girl! Oh, strong martyr Saint Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be our sinful helper, intercede and pray for accursed and negligent sinners, hasten to help us, for we are very weak. Pray to the Lord, pure maiden, pray to the Merciful, holy martyr, pray to your Bridegroom, immaculate bride of Christ, and help with your prayers, the darkness of sin is gone, in the light of true faith and deeds of the Divine, we will enter into the light of the eternal day of the never-ending, into the city of joy forever, into now you shine brightly with glory and endless joy, glorify and sing with all heavenly powers the Trisagionary One Deity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen."
Personal petition to the holy martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa
“Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be a helper to us sinners (names), intercede, let us be honored with your prayers (the content of the petition), and together with you let us glorify and sing the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen."
Post navigation
3 strong prayers to the holy martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa: 12 comments
- Natalia
Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be my helper to sinful Natalya, intercede, and with your prayers I will be able to meet my betrothed and create a strong happy family, and together with you let us praise and sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
- Elena
O Holy and Blessed Paraskeva, Martyr of Christ! With holy prayers, be my helper to sinful Elena, intercede, and with your prayers I will be able to keep the pregnancy up to 37 weeks, give birth to a healthy daughter, and ultrasound, so that it is a boy, my family needs a daughter in order for family members to become kinder. Please help me with this. Let these false contractions disappear. And then they will make me C-section and get a healthy daughter out of my belly. May everything be fine with me too. I only hope for your miracle to have a healthy daughter in my stomach now. Because of the 3 cesareans, it will be dangerous for me to give birth again. Help me please. Together with you we sing and glorify the One God and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, forever and ever. Amen.
- Leah
O Holy and Blessed Paraskeva, Martyr of Christ! Help me to conceive a daughter, sons are born in my family. Pray to God our Heavenly Father for the birth of a miracle in our family. And may that illness never come back to me!
Together with you we sing and glorify the One God and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, forever and ever. Amen. - Domnica
“Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be my helper to sinful Domnik, intercede, let me be honored with your prayers, help me create a family with worthy person, which would become a support for me and my daughter, and together with you let us praise and sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen."
- Anna
“Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be my helper to sinful Anna, intercede, and with your prayers I will be able to meet a worthy, courageous, meek heart, cheerful, generous and generous disposition, who would be my hope and support, and my children a friend and respected mentor, who would bring with us peace in our family, well-being in the house and joy in the heart, who would love me, respect my children, and together with you let us glorify and sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen."
- Tatiana
“Oh, holy and blessed martyr of Christ Paraskevo! With your holy prayers, be my helper to the sinful servant of God Tatyana, intercede, and with your prayers I will be able to meet a person worthy to create a family, courageous, meek in heart, cheerful, generous and generous in disposition, without bad habits, hardworking, who would be my hope and support, and my children as a friend and respected mentor, who would bring peace to our family, who would love me, respect, love my children as their own, and together with you let us praise and sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen."
- Valentine
There are a great number of Christian saints, the exact number is known only to God. Some of them are especially dear to the Orthodox heart, including Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. How did she suffer, how do prayers to her help?
Life of a saint
A girl with an unusual name lived in the city of Iconium (now it is Konya in Turkey). According to the life written by Dmitry Rostovsky, she received her name not by chance. Paraskeva means Friday. Her parents especially prayed on Fridays in memory of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. It was on this day that their daughter was born.
She grew up as a rare beauty, but there was no desire in the girl’s heart to get married. She wanted to see only Christ as her only betrothed, she spent a lot of time in prayers. When her pious parents died, Paraskeva became very rich.
Paraskeva Friday.
She used her money to help the poor. She converted many to Christ, but there were also many envious people. The pagans could not endure the denunciations of the saint - they seized her and threw her into prison. Soon an envoy arrived in the city from the emperor Diocletian, who was known for his hatred of Christians.
The commander called the girl to him, she struck him with beauty and calmness, spiritual joy. Neither persuasion nor threats had any effect on Paraskeva. After severe torment, she was thrown into a cell. The tormentors expected the girl's imminent death. But in the morning they found her completely healthy and vigorous. Christ sent an angel from heaven who healed the sufferer.
Then the torment continued, but seeing that the captive was not going to humble herself and sacrifice to idols, the chief ordered her head to be cut off. At that moment, joyful singing was heard in the sky - after all, the saint united with the only one whom she wanted to serve.
Prayer to the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, named Friday
Holy bride of Christ, long-suffering martyr Paraskevo! Vemy, as from your youth, with all your soul and with all your heart, you loved the King of Glory, Christ the Savior, and you only missed Him, distributing your property to the poor and the poor. By the power of your piety, by your chastity and righteousness, you shone like the rays of the sun, living holy among the infidels and fearlessly preaching to them Christ God. You, from the days of your youth, taught by your parents, have always reverently honored the days of the redemptive passions of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His sake you yourself voluntarily suffered. You, miraculously healed from incurable wounds by the right hand of the Angel of God and assuming inexpressible lordship, amazed the unfaithful tormentors. You, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of your prayer in the pagan temple, cast down all the idols of the valley, crushed me into dust. You, scorched by the candles, with your single prayer to the almighty Lord, extinguished the natural fire, and with the same flame miraculously kindled through the Angel of God, burning the violent lawless, you led many people to the knowledge of the true God. You, to the glory of the Lord, accepting the beheading of your sword head from the tormentors, valiantly died of your suffering feat, having ascended with your soul to Heaven, to the chamber of your longed-for Bridegroom Christ the King of Glory, joyfully meeting you with this heavenly voice: “Rejoice, righteous ones, like the martyr Paraskeva crowned!" The same day we also greet you, long-suffering, and, looking at your holy icon, cry with tenderness to you: all-honorable Paraskevo! Vema, as a great imashe boldness to the Lord: implore him, the Lover of mankind, and for us who are coming and praying. May He give us, like you, patience and complacency in troubles and mournful circumstances; may He grant, by your intercession and intercession, a joyful, prosperous and peaceful life, health and salvation, and in all good haste to our beloved fatherland, may His holy blessing and peace, and to all Orthodox Christian May your holy prayers give you affirmation in faith, piety and holiness, and prosperity in Christian love and every virtue; may it cleanse us sinners from all filth and vice; may He protect us with His holy angels, may He intercede, preserve and have mercy on all with His holy grace and make us heirs and partakers of His Kingdom of Heaven. And thus, having improved salvation with your holy prayers, intercession and intercession, the all-glorious bride of Christ Paraskevo, let us glorify all the honorable and magnificent name of the wondrous in His saints the true God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, always, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.
What are they praying for
In the popular mind, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa is the patroness of the hearth. It also especially cares about girls and young hostesses, mothers of the family. She was prayed for in the most important needs:
- about the gift of health;
- about the birth of a child;
- from a rival.
But first, of course, they read prayers for a speedy and successful marriage.
Eastern Slavs celebrated Paraskeva Friday on October 14 and 28. On this day, it was impossible to spin, do laundry, plow. They also made small idols in the form of a woman - they were placed in the house, they made sacrifices. Amulets with conspiracies were worn around the neck. Such rituals are strictly condemned by the Orthodox Church.
To honor the memory of St. Paraskeva, it is necessary to read only those prayers that are composed by the holy fathers. There are akathists, canons. You can say these texts at home any day. A martyr will definitely help if you have firm hope in God's mercy!
Paraskeva Friday prayer for marriage, text in Russian was last modified: September 27th, 2017 by Bogolub
Excellent article 0
Great is the merit of the saints before the Lord. Many of them are already early years striving for the perfection of the Kingdom of Heaven. Such was Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, whose parents tried to raise their daughter in faith and chastity. Taking upon herself the cross of martyrdom, by her spiritual feat she once again testified to the incomparable great power of God, which punished idolaters and their gods.
life
Saint Paraskeva Friday was born in the 3rd century AD. e. in the Roman Empire in the city of Iconium (the territory of modern Turkey). At that time, the ruler of the state was Diocletian, who persecuted those who preached Christianity. The girl's parents sacredly believed in the One Trinity, living according to the Law of God. They always fasted, honored Wednesday and Friday, remembering in these days the suffering of Jesus Christ, who suffered torment as an atonement for human sins. For fear of God and unshakable faith in Him, the Almighty gave the parents a daughter. They called her Paraskeva, which means “Friday”, since the girl was born on that day. Unfortunately, the righteous very soon departed to another world, leaving the young girl alone on the sinful earth. Holy Paraskeva Friday continued the work of her parents, keeping the commandments of God and remaining chaste. Even then, she chose for herself the heavenly Bridegroom - Jesus Christ, thinking only about being next to him.
The girl was beautiful both in body and soul. Many rich men wooed her, but she remained adamant. Paraskeva's parents left their daughter a good inheritance. The Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa did not spend the money she received on herself, but on clothes and food for the poor. All the charms of life: expensive vestments, jewelry and entertainment - the girl considered temporary and mortal. Instead of earthly pleasures, Paraskeva prayed and preached faith in Jesus Christ.
Confessor of the Lord
Despite the fact that the Christians of those times were subjected to terrible persecution, Paraskeva continued to preach the faith of Christ. Many young men, seeing the immaculate beauty of the saint, offered her to marry and worship an idol in order to save her life and not be subjected to cruel torment. But the Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa always answered that the only God is Jesus Christ and He is her only Bridegroom. Some townspeople, thanks to the saint, converted to the faith, while others reproached her for such sermons.
One day, Diocletian ordered his subjects to go to the cities of the Roman Empire in search of Christians who avert the rest from idolatry. Eparch Aetius was given a decree to visit the city of Iconium and find secret believers in the one Lord.
The people met the subject of the sovereign with great honors. The townspeople, openly, told that there is one girl named Paraskeva, who confesses Jesus Christ and does not go to the temple to worship idols. Hearing this, Aetius demanded that they immediately find her and bring her before the court. The soldiers quickly found the girl and sent her to the eparch. Aetius, seeing the beautiful Paraskeva, was fascinated by her beauty. The saint was not sad, but on the contrary, glowed with joy. Aetius wished to know if people were slandering the beautiful girl. Paraskeva answered without fear or doubt that she was a true Christian and a confessor of the Lord. Aetius invited her to bow to the gods in the temple of idols. For this, he promised her to save her life. The subject of the emperor did not hide the fact that he liked Paraskeva very much, and he offered the saint to marry him. But the girl was relentless. “My only Bridegroom is Jesus,” she answered. Aetius threatened Paraskeva with the painful suffering that the executioners had prepared for her. But the girl was not afraid of this, because she knew that after all the tortures the Lord would take her to him. Enraged, Aetius ordered the executioners to take off her clothes and beat the young body with ox sinews. Paraskeva, during the terrible torment, did not utter a word of mercy, but only silently glorified the Lord. Aetius, unable to watch how the beauty of the girl was being destroyed, ordered the executioners to stop and once again ordered the saint to go and worship the idols. Paraskeva was silent. For this, Aetius insulted the entire Christian race, after which the girl spat in his face. For the eparch, this was the last straw. Beside himself with anger, he ordered the executioners to hang Paraskeva upside down and torment her with iron claws.
The unfortunate woman prayed, and her blood stained the earth. When the executioner saw that the girl was already dying, he informed Aetius about this. He ordered Paraskeva to be thrown into prison so that earthly death would be more painful for her.
Apparition of an angel
Wounded and without strength, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa lay on the floor of the prison cell, as if dead. But the Lord, seeing her all-encompassing love for, sent an angel to the girl. He appeared to Paraskeva with a cross, a crown of thorns, a spear, a cane and a sponge. The angel consoled the tormented girl, rubbing her wounds. Christ healed Paraskeva - her body became healthy again, and her face lit up with radiant beauty. The girl beamed like an angel. Paraskeva, in gratitude for the healing, began to glorify the Lord.
unexpected discovery
In the morning, the guards, appearing in Paraskeva's prison cell, found that the girl was completely healthy. Filled with joy, she sang prayers and praised the Lord. Frightened, the guards rushed to Aetius and reported an unprecedented miracle. The eparch summoned Paraskeva to him and said that her healing was the merit of the idols worshiped by the Romans. Aetius, taking the girl by the hand, led her to one of the temples. Paraskeva, without resisting, entered the temple. Turning to heaven, she said a prayer to the Lord, after which a terrible earthquake happened. All the statues of the gods collapsed and turned to dust. Many who saw this converted to Christianity. And only Aetius regarded this as a ritual of strong magic, ordering to hang the saint from a pillar and burn her sides with lamps. Again Paraskeva turned to the Lord. Through her prayers, the Almighty turned away the hot fire from the virgin, directing it at the torturers. The people, who saw the miracles performed by the Lord through Paraskeva, believed in Jesus Christ, rejecting paganism. Aetius was afraid that he would lose his power, which was based on belief in idols. Therefore, he ordered Paraskeva's head to be cut off. Finally, the Lord takes the soul of the tormented, fragile girl to the Kingdom of Heaven, where eternal bliss awaited her.
The fate of the eparch
Having finished with the long-suffering Paraskeva, Aetius, as if nothing had happened, decided to go hunting. On the way to the forest, his horse, rearing up, threw the ruler to the ground. He died on the spot, sending his soul to eternal death in the underworld.
After that, the Christians, many of whom believed in the Lord thanks to Paraskeva, took the body of the virgin and were able to bury her in the house church.
The relics of the saint healed the mental and physical illnesses of people through her prayers before the Lord.
Image of the Holy
Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, the icon of which is presented in this article, is depicted as a fair-haired girl with a head. She is dressed in a red maforium and a blue veil. In her left hand, the Great Martyr holds a scroll with the text of the Creed, and in her right hand, a cross, symbolizing faith in Christ and the suffering that Paraskeva Pyatnitsa suffered. The icon of the saint until the 20th century was in every peasant house. Farmers especially honored her image, decorating it with elegant ribbons, flowers or a chasuble. On the day of remembrance of the great martyr (November 10, according to a new style), the peasants always came to church service and consecrated the fruits that were kept in the house until the next year.
Also in Russian villages, on the feast of Paraskeva Friday, it was customary to consecrate a piece linen fabric, which hung the image of the saint. That is why in Orthodoxy one can also find another name for the great martyr - Paraskeva Lnyanitsa. The peasants prayed to the saint for the preservation of livestock, especially cows.
Paraskeva Friday ... What do they pray for this saint?
First of all, people involved in agriculture and household life, as well as those who have livestock, resort to its help. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, who has taken a vow of virginity, prays before the Lord for those who are waiting for a worthy groom. Those who have not been able to conceive a child for a long time can also turn to the great martyr in the hope of a miracle of childbearing. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa also helps to establish peace in the family, for which all Orthodox Christians pray.
The saint heals the spiritual and physical ailments of believers, especially in cases of unbearable pain, as well as during diabolical temptations.
Oddly enough, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa also helps in trade matters, which is prayed for by those who are associated with this activity. Hence the tradition of organizing fairs on Fridays.
The image of Paraskeva is often placed at springs and wells so that the water gains healing power. In Rus', it was also customary to tie flowers to her image, and then make a decoction of them, which was used to treat not only physical, but also mental illness. The prayer of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa possessed such great power that people hid its text in a piece of cloth, which they applied to a sore spot and healed.
Cover me soon!
In Rus', people revered Paraskeva Pyatnitsa as the intercessor of girls who wanted to get married. That is why they prayed to her even on the Intercession, asking for help in matters of love. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, who never thinks about marriage and has taken a vow of virginity, helps to make a worthy choice in an effort to start a family.
Friday Keeper
Saint Paraskeva appeared to our ancestors as a strict woman who commanded them to strictly observe the fast on Wednesday and Friday, namely not to do household chores and not to bring discord among the people. She also forbade them to eat fast food these days. The saint came to many peasants in visions, so no one doubted that it was the Great Martyr herself. That is why in some parts of our country the custom has still been preserved to put off sewing, washing clothes and other things on the day of Paraskeva Friday.
Our ancestors also said that
The Holy Great Martyr went to the villages of Little Russia, whose body was pierced with needles because of the sins of women who did not observe strict fasting on the days allotted for her. In honor of Paraskeva in Rus', 12 Friday days were established, which were timed to coincide with some great holiday, such as the Annunciation, Easter, the beginning of Lent, etc.
pagan origins
IN ancient Rus' the image of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was often confused with the pagan goddess Mokosha, who was revered as the guardian of the family hearth. Therefore, patronage is attributed to the Orthodox saint agriculture and home life.
Some believe that the veneration of Paraskeva by merchants is due to the fact that from ancient times Friday was a fair day.
Such disputes about the patronage of the saint were debunked by the Holy Synod, which forbade mixing the image of the great martyr with a pagan goddess. But the tradition of consecrating fruits and springs has survived to this day.
At the crossroads of the roads of Rus', special pillars or chumps were previously placed, at which the pedestrian had to make a sacrifice. With the adoption of Christianity, such buildings were removed, and towers and chapels were built in their place. Many of them were erected in honor of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa.
For example, one of the famous buildings is the chapel of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, located in Krasnoyarsk on Karaulnaya Hill. This tower is considered the symbol of the city. Her image can be found on the 1997 ten-rouble note. Similar chapels have also been erected in other cities of Russia.
Temples and churches in honor of the saint
In memory of the great martyr, many Orthodox complexes were built, the central figure of which was Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. A church was erected in Butovo, which dates back to the 16th century. The wooden church was burned down during the Lithuanian invasion. The stone version was rebuilt by the end of the 17th century. The church was restored in the 20th century. The Temple of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was built in the form of a ship - a spiritual guide for the Orthodox. Crowned with golden domes, it seems to invite people to a long and difficult, but worthy voyage along the river of life and faith.
The Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was also built in Yaroslavl. Its official name is Pyatnitsko-Tugovsky Temple. It is built in late XVII century. One of its aisles is dedicated to the feast of the Annunciation. The temple of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa experienced special hardships in the 30s of the XX century. Then, by order of the Soviet authorities, the bell tower and one of the domes were demolished. The Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was restored only by the end of the 20th century, when the temple was transferred to the Yaroslavl diocese.
How to address a saint?
The prayer of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, read with all my heart, is very effective. After all, all the saints are between the Lord and people. The petitions of the martyrs and saints before the face of the Almighty are always fulfilled. Therefore, prayer is an obligatory component of the life of an Orthodox person. In domestic affairs, as well as love affairs, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa became an assistant to the Russian people. What do young girls pray for and what do they ask for? Of course, about a worthy groom. For such cases, there is a special prayer addressed to Paraskeva. In it, the virgins ask the saint to help them find their husband, just as the great martyr found her Heavenly Bridegroom.
Many temples dedicated to Paraskeva Pyatnitsa are located in small villages and towns. One of these is the church in Khvoshchevatka, Voronezh region. In this relatively small village (population no more than 300 people), people are trying to build a temple that was once destroyed during the bombing of the Great Patriotic War. Not far from this church is located called "Seven Streams", famous for its healing power not only in the Voronezh region, but throughout Russia.
You can also visit the Pyatnitsky Church in Suzdal, whose official name is Nikolskaya Church. On the site of the current stone building, there was a wooden complex named after Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. And although in 1772 it was consecrated in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker, the locals still call it Pyatnitsky. Initially, the church was intended for winter worship. That is why it was built in the style of urban architecture. This type of temples is characterized by elongated forms along the east-west axis and semicircular apses. Distinctive feature The Suzdal Pyatnitsky Church is an octagon located in the middle of the structure, placed on a quadrangle and crowned with a vase-shaped dome. Such a structure is not typical for Suzdal architecture.
Thus, Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was and will be honored by Orthodox Christians for her spiritual deeds. For many of them, this great martyr is an example of great spiritual strength and courage, unshakable faith and all-encompassing love for the Lord, as well as the main intercessor of the people before the Almighty.