Where is the blessed fire. We must not guess, but explore

25.09.2019

The Resurrection of Christ is Easter, before which the described event takes place - the greatest event for Christians, which is a sign of the Savior's victory over sin and death and the beginning of the existence of the world, redeemed and sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ.

For almost two thousand years, Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations have been celebrating their greatest holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection) in Jerusalem. In this greatest shrine for Christians, there is a Tomb where Christ was buried and then resurrected; Holy Places where the Savior was judged and executed for our sins.

Each time, everyone who is inside and near the Temple on Easter witnesses the descent of the Holy Fire (Light).

Story

The Holy Fire has been in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found among Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the apostles saw: and the night was, however, two images I saw internally - sensually and sincerely, "- we read from the church historian Gregory of Nyssa. "Peter appeared before the Sepulcher and the light was terrified in vain in the tomb," writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus tells in his "Church History" that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (II century) blessed to pour water from the Siloam font into the lamps, and the fire that descended from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Paschal service . Among the early mentions of the testimony of Muslims, Catholics. The Latin monk Bernard (865) writes in his itinerary: "On Holy Saturday, which is the eve of Easter, the service begins early and after the service is completed, Lord have mercy, until, with the coming of an Angel, light is kindled in the lamps hanging over the tomb."

Ceremony

The litany (church ceremony) of the Holy Fire begins about a day before the start of Orthodox Easter, which, as you know, is celebrated on a different day than other Christians. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, pilgrims begin to gather, wishing to see with their own eyes the descent of the Holy Fire. Among those present there are always many non-Orthodox Christians, Muslims, atheists, the ceremony is monitored by the Jewish police. The temple itself accommodates up to 10 thousand people, the entire area in front of it and the enfilades of surrounding structures are also filled with people - the number of people who want is much more than the capacity of the temple, so it is not easy for pilgrims.

"On the eve of the temple, all the candles, lamps, chandeliers were already extinguished. Even in the not-distant past (at the beginning of the 20th century - ed.), this was carefully monitored: the Turkish authorities carried out a strict search inside the chapel; on the slander of Catholics, they even reached the revision pockets of the clergy metropolitan, vicar of the Patriarch ... "

In the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher, a lamp is placed, filled with oil, but without fire. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and a tape is laid along the edges. So prepared, after examining the Turkish guards, and now the Jewish police, Kuvukliya (Chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) is closed and sealed by a local Muslim key keeper.

“And on the morning of Holy Saturday, at 9 o’clock local time, the first signs of Divine power began to appear: the first peals of thunder were heard, while it was clear and sunny outside. They lasted for three hours (until 12). The temple began to light up with bright flashes of light, in one place, then in another, heavenly lightning began to shine, foreshadowing the descent of Heavenly Fire, "writes one of the eyewitnesses.

"At half past two, the bell rings in the patriarchy and the procession begins from there. The Greek clergy enter the temple with a long black ribbon, preceding his Beatitude, the Patriarch. He is in full vestments, a shining miter and panagias. The clergy with a slow tread passes the "stone of anointing", goes to the platform connecting the Kuvukliya with the cathedral, and then, between two rows of armed Turkish rati, barely holding back the onslaught of the crowd, disappears into the large altar of the cathedral" - narrates a medieval pilgrim.

20-30 minutes after the sealing of Kuvuklia, Orthodox Arab youth runs into the temple, whose presence is also an indispensable element of the Easter celebrations. Young people sit on each other's shoulders like riders. They ask the Mother of God and the Lord to grant the Holy Fire to the Orthodox; "Ilya din, ilya wil el Messiah" ("there is no faith but the Orthodox faith, Christ is the true God") - they chant. For European parishioners, accustomed to other forms of expression of feelings and calm worship, it is very unusual to see such behavior of local youth. However, the Lord reminded us that He also accepts such a childishly naive, but sincere appeal to God.

"At a time when Jerusalem was under British mandate, the English governor once tried to ban these" savage "dances. The Patriarch prayed in Kuvuklia for two hours: the fire did not come down. Then the Patriarch, by his will, ordered the Arabs to be let in... And the fire came down.". The Arabs, as it were, are addressing all nations: the Lord confirms the correctness of our faith by bringing down the Holy Fire on the eve of Orthodox Easter. What do you believe in?

“Suddenly, a small cloud appeared inside the temple above Cuvuklia, from which a fine rain began to drizzle. I was standing not far from Cuvuklia, therefore, small drops of dew fell on me, a sinner, several times. I thought, probably, there was a thunderstorm outside, rain, and the roof was the temple is not tightly closed, so the water penetrates in. But then the Greeks shouted: "Dew, dew ..." The blessed dew descended on Cuvuklia and moistened the cotton wool that lay on the Holy Sepulcher. This was the second manifestation of God's Power. " - writes the pilgrim.

A procession enters the Temple - the hierarchs of the confessions celebrating Easter. At the end of the procession is the Orthodox Patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and the clergy. In its procession, the procession passes all those in the temple memorable places: the sacred grove where Christ was betrayed, the place where he was beaten by the Roman legionnaires, Golgotha, where He was crucified, the stone of Anointing - on which the body of Christ was prepared for burial.

The procession approaches Kuvukliya and goes around it three times. After that, the Orthodox Patriarch stops in front of the entrance to Cuvuklia; he is exposed from the robes and he remains in one linen cassock, so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches with him into the cave or anything that can light a fire. During the reign of the Turks, close "control" of the patriarch was carried out by Turkish Janissaries, who searched him before entering Cuvuklia.

Hoping to catch the Orthodox on a fake, the city Muslim authorities placed Turkish soldiers throughout the temple, and they unsheathed scimitars, ready to cut off the head of anyone who was seen bringing in or lighting fire. However, in the entire history of Turkish rule, no one has been convicted of this. At present, the Patriarch is being examined by Jewish police officers.

Shortly before the patriarch, the underling brings a large lampada into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the Savior's earthly life. Then the Orthodox and Armenian Patriarchs (the latter is also undressed before entering the cave) enter inside. They are sealed with a large piece of wax and a red ribbon is placed on the door; Orthodox ministers put their seals. At this time, the lights in the temple are turned off and there is a tense silence - waiting. Those present pray and confess their sins, asking the Lord to grant the Holy Fire.

All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. However, in the hearts of many people there is not only patience, but also awe of expectation: in accordance with the tradition of the Jerusalem Church, it is believed that the day when the Holy Fire does not descend will be the last for the people in the Temple, and the Temple itself will be destroyed. Therefore, pilgrims usually take communion before coming to Holy place.

Prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle happens. In different years, the agonizing wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

Convergence

Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated by bright flashes of the Blessed Light, small lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly seen that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging over Kuvuklia, from the dome of the Temple, from windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. In addition, here and there, between the columns and walls of the temple, quite visible lightning which often pass harmlessly through standing people.

A moment later, the whole temple turns out to be belted with lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading over the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, candles are lit at those standing in the temple and on the square, the lamps themselves are lit, located on the sides of Kuvuklia, they light up on their own (with the exception of 13 Catholic ones), like some others within the temple. "And suddenly a drop falls on the face, and then a cry of delight and shock is heard in the crowd. The fire is burning in the altar of the Katholikon! The flash and the flame are like a huge flower. And Kuvuklia is still dark. Slowly, slowly, by candlelight, the Fire from the altar begins to descend towards us And then a thunderous cry makes you look back at Kuvukliya. It shines, the whole wall shimmers with silver, white lightning streams along it. The fire pulsates and breathes, and from the hole in the dome of the Temple a vertical wide column of light descended from the sky on the Tomb, ". The temple or some of its places are filled with an unparalleled radiance, which is believed to have first appeared during the Resurrection of Christ. At the same time, the doors of the Tomb open and the Orthodox Patriarch comes out, who blesses those gathered and distributes the Holy Fire.

The patriarchs themselves tell about how the Holy Fire lights up. "I saw how the metropolitan bent over the low entrance, entered the nativity scene and knelt before the Holy Sepulcher, on which nothing stood and which was completely naked. Not even a minute passed, when the darkness was lit up with light and the metropolitan came out to us with a flaming beam candles." Hieromonk Meletios cites the words of Archbishop Misail: “When I entered the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, seeing the whole lid of the tombs, light shines like scattered small beads, in the form of white, blue, scarlet and other flowers, which then copulated, blushed and turned into the substance of fire ... and from this fire the prepared kandila and candles are lit.

Messengers, even when the Patriarch is in Kuvukliya, through special openings spread Fire throughout the temple, the circle of fire gradually spreads throughout the temple.

However, not everyone lights a fire from a patriarchal candle; for some, it lights up a samkhram. It scattered with bright blue beads over Kuvuklia around the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord, and one of the lamps flared up after it. He burst into the temple chapels, to Golgotha (he also lit one of the lamps on it), sparkled over the Stone of Anointing (the lamp was also lit here). Someone's candle wicks were charred, someone's lamps, bunches of candles flared up by themselves. The flashes intensified more and more, sparks were carried here and there through the bunches of candles. ". One of the witnesses notes how the woman standing next to him lit up candles three times, which she twice tried to extinguish.

The first time - 3-10 minutes, the ignited Fire has amazing properties - it does not burn at all, regardless of which candle and where it will be lit. You can see how the parishioners literally wash themselves with this Fire - they drive it over their faces, over their hands, they scoop it up in handfuls, and it does no harm, at first it does not even scorch their hair. "I lit 20 candles in one place and burned my brother with all those candles, and not a single hair writhed or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them with other people, I lit those candles, and I also lit those candles in the third , and then nothing touched his wife, he didn’t scorch a single hair, nor writhed ... "- wrote one of the pilgrims four centuries ago. The droplets of wax that fall from the candles are called the blessed dew by the parishioners. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever, no powders and washings will take them.

The people who are at this time in the temple are overwhelmed with an inexpressible and incomparable in its depth feeling of joy and spiritual peace. According to those who visited the square and the temple itself during the descent of fire, the depth of feelings of the overwhelmed people at that moment was fantastic - eyewitnesses left the temple as if reborn, as they themselves say - spiritually cleansed and enlightened. What is especially remarkable does not remain indifferent even to those who are uncomfortable with this God-given sign.

There are also rarer miracles. Filming on one of the videotapes testifies to the healings taking place. Visually, the camera demonstrates two such cases - in a person with a mutilated rotting skhom, the wound smeared with Fire closes right in front of his eyes and the ear takes on a normal appearance, as well as a case of the sight of a blind man (according to external observations, a person had thorns in both eyes before being "washed" by Fire).

In the future, from the Holy Fire, lamps will be lit throughout Jerusalem, and the Fire will be delivered by special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it will be transported all over the world. Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring it to our country. In the areas of the city adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up by themselves.

Is it only Orthodox?

Many non-Orthodox, when they first hear about the Holy Fire, try to reproach the Orthodox: how do you know that it was bestowed on you? But what if he was received by a representative of another Christian denomination? However, attempts by force to challenge the right to receive the Holy Fire on the part of representatives of other denominations have been and have happened more than once.

For only a few centuries, Jerusalem was under the control of Eastern Christians, but most of the time, as now, the city was ruled by representatives of other teachings that were unfriendly or even hostile to Orthodoxy.

The chaplain of the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem, Fulk, relates that when Western worshipers (from among the Crusaders) visited St. city before the capture of Caesarea, for the celebration of St. Easter came to Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, because the holy fire did not appear and the faithful remained in vain waiting all day in the Church of the Resurrection. Then, as if by heavenly inspiration, the Latin clergy and the king with all his court went ... to the temple of Solomon, which they had recently converted into a church from the mosque of Omar, and meanwhile the Greeks and Syrians, who remained at St. Tomb, tearing their clothes, with cries called for the grace of God, and then, finally, came down St. Fire."

But the most significant event occurred in 1579. The owners of the Temple of the Lord are simultaneously representatives of several Christian Churches. The priests of the Armenian Church, contrary to tradition, managed to bribe Sultan Murat the Truthful and the local city authorities to allow them to celebrate Easter alone and receive the Holy Fire. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their fellow believers came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone. The Orthodox, together with Patriarch Sophrony IV, were removed not only from the Kuvuklia, but from the Temple in general. There, at the entrance to the shrine, they remained to pray for the descent of Fire, mourning the separation from Grace. The Armenian Patriarch prayed for about a day, however, despite his prayerful efforts, no miracle followed. At one moment, a ray struck from the sky, as is usually the case with the descent of Fire, and hit exactly the column at the entrance, next to which was the Orthodox Patriarch. Fiery bursts splashed from it in all directions and a candle was lit at the Orthodox Patriarch, who handed over the Holy Fire to the fellow believers. This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, in fact, through the prayers of an Orthodox, and not an Armenian high priest. “Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump and shout for joy: “You are our one God, Jesus Christ, our true faith is one - the faith of Orthodox Christians,” writes monk Parthenius. At the same time, on the enfilades of buildings adjacent to the temple square were Turkish soldiers. One of them, named Omir (Anvar), seeing what was happening, exclaimed: "The One Orthodox Faith, I am a Christian" and jumped down onto stone slabs from a height of about 10 meters. However, the young man did not crash - the slabs under his feet melted like For the adoption of Christianity, the Muslims executed the brave Anvar and tried to scrape off the traces that so clearly testify to the triumph of Orthodoxy, but they did not succeed, and those who come to the Temple can still see them, like the dissected column at the doors of the temple. The body of the martyr was burned, but the Greeks collected the remains, which until the end of the 19th century were in convent Great Panagia, exuding fragrance.

The Turkish authorities were very angry with the arrogant Armenians, and at first even wanted to execute the hierarch, but later they had mercy and ordered him to always follow the Orthodox Patriarch as a warning about what had happened at the Easter ceremony and henceforth not to take a direct part in receiving the Holy Fire. Although the government has changed a long time ago, the custom is still preserved. However, this was not the only attempt by Muslims, who deny the Passion and the Resurrection of the Lord, to prevent the descent of the Holy Fire. Here is what the famous Islamic historian al-Biruni (IX-X centuries) writes: "... once the governor ordered to replace the wicks with copper wire, hoping that the lamps would not light up and the miracle itself would not happen. But then, when the fire went down, the copper caught fire" .

It is difficult to enumerate all the numerous events that take place before the descent of the Holy Fire and during it. However, one thing deserves special mention. Several times a day or immediately before the descent of the Holy Fire, icons or frescoes depicting the Savior began to stream myrrh in the Temple. This happened for the first time on Good Friday in 1572. The first witnesses were two Frenchmen, a letter about this from one of them is kept in the Central Library of Paris. After 5 months - on August 24, Charles IX staged the Massacre of Bartholomew in Paris. In two days, a third of the population of France was destroyed. In 1939, on the night of Good Friday on Great Saturday she froze again. Several monks living at the Jerusalem monastery became witnesses. Five months later, on September 1, 1939, the II World War. In 2001 it happened again. Christians did not see anything terrible in this ... but the whole world knows about what happened on September 11 this year - five months after the myrrh streaming

For those who are interested in this topic, there is a site that provides a large amount of information about this miracle. Its address is http://www.holyfire.org.

April 24 is Easter. The culmination of the main Christian holiday will be the convergence of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Once again, disputes will arise about what the miraculous fire is, how to explain its occurrence? Atheists are convinced that this is just a hoax. Believers, on the contrary, that this is a real miracle. Who is right?

strange discharge

Quite recently, the press reported that a Russian physicist, an employee of the Kurchatov Institute, Andrey Volkov, attended the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire last year and secretly made some measurements.

According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia (the chapel where the miraculous fire lights up), the device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

The physicist came to Jerusalem as an assistant to one of the film crews who received permission to work inside the temple. According to him, it is difficult to judge anything reliably from one measurement, since a series of experiments is needed. But still, “it could also turn out that we detected the cause preceding the appearance of a genuine divine Holy Fire” ...

Today, closer to midnight, a plane with the Holy Fire landed at Vnukovo Airport. According to tradition, the sacred fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem was taken to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and the particles of Fire were delivered to various churches throughout the country.

But what is the Holy Fire - a focus for believers or the True Light - a Russian physicist managed to find out. A scientist from the Institute of Atomic Energy, using high-precision instruments, was able to prove that the Holy Fire actually has a divine origin.

Andrey Volkov, head of the laboratory of ionic systems at the Russian Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", succeeded in what no scientist in the world has been able to do so far: he conducted a scientific experiment in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

At the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire, the devices recorded a sharp burst of electromagnetic radiation.

Andrey Volkov, a 52-year-old candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, has always been interested in the phenomenon of an unusual self-ignition in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which happens on the eve of Orthodox Easter. This fire appears by itself, in the first seconds it does not burn, believers wash their faces and hands with it, as if with water. Volkov suggested that this flame is a plasma discharge. And the scientist came up with the idea of a bold experiment - to measure electromagnetic radiation in the temple itself during the convergence of the Holy Fire.

I understood that it would not be easy to do this - they might not be allowed to enter the holy place with the equipment, - Andrey Volkov told Your DAY. - And yet I decided to take a chance, since all the devices fit in an ordinary case. In general, I hoped for good luck. And I'm lucky.

Radiation

The scientist set up the instruments: if during the convergence of the Holy Fire there is a jump in electromagnetic fields, the computer will record it. If the flame is a trick that is arranged for believers (such an explanation of the phenomenon is still in use among atheists), then no jump will occur.

Volkov watched as the Patriarch of Jerusalem, having taken off his vestments, entered Kuvuklia (the chapel in the Temple) in one shirt with a bunch of candles. People, frozen, waiting for a miracle. Indeed, according to legend, if the Holy Fire does not come down to people on the eve of Easter, this will be a sign of the approaching end of the world. Andrey Volkov found out that the miracle had happened before anyone else in the temple - his instruments caught a sharp jump!

For six hours of observing the electromagnetic background in the temple, it was at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire that the device recorded a doubling of the radiation intensity, the physicist testifies. - Now it is clear that the Holy Fire was not created by people. This is not a deception, not a hoax: its material "traces" can be measured!

In fact, can this inexplicable surge of energy be called a message from God?

Many believers think so. This is the materialization of the Divine, a miracle. You won't pick another word. God's plan cannot be squeezed into mathematical formulas. But the Lord by this miracle every year gives us a sign that Orthodox faith- true!

"Fire Like a Cobra"

An argument in favor of the fact that the Holy Fire has a “natural”, and not a divine origin, is the fact that similar phenomena do occur. Of course, in no case should they be put on a par with the fire in the Temple of the Lord. However, there are some common features.

Let's start with such a sign as suddenness, the absence of a visible reason. The same property is characteristic of such a phenomenon as spontaneous combustion, which is not so rare. For example, “Buff-Sad” last month wrote about an abnormal fire on Bolshaya Podgornaya Street that occurred last spring. This is far from an isolated case. And not only for Tomsk. For example, causeless fires are not uncommon in Moscow. The most surprising thing is that this happens especially often on the Garden Ring. Moreover, not only apartments and offices are burning, but even car interiors.

Let's take another sign of the Holy Fire - the property not to burn, at least at first. This already looks like a so-called cold plasma, a low-temperature ionized substance. It seems that such a plasma exists not only in physical laboratories.

Here is a quote from the newspaper "Miner's Territory", Novokuznetsk. A case is described when a firefighter went to a call and saw something completely unusual before his eyes. “Somehow I break into a room, in the middle of which an orange-blue selective column of flame hangs. Fire like a cobra stood upright, as if preparing to jump. I took a step towards the flame, and it was immediately sucked with a whistle into a hole in the floor ... And when we extinguished the barracks on Vera Solomina Street, the fire seemed to be hiding from us, spreading from one wall to another ... ". Note that the flames writhed, "hidden", but did not cause ignition.

Science and myths

There are cases when a mysterious flame or glow, taken for miracles, eventually found a scientific explanation. According to old beliefs, the lights flickering in the swamps are candles that light the way for lost souls. It is now reliably known that wandering fires are nothing more than combustible swamp gas released from rotting plants. The bluish glow on the masts and frames of ships - the so-called "St. Elmo's fires", observed since the Middle Ages - are caused by lightning discharges in the sea. And what about the northern lights, which in Scandinavian myths is a reflection of the golden shields of the Valkyries? Scientists explain this phenomenon by the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper atmosphere, through magnetic field Earth.

However, some cases still remain a mystery. In 1905, the mysterious lights visited the Welsh preacher Mary Jones. Their appearance ranged from small fireballs, pillars of light a meter wide, to a faint glow reminiscent of fireworks disintegrating in the sky. Moreover, some researchers explained the appearance of mysterious lights by the mental overstrain experienced by Jones during the sermons.

We must not guess, but explore

Let us return to where we started, to the miraculous Holy Fire in Jerusalem. It turns out that the Moscow physicist Andrey Volkov was almost outstripped by the Tomsk residents. The year before last, a research group was going to Jerusalem, including the director of the Biolon center Viktor Fefelov and the famous photojournalist Vladimir Kazantsev.

“We wanted to study the Holy Fire with the help of physical instruments,” says Viktor Fefelov. - With the help of scientists from the Tomsk Scientific Center, they assembled equipment: an automatic spectrophotometer, all kinds of other devices for studying electromagnetic waves of the widest range ... Outwardly, everything would look like shooting with an ordinary video camera, in fact, a thorough analysis would be carried out from X-ray and gamma radiation to low-frequency. We quite openly hoped to find an answer - either this is a miracle, or a natural phenomenon or deception.

Alas, due to problems with visas, the trip fell through. Although many Tomsk residents provided this or that support: corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Zuev, deputy Nikolai Vyatkin, director of the television studio Elena Ulyanova and others. The researchers also received approval in church circles. Perhaps it will succeed in next year.

* * *
Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? That is, the whole point is the release to the surface of a bunch of tectonic, underground energy in the form of low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, which Volkov was able to fix?

- The Earth is a very large, extremely complex electromagnetic object, - says Viktor Fefelov, - and extremely little studied. It is likely that this phenomenon also has a tectonic contribution. No need to guess, you need to explore.

Indeed, perhaps the Holy Fire is due to many reasons? Edicule is located in a unique place in terms of the dynamics of tectonic plates. Perhaps the believers who have gathered at the Temple of the Lord also generate energy, which, thanks to a large number emotionally excited people is multiplied? Let us recall the case of the preacher Mary Jones mentioned above.

There may be other factors that we don't yet know about.

The Holy Fire is an unsolvable and mysterious mystery for scientists around the world. But not for Christians! We know that the Holy Fire is an Easter symbol that the Lord himself gives us from heaven! And the convergence of this great and beautiful gift from God has been going on since ancient times.

The Holy Fire has appeared in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the resurrection of Christ are found in Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences.

On the eve in the temple, all candles, lamps, chandeliers are extinguished. As early as the beginning of the 20th century. this was carefully observed: the strictest search was carried out by the Turkish authorities inside the chapel; on the slander of Catholics, they even reached the revision of the pockets of the clergy metropolitan, the vicar of the patriarch ... because of suspicion, the patriarch is forced to undress himself to his cassock, so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches into the cave or anything that can light a fire. During the reign of the Turks, close "control" of the patriarch was carried out by Turkish Janissaries, who searched him before entering the Kuvukliya, at the present time the Jewish policemen examine the patriarch.

Shortly before the arrival of the patriarch, the priest brings into the cave a large lamp, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the savior's earthly life. Then the Orthodox and Armenian patriarchs (the latter also undresses before entering the cave) enter inside. They are sealed with a large piece of wax and a red ribbon is placed on the door; Orthodox ministers put their seals. At this time, the lights in the temple are turned off.

After the sealing of the Kuvuklia, Orthodox Arab youth runs into the temple, whose presence is also an obligatory element of the Easter celebrations. Young people sit on each other's shoulders like riders. They ask mother of god and gentlemen, that he bestow the Holy Fire on the Orthodox. "There is no Faith other than the Orthodox Faith, Christ is the True God," they chant. For European parishioners, accustomed to other forms of expression of feelings and calm worship, it is very unusual to see such behavior of local youth. However, the Lord reminded us that he also accepts such a childishly naive, but sincere appeal to him. During the time when Jerusalem was under the British Mandate, the English governor once tried to ban these "Savage" dances. The patriarch prayed in the Kuvuklia for two hours: the fire did not come down. Then the patriarch, by his own will, ordered the Arabs to be let in .... And the fire descended. "The Arabs, as it were, are addressing all peoples: the Lord confirms the correctness of our faith by bringing down the Holy Fire on the eve of Orthodox Easter. What do you believe in?

All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with fire in his hands. However, in the hearts of many people there is not only patience, but also awe of expectation: in accordance with the tradition of the Jerusalem church, it is believed that the day when the Holy Fire does not come down will be the last for the people in the temple, and the temple itself will be destroyed. Therefore, pilgrims usually take communion before coming to a holy place. In different years, the agonizing wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated by bright flashes of blessed light, small lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly seen that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging over the cuvuklia, from the dome of the temple, from windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. In addition, here and there, between the columns and walls of the temple, quite visible lightning flashes, which often pass without any harm through standing people.

A moment later, the whole temple turns out to be belted with lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading over the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, candles are lit at those standing in the temple and on the square, the lamps themselves are lit; "And suddenly a drop falls on the face, and then a cry of delight and shock is heard in the crowd. The fire in the altar of the catholicon is burning! The flash and flame are like a huge flower. And the cuvuklia is still dark. Slowly, slowly, by candlelight, the fire from the altar begins to descend towards us And then a thunderous cry makes you look back at Cuvuklia. It shines, the whole wall shimmers with silver, white lightning streams through it. The fire pulsates and breathes, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a vertical wide column of light descended from the sky on the coffin." The temple or some of its places are filled with an unparalleled radiance, which is believed to have first appeared during the resurrection of Christ. At the same time, the doors of the coffin open and the Orthodox Patriarch comes out, who blesses the audience and distributes the Holy Fire.

However, not everyone lights a fire from a patriarchal candle; for some, it lights up on its own. “Brighter and stronger flashes of heavenly light. Now the blessed fire began to fly all over the temple. It scattered in bright blue beads over the cuvuklia around the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord, and one of the lamps flared up, burst into the temple chapels, onto Golgotha (lit on her also one of the lamps), sparkled over the stone of chrismation (the lamp was also lit here. Someone's candle wicks were charred, someone's lamps, bunches of candles flared up by themselves. One of the witnesses notes how a woman standing next to him lit candles three times, which she twice tried to put out.

The first time - 3-10 minutes, the lit fire has amazing properties - it does not burn at all, regardless of which candle and where it will be lit. You can see how the parishioners literally wash themselves with this fire - they drive it over their faces, over their hands, scoop it up in handfuls, and it does no harm, at first it does not even scorch their hair.

Indeed, this is one of the greatest miracles of both past centuries and the modern 21st century! The Lord shows all his followers, all Christians, that he is with us!

In Russia, the Holy Fire is delivered to many, many cities for the Paschal service, and the joyful feast of Easter is intensified and ascends to heaven, to the birthplace of the Holy Fire!

The convergence of fire can be seen only once a year and in the only place on the planet - the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection. Its huge complex includes: Calvary, a cave with the Cross of the Lord, a garden where Christ was seen after the resurrection. It was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fire was seen there during the first service on Easter. Around the place where this happened, they built a chapel with the tomb of the Lord - it is called Cuvuklia.

At ten o'clock in the morning of Great Saturday, all candles, lamps and other sources of light are extinguished in the temple every year. The highest church ranks personally monitor this: Kuvuklia passes the last test, after which it is sealed with a large wax seal. From that moment on, the protection of holy places falls on the shoulders of the Israeli police officers (in ancient times, the Janissaries handled their duties Ottoman Empire). They also put an additional seal over the seal of the Patriarch. What is not proof of the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire?

Edicule

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a procession of the cross begins to stretch from the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Holy Sepulcher. It is headed by the patriarch: having bypassed Kuvuklia three times, he stops in front of her doors.

“The patriarch dresses in white clothes. With him, at the same time, 12 archimandrites and four deacons put on white vestments. Then clerics in white surplice with 12 banners depicting the Passion of Christ and His glorious Resurrection come out of the altar in pairs, followed by clerics with ripids and life-giving cross, then 12 priests in pairs, then four deacons also in pairs, and the last two of them in front of the patriarch hold bunches of candles in their hands in a silver stand for the most convenient transfer of holy fire to the people, and, finally, the patriarch with a rod in right hand. With the blessing of the patriarch, the singers and all the clergy, while singing: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify you with a pure heart” go from the Church of the Resurrection to the Kuvuklia and bypass it three times. After the third circumambulation, the patriarch, the clergy and the chanters stop with the banner-bearers and the crusader in front of the holy life-giving tomb and sing the evening hymn: “Quiet Light”, reminiscent of the fact that this litany was once part of the rite of evening worship.

The Holy Fire is one of the most powerful and significant symbols of faith among Orthodox Christians and a phenomenon higher powers its truth to all believers. Once again, he will descend from heaven this year on Saturday, April 7, on the eve of Holy Easter in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the earthly journey of Jesus Christ was completed. About the natural essence of the phenomenon, about how the Holy Fire comes down, how science is trying to explain it, we will talk with you today.

Holy Fire: the mystery and essence of the phenomenon

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far to no avail. True believers do not need to explain anything, they accept Fire as God's grace. Skeptics, atheists, scientists with available data, scientific methods through experiments also want to reveal the nature of the phenomenon from a scientific point of view, maybe they will succeed someday .... But so far only a mystery hidden from explanation.

On the eve of Orthodox Easter, we will also touch on this phenomenon.

Where and when the Holy Fire descends

The Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Israel, in Jerusalem, and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter.

This phenomenon has been observed year after year for more than a millennium. The first mention dates back to church historians in the 4th century.

I will give a description full of the feelings experienced by Archimandrite Savva Achilles in the book “I saw the Holy Fire.” For more than 50 years he was the main novice at the Holy Sepulcher. Here are his impressions:

“... the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of dead silence, I heard some kind of quivering, barely perceptible rustle. It was like a thin breath of wind. And immediately after that, I saw a blue light that filled the entire inner space of the Life-Giving Tomb.
Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw this light whirl like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this blessed light, I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Big tears were running down his cheeks...
… the blue light has returned to a state of motion. Then it suddenly turned white... Soon the light took on a rounded shape and in the form of a halo stood motionless above the head of the Patriarch. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send down the Holy Fire, slowly stretching his hands to the sky. As soon as he raised them to the level of his head, all four beams suddenly lit up in his hands, as if they were brought close to a flaming furnace. At the same moment, the halo disappeared from the light above his head. Tears flowed from my eyes from the joy that engulfed me .... "

Holy Fire in Jerusalem. Story

The Holy Fire has been in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found among Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the apostles saw: and the night was, however, two images I saw internally - sensually and sincerely, ”we read from the church historian Gregory of Nyssa. “Peter appeared before the Sepulcher and the light in the tomb was terrified in vain,” writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus tells in his “Church History” that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (II century) blessed to pour water from the Siloam font into the lamps, and the fire that descended from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Easter service . Among the early mentions of the testimony of Muslims, Catholics. The Latin monk Bernard (865) writes in his itinerary: “On Holy Saturday, which is the eve of Easter, the service begins early and after the service is completed, Lord have mercy until, with the coming of an Angel, light is kindled in the lamps hanging over the tomb."

Video IS IT TRUE? Holy Fire

Holy fire truth or fiction. Holy Fire is false or true?

This apparent miracle has been repeated for many centuries, since ancient times.
What is this “manifest miracle”? On the eve of Orthodox Easter in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, God creates an amazing miracle accessible to any child - he lights a fire. This fire, however, does not “ignite spontaneously” in front of everyone! The principle here is the same as for all other tricks: the disappearance or appearance of an object is not carried out directly in front of the astonished public, but under the cover of a handkerchief or in a dark box, that is, hidden from the audience.
Two high-ranking priests enter a small stone closet, which is called a cuvuklia. This is a special room inside the temple, like a chapel, where supposedly there is a stone bed on which the body of the crucified Christ lay. Having gone inside, two priests close the door behind them, and after a while they take out fire from the cuvuklia - a burning lamp and bunches of flaming candles. Crowds of fanatics immediately rush to them to light candles brought with them from the blessed fire. It is believed that this fire does not burn in the first minutes, so the pilgrims, who had languished in anticipation for many hours before, “wash” their faces and hands with it.
“Firstly, this fire does not burn, which is proof of a miracle,” write hundreds of believers in dozens of forums. “And secondly, how, if not by God’s miracle, can one explain that with such crowding of people and such an amount of fire, there has never been a fire in the Temple?”
Doesn't it burn?.. Were there any fires?.. old building. During one of the fires in the temple, 300 people burned alive. And another time, due to a fire near the temple, the dome even collapsed, seriously damaging the cuvuklia with the “grave” of Christ.
Nevertheless, the story that the “wonderful” fire does not burn continues to circulate among believers.

Descent of the Holy Fire.

Every year in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, a colorful church ritual the descent of the Holy Fire. This event takes place on the Saturday before Easter.

It is believed that the first witness of the convergence of fire was the Apostle Peter. Having learned about the resurrection of Christ, he went to the tomb of Jesus and saw a light in the place where the body of the Savior had previously lay. In 1810, a chapel was erected over the Holy Sepulcher - Cuvuklia. It is here that the Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by the Armenian archimandrite, enters on Great Saturday on the eve of Easter. Before entering Cuvuklia, the patriarch undresses to his cassock. Prior to this, other church ministers inspect the premises - they check that there are no matches and lighters in the chapel. The patriarch takes a bundle of unlit candles with him.

After some time, he appears before the faithful with already burning candles. Lighting their lamps and candles from them, believers pass the Holy Fire to each other. In a matter of seconds, the fire spreads throughout the temple. It is believed that in the first minutes this fire does not burn, therefore those gathered in the temple “wash themselves” with it. Immediately, lamps are lit from the Holy Fire, which are carried around different corners peace.

The Holy Fire from Jerusalem is delivered to Moscow on Saturday evening by a special flight. The icon-lamp is brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the main Easter service in Russia.

According to legend, if the fire does not come down, it will mean the imminent end of the world.

Scientists have tried to challenge the "divine" nature of the Holy Fire many times. They put forward many versions - from an electric impulse to chemical reaction causing combustion. About a month ago, the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Samuil Agoyan, added fuel to the fire, saying that there was no mysticism in the “descent”. The priest said that he personally saw how candles are lit from an ordinary oil lamp. “God works miracles, but not for the amusement of people,” Agoyan added.

It is generally accepted that only people who adhere to the relevant beliefs believe in the existence of religious miracles. At the same time, not a single skeptic can explain the phenomenon of such a miracle as the Holy Fire, no matter what arguments he tries.

What is the Holy Fire?

An amazing phenomenon has been studied more than once by scientists and religious figures who could not find at least proof of the natural origin of the phenomenon called “the condescension of the Holy Fire”. It includes:

Ceremony preparing for the emergence of the flame. There is a special ritual without which the main event of Holy Saturday will not take place and the celebration will be ruined.
Checking the Patriarch and his entry into the temple. From this moment, the international broadcast of the ceremony by TV channels begins.
The appearance of the Holy Fire and its transfer to other clergy.
The beginning of the first celebrations in honor of .

How does the Holy Fire appear?

The process of the emergence of flames deserves special attention. At about 10 o'clock in the morning to the Jerusalem Orthodox Church begins to move procession, headed by the Patriarch and the highest ranks of the clergy. After they come close to Kuvuklia (the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher), events begin to unfold as follows:

So that the believers would not have doubts about where the Holy Fire comes from, the Patriarch undresses and remains in one white undershirt, under which nothing can be carried.
It is inspected by representatives of the Turkish and Israeli police, according to a tradition that has existed since the 14th century.
The Patriarch is approaching the entrance to Edicule along with similar ranks from the Armenian, Coptic and Syrian apostolic churches. They will be the first to see the Holy Fire after the Patriarch.
The doors of the chapel are closed, and the faithful are left to wait for a miracle outside the doors.

How does the Holy Fire descend?

After the Patriarch and the priests remain behind the first doors of Kuvuklia, they appear in front of the room with the Tomb of Christ. The Metropolitan of Jerusalem will enter it alone, but a few steps from him there will be a representative of the Armenian Church. The convergence of the Holy Fire occurs in several stages:

The patriarch begins prayers praising Jesus Christ.
Turning to God can take both several hours and several minutes.
Lights flash on the stone slab, flowing down like drops.
The patriarch picks them up with a cotton ball and sets fire to a bunch of candles.

Why does the Holy Fire not burn?

The sheaf of candles held by the Patriarch consists of 33 pieces (according to the number of years Jesus spent on Earth). The only one who personally saw the secret of the Holy Fire takes the bundle out of Kuvuklia and hands it over to the Armenian Metropolitan. He shows it to the believers, and they light their candles from it. Weakened after fervent prayer, the Patriarch, as soon as he appears at the door, is lifted up in his arms and carried to the exit with hymns. Meanwhile, those who first visited Jerusalem are surprised to note the special properties of the flame:

Knowing where the Holy Fire actually comes from, experienced tourists fearlessly wash themselves with it, put candles to their faces and put their fingers to it.
The color of the fire varies from light blue to blue, which cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.
After 5-10 minutes after the convergence, the flame on all sheaves acquires its usual properties and heats up.

How to bring the Holy Fire home?

No less important for the believer is not only the opportunity to see the Fire, but also the desire to take away its particle with him. The Holy Fire at home can be placed in front of the iconostasis or lamps can be lit from it and placed in rooms on the eve of Easter. To implement the idea, you will need:

a small candle, which in churches is allowed to touch the flame from the Holy Sepulcher;
a small lamp with a lid that prevents the lampada from going out;
vaseline oil, which is used to support combustion.

What should be done with the Holy Fire?

Most spiritual guides do not recommend turning into idolaters and turning fire into a kind of cult. Believers should treat it accordingly: they can find the flame in the parishes to which it is brought by plane from Jerusalem. It is believed that the Holy Fire is what allows you to:

Orthodox, unable to come to the temple, personally see the miracle;
recall the bright holiday of Easter, which he marks;
gain spiritual strength for fasting on Great Saturday.

Holy Fire - true or false?

If church officials consider it sinful to doubt the sacred nature of the phenomenon, then journalists and scientists are not shy in the most daring assumptions that the descent of the Holy Fire has a completely earthly origin. Supporters of different versions are leading options such as:

Concealment of fire from those who inspect the Patriarch. Since on the day of Holy Saturday he does not have the opportunity to carry the flame with him, it can be decided that the Fire is carried and hidden at the Sepulcher in advance.
A chemical reaction caused by the special composition of the slab on the tomb of Christ. Esters of organic acids can give a cold fire, but its color will not be blue, but green.
Spontaneous combustion. Some natural substances certain temperature environment and humidity may flare up. This property is possessed by: white phosphorus, boric acid, jasmine oil.

Holy Fire - scientific explanation

In 2008, skeptics had a chance to find out the nature of the Holy Fire. Russian physicist Andrey Volkov was admitted to Edicule before Holy Saturday, who received the approval of the Orthodox Church to install equipment with sensitive sensors. Before him, no one knew the answer to the slippery question, how scientists explain the convergence of the Holy Fire, Andrei Volkov’s research gave mixed results:

A few seconds before the appearance of the flame at the Holy Sepulcher, the physicist recorded an unusual long-wave electrical impulse that arose spontaneously.
During the ignition of the cotton wool laid out on the lid of the tombstone, the pulse fluctuations increased many times over.
Power measurements showed that the flash of fire can be compared to the operation of a low-power welding machine.
Scientific diagnostics of a crack on a column at the entrance to Kuvuklia proved that such damage could occur solely under the influence of electricity.

Holy Fire - interesting facts

The mystical character of the nature of Fire in history has been repeatedly associated with curious events. It was worth breaking at least one tradition of his appearance, as the course of the ceremony changed in front of all the witnesses. The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire underwent sharp interventions twice:

In 1101, the Latin Patriarch of Choque decided to take the reins of the greatest Christian miracle into his own hands. The desire to unravel his secret so captured the heretic that he tortured the monks and received from them all the details of the procedure for obtaining Fire. The flame never appeared after a day of futile attempts.
In 1578, a priest from Armenia decided that the secret of the Holy Fire would be revealed to him and obtained permission from the clergy to enter the Kuvuklia first. Orthodox priests did not protest and remained at the door. The column in front of the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher cracked and flames began to emanate from it.

On Holy Saturday, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from all over the world to wash in its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

The greatest miracle is awaited with excitement not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of various denominations.

For many hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand where the Holy Fire comes from. Believers are sure that this is a real miracle - God's gift to people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Holy Fire

According to many testimonies, both ancient and modern, the appearance blessed light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, but the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on Great Saturday, on the eve of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

Throughout almost the entire time of the existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

The miracle of the descent of the blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times, the descended fire has unique property— it does not burn the first minutes.

The first witness of the convergence of fire was the Apostle Peter - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. For two thousand years, this light has descended every year on the Holy Sepulcher with the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century. And the earliest written references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date back to the 4th century.

The temple with its huge roof covers Golgotha, and the cave in which the Lord taken down from the cross was laid, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrected.

Convergence

Around noon, a religious procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

All the lights in the temple are extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, Englishmen - pilgrims from all over the world - are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch undresses, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can make fire (during the Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing chiton, the primate of the Church enters.

On his knees in front of the Tomb, he prays to God for the sending down of the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is interesting feature- The Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, a kind of fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lampada and candles, which he then takes out to the temple and passes to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, dozens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick

This miraculous phenomenon v different times there were many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. Among those who disagreed were Catholic Church. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 spoke out with disagreement about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire.

Not understanding the true origin of the Holy Fire, some Arabs tried to prove that the Fire is allegedly obtained using any means, substances and devices, but they have no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon. In their opinion, it is possible to produce fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemical mixtures and substances is also possible.

But none of them is similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property - not to burn in the first minutes of its appearance.

Scholars, theologians, representatives of various faiths, including Orthodox Church It has been repeatedly stated that the ignition of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposedly "sacred fire" is a falsification.

The most famous are the statements in the middle of the last century by professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Uspensky, who believed that in Kuvuklia the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps at this time are extinguished.

At the same time, Uspensky argued that "the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still a sacred fire received from a sacred place."

Russian physicist Andrey Volkov allegedly managed to take some measurements at the Holy Fire ceremony a few years ago. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia, a device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete unsubstantiated statements of skeptics, the miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is an annually observed fact.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is available to everyone. It can be seen not only by tourists and pilgrims - it takes place in front of the whole world and is regularly broadcast on television and the Internet, on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

Every year, several thousand of those present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the patriarch, whose clothes were specially examined, entered Kuvuklia, which was checked and sealed, with a bunch of candles. He came out of it with a burning torch of 33 candles, and this is an indisputable fact.

Therefore, the answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from can be only one answer - it's a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

And in conclusion, the Holy Fire confirms the promise of the Risen Christ to the apostles: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

It is believed that when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.