 |
|
|
August 31, 2003 ERP KIM Newsletter 31-08-03 FEAST DAY OF SAINTS FLORUS AND LAURUS CELEBRATED IN ORTHODOX CHURCHES TODAY Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the first Christian martyrs who suffered for Christ on the territory of today's Kosovo and Metohija Province
ERPKIM
INFO-SERVICE (Orthodox icon of St. Basil of Caesarea with Sts. Florus and Laurus, 19th cent.)
Florus and Laurus were citizens of the Roman province of Dardania and the famous city of Ulpiana which was located between today's Gracanica and Lipljan, 5 km east from Pristina. Ulpiana was a flourishing Roman city built by Emepror Traianus in 2nd century A.D. The city was first devastated by Goths in the 5th century and was rebuilt during the reign of the East Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinianus I. The city was named Justiniana Secunda after its new founder and was flourishing as an important Byzantine administrative center until 6th century and the arrival of Slavs. After consolidation of the Byzantine administration in the province of Illyricum the city, already known also under Slavic name of Lipljan, had already been an important military outpost and the Orthodox diocesan center. In the 13th century this part of Byzantine Empire, which was already largerly inhabited by Slavic population, was finally included within the borders of the Serbian medieval state and remained under Serb administration until the Ottoman occupation of Serbia in the 15th century. Beside today's church of Sts Florus and Laurus in Lipljan there is a Serbian medieval church of the Holy Virgin Mary (13th century) and the remains of the Byzantine time basilica. The memory of Florus and Laurus has lived throughout centuries not only among Orthodox Serbs but also in Russia where they became known as protectors of horses. Dozens of churches and monasteries in Russia were devoted to these early Christian saints from the Balkans. Florus and Laurus are also considered as protectors of the Serb Orthodox Diocese of Lipljan which was later transferred to Gracanica Monastery. Bishop Artemije today served the holy liturgy and celebrated the memory of the first-martyrs of Kosovo and Metohija in Gracanica Monastery and made appeal on the faithful to show perseverance which the early Christian martyrs showed facing the persecution of the ungodly pagan authorities.
THE LIFE OF HOLY MARTYRS FLORUS AND LAURUS (icon Archangel Michael with Sts. Florus and Laurus, 15th century, Novgorod School)
HYMN OF PRAISE written by St. Nikolaj Velimirovich
ERP KIM
Info-Service is the official Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox
Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the blessing of His Grace
Bishop Artemije. If you received this message by error or you don`t want to receive our e-mails anymore, please write to us: erpkim@kosovo.net Our Newsletters are
available on our ERP KIM Info-service Web-Page: Additional
information on our Diocese and the life of the Kosovo Serb Community may
be found at:
|
Orthodox
Church has celebrated today the memory of saints Florus and Laurus, the
first known Christian martyrs who suffered for Christ on the territory of
today's Kosovo and Metohija Province in the early 2nd century A.D. These
two saints are especially venerated by in Lipljan, near Pristina, where
there is a Serb Orthodox Church built in their honour.
Florus and
Laurus were brothers in the flesh, and in spirit and in vocation. Both
were zealous Christians and, by occupation, stonecutters. They lived in
Illyria. A pagan prince hired them for the building of a temple to the
idols. It happened that during their work, a piece of stone flew and
struck the eye of the pagan priest's son who was observing the work of the
builders with curiosity. Seeing his son blind and bloody, the pagan priest
began to shout at Florus and Laurus and wanted to beat them. Then, the
holy brothers said to him that if he would believe in the God in whom they
believed, his son would be healed. The pagan priest promised. Florus and
Laurus prayed with tears to the one, living, Lord God and traced the sign
of the Cross over the child's injured eye. The child was immediately
healed and his eye became whole just as it had been. Then the pagan priest
Merentius and his son were baptized and, shortly after that, both suffered
for Christ by fire. When they completed the temple, Florus and Laurus
placed a cross on it, summoned all Christians and consecrated it in the
name of the Lord Jesus with an all-night vigil of hymn singing. Hearing of
this, the Illyrian deputy burned many of those Christians and threw Florus
and Laurus alive in a well and then filled it with dirt. Later, their
relics were revealed and translated to Constantinople. These two wonderful
brothers suffered and were martyred for Christ and were glorified by
Christ in the second century. 