Miracles of healing through the prayers of Saint Luke. Saint Luke of Crimea and prayers to him for healing and well-being

home

Kinds

The relics of Luke of Crimea show various healings these days, testifying to the great spiritual power of the saint. To worship the shrine, many Christians come to Simferopol from different cities of the world.

On the icons, Saint Luke of Voino-Yasenetsky is depicted in archbishop's vestments with his hand raised in blessing. You can also see an image of the saint sitting at a table over an open book, in the works of scientific activity, which reminds Christian believers of fragments of the saint’s biography. There are icons depicting a saint with a cross in right hand and the Gospel on the left. Some icon painters represent St. Luke with medical instruments, recalling his life's work.

The icon of St. Luke is highly revered by the people - its significance for Christian believers is very great! Like St. Nicholas, Bishop Luke became a Russian miracle worker, coming to the aid of all life’s difficulties.

Nowadays, the icon of St. Luke is found in almost every home. This is primarily due to great faith people in wonderful help a saint who, by faith, can heal any disease. Many Christians turn to the great saint in prayer for deliverance from various ailments.

The early years of Archbishop Luke Voino-Yasenetsky

Desiring with all his heart to benefit his neighbors, Valentin decided to enter the Faculty of Medicine at Kiev University. From the first years of his studies, he became interested in anatomy. After graduating Educational establishment with honors and having received the specialty of a surgeon, the future saint immediately began practical medical activity, mainly in eye surgery.

Chita

In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky went to Far East as a volunteer. In Chita, he worked at the Red Cross hospital, where he carried out practical medical activities. Heading the surgical department, he successfully operated on wounded soldiers. Soon the young doctor met his future wife- Anna Vasilievna, who worked as a nurse in the hospital. In their marriage they had four children.

From 1905 to 1910, the future saint worked in various district hospitals, where he had to conduct a wide variety of medical activities. At this time, general anesthesia began to be widely used, but there was not enough to perform operations under general anesthesia. necessary equipment and specialists - anesthesiologists. Interested in alternative methods of pain relief, the young doctor discovered new method sciatic nerve anesthesia. He subsequently presented his research in the form of a dissertation, which he successfully defended.

Pereslavl-Zalessky

In 1917, terrible upheavals began in the fatherland - political instability, widespread betrayal, the beginning of a bloody revolution. In addition, the young surgeon's wife falls ill with tuberculosis. The family moves to the city of Tashkent. Here Valentin Feliksovich holds the position of head of the surgical department of the local hospital. In 1918, the Tashkent State University, in which the doctor teaches topographic anatomy and surgery.

Tashkent

During civil war the surgeon lived in Tashkent, where he devoted all his energy to healing, performing several operations every day. While working, the future saint always fervently prayed to God for help in completing the work of saving human lives. There was always an icon in the operating room, and a lamp hung in front of it. The doctor had a pious custom: before an operation, he always venerated icons, then lit a lamp, said a prayer, and only then got down to business. The doctor was distinguished by deep faith and religiosity, which led him to the decision to accept the priesthood.

Health A.V. Voino-Yasenetskaya's life began to deteriorate - she died in 1918, leaving four small children in the care of her husband. After the death of his wife, the future saint began to participate even more actively in church life, visiting churches in Tashkent. In 1921, Valentin Feliksovich was ordained to the rank of deacon, and then to the rank of priest. Father Valentin became the rector of the church, in which he always very lively and diligently preached the Word of God. Many colleagues treated his religious beliefs with undisguised irony, believing that the scientific activity of a successful surgeon ended completely with his ordination.

In 1923, Father Valentin took the new name Luka, and soon assumed the rank of bishop, which caused a violent negative reaction from the Tashkent authorities. After some time, the saint was arrested and imprisoned. A long period of exile began.

Ten years in captivity

Soon the saint was summoned to the KGB Cheka building on Lubyanka, where he was subjected to brutal interrogation methods. After the verdict was pronounced, Saint Luke was sent to Butyrka prison, where he was kept in inhumane conditions for two months. Then he was transferred to Taganskaya prison (until December 1923). This was followed by a series of repressions: in the midst of a harsh winter, the saint was sent into exile in Siberia, to distant Yeniseisk. Here he was settled in the house of a local wealthy resident. The bishop was allocated separate room, in which he continued to practice medicine.

After some time, Saint Luke received permission to operate in the Yenisei hospital. In 1924, he performed a complex and unprecedented operation to transplant a kidney from an animal to a human. As a “reward” for his work, local authorities sent a talented surgeon to the small village of Khaya, where Saint Luke continued his medical work, sterilizing instruments in a samovar. The saint did not lose heart - as a reminder of bearing the cross of life, there was always an icon next to him.

Saint Luke of Crimea was again transferred to Yeniseisk the following summer. After a short prison sentence, he was again admitted to medical practice and to church service in a local monastery.

Soviet authorities tried with all their might to prevent the growing popularity of the bishop-surgeon among the common people. It was decided to exile him to Turukhansk, where there were very difficult natural and weather conditions. At the local hospital, the saint received patients and continued his surgical activities, operating and using the hair of patients as surgical material.

During this period, he served in a small monastery on the banks of the Yenisei, in the church where the relics of St. Basil of Mangazeya were located. Crowds of people came to him, finding in him a true healer of soul and body. In March 1924, the saint was again called to Turukhansk to resume his medical activities. At the end of his prison term, the bishop returned to Tashkent, where he again took on the duties of a bishop. The future Saint Luke of Crimea carried out medical activities at home, attracting not only the sick, but also many medical students.

Then it was decided to transport the bishop into exile in northern Russia. All the way to Kotlas, the accompanying convoy soldiers mocked the saint, spat in his face, mocked and mocked him.

At first, Bishop Luke worked in the Makarikha transit camp, where people who had become victims of political repression served their sentences. The conditions of the settlers were inhumane, many decided to commit suicide out of despair, people suffered from massive epidemics of various diseases, and they were not given any help. medical care. Saint Luke was soon transferred to work at the Kotlas hospital, having received permission to operate. Next, the archbishop was sent to Arkhangelsk, where he remained until 1933.

"Essays on purulent surgery"

In 1933, Luka returned to his native Tashkent, where his grown-up children were waiting for him. Until 1937, the saint was engaged in scientific activities in the field of purulent surgery. In 1934, he published a famous work entitled “Essays on Purulent Surgery,” which is still a textbook for surgeons. The saint never managed to publish many of his achievements, an obstacle to which was the next Stalinist repression.

New persecution

For the next two years he was imprisoned in Tashkent, periodically subjected to aggressive interrogation. In 1939 he was sentenced to exile in Siberia. In the village of Bolshaya Murta, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the bishop worked in a local hospital, operating on numerous patients under incredibly difficult conditions. The difficult months and years, full of hardships and adversity, were worthily endured by the future saint - Bishop Luke of Crimea. The prayers he offered for his spiritual flock helped many believers in those difficult times.

Soon the saint sent a telegram addressed to the Chairman of the Supreme Council asking for permission to operate on wounded soldiers. Next, the bishop was transferred to Krasnoyarsk and appointed chief physician of a military hospital, as well as a consultant to all regional military hospitals.

While working at the hospital, he was constantly monitored by KGB officers, and his colleagues treated him with suspicion and distrust, which was due to his religion. He was not allowed into the hospital cafeteria, and as a result he often suffered from hunger. Some nurses, feeling sorry for the saint, secretly brought him food.

Liberation

Every day, the future Archbishop of Crimea Luka independently came to the railway station, selecting the most seriously ill for operations. This continued until 1943, when many church political prisoners fell under Stalin's amnesty. The future Saint Luke was installed as Bishop of Krasnoyarsk, and on February 28 he was able to independently serve the first liturgy.

In 1944, the saint was transferred to Tambov, where he carried out medical and religious activities, restoring destroyed churches, attracting many to the Church. They began to invite him to various scientific conferences, but they always asked him to come in secular clothes, to which Luke never agreed. In 1946 the saint received recognition. He was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Crimean period

On March 20, 1996, the holy relics of Luke of Crimea were solemnly transferred to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Simferopol. Nowadays, they are especially revered by the inhabitants of Crimea, as well as by all Orthodox Christians who ask for help from the great saint.

Icon "St. Luke of Crimea"

Even after the saint’s repose, many people continued to feel his invisible support. Since the archbishop's canonization as an Orthodox saint in 1995, the icon of St. Luke has continually shown various miracles of healing from mental and physical illnesses.

Many Orthodox Christians rush to Simferopol to venerate the great Christian treasure - the relics of St. Luke of Crimea. The icon of St. Luke helps many sick people. The importance of her spiritual power is difficult to overestimate. Some believers received help from the saint instantly, which confirms his great intercession before God for people.

Miracles of Luka Krymsky

In addition to deliverance from bodily ailments, the saint also helps in the spiritual struggle against various sinful inclinations. Some believing surgeons, deeply revering their great colleague, following the example of the saint, always pray before surgical intervention, helping to successfully operate even on complex patients. According to their deep conviction, Saint Luke of Crimea helps. Prayer addressed to him from the heart helps solve even the most difficult problems.

Saint Luke miraculously helped some students to enter the medical university Thus, their cherished dream came true - to devote their lives to treating people. In addition to numerous healings from illnesses, Saint Luke helps lost, unbelieving people find faith, being a spiritual mentor and praying for human souls.

The great holy Bishop Luke of Crimea still performs many miracles to this day! Everyone who turns to him for help receives healing. There are known cases when the saint helped pregnant women to safely bear and give birth to healthy children who were at risk according to the results of multilateral studies. Truly a great saint - Luke of Crimea. Prayers offered by believers in front of his relics or icons will always be heard.

Relics

After the glorification of Bishop Luke, his remains were transferred to the cathedral of the city of Simferopol. Pilgrims often also call this temple: “Church of St. Luke.” However, this wonderful one is called Holy Trinity. The cathedral is located at the address: Simferopol, st. Odesskaya, 12.

The life of Luka Simferopol and Crimean is filled with a constant desire to help people physically. spiritually. The healer of the human body and soul, Saint Luke, the surgeon Voino-Yasenetsky, spoke of himself as “a scalpel in the hands of God.”

Thousands of people received healing through the hands and prayers of the Crimean confessor.

He left behind a whole galaxy of believing professionals - doctors who performed operations with the Lord's Prayer.

Biography of St. Luke of Crimea

The life of Saint Luke of Crimea is a vivid example of faithful service to God and people both during life and after death.

1877, Kerch, Crimea. Here, a third child, son Valentin, was born into the family of the Polish nobleman Felix Voino-Yasenetsky.

The Yasenetskys lived according to Christian canons, did everything for the comprehensive development of children and raising them in the faith.

Little Valentin showed talent as an artist; having matured, he decided to become a student at the St. Petersburg Art Academy.

Just one verse from the Bible, Gospel Matthew 9:37, which says that “the harvest is ripe, but there are not enough workers,” turned Valentine’s life upside down.

No prohibitions affected the doctor’s decision to help people. He is transferred by stage to the very north, then again to Turukhansk.

1926, the famous doctor-priest returns to Tashkent.

With the merciful blessing of Metropolitan Sergius, Saint Luke serves as suffragan bishop in Rylsk, then Yelets.

Having rejected the offer to head the department in Izhevsk, the holy father decided to retire, asking for a blessing for this. This decision will torment Valentin Feliksovich all his life, for he put service to people above the service of God.

Until 1930, Valentin Voino worked quietly as a surgeon and teacher at the Faculty of Medicine, until a completely unpredictable incident happened.

His colleague, Professor Mikhailovsky, had a son who died, and his father decided to revive him by transfusing the blood of a living person. The experiment failed, the professor committed suicide.

Father Luke, who preached in the Church of St. Sergius, gave permission to bury a colleague who suffered from mental disorders according to church funeral rites.

The Soviet authorities accused Professor Voino of opposing materialism; he allegedly prevented the resurrection due to religious fanaticism.

Until 1933, he worked in the Arkhangelsk hospital in the north, where Valentin Feliksovich was diagnosed with a tumor and was sent to Leningrad for surgery. Here, during the sermon, God reminded the holy father of his youthful vows.

New interrogations awaited the saint after Leningrad in Moscow. The authorities tried in every possible way to persuade the wonderful doctor to renounce his rank, but they received a firm refusal.

The Holy Father continued his scientific research, working after exile in Tashkent.

Important! 1934 gave the world a work of many years, “Essays on Purulent Medicine,” which became a classic of medicine.

“... my “Essays on Purulent Surgery” were pleasing to God, because they greatly increased the power and significance of my confession in the midst of anti-religious propaganda,” “The Holy Synod ... equated my treatment of the wounded with valiant episcopal service, and elevated me to the rank of archbishop.” V.Voino-Yasenetsky.

Despite his illness, Father Valentin continued to work until 1937.

Stalin's repressions and the Great Patriotic War

Faithful ministers of the church, along with millions of people, were subjected to repression carried out on the orders of Stalin. Bishop Luke did not escape this fate.

The creation of a counter-revolutionary church organization - this was the charge brought against the saint.

The cruel torture called “conveyor belt”, when a round-the-clock interrogation was conducted for 13 days under blinding spotlights, the subsequent hunger strike undermined the doctor’s state of mind, he incriminated himself by signing the charge.

Bishop Voino-Yasenetsky met 1940 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where he was allowed to operate and engage in science.

The 1941 war forced the regional leadership to appoint a famous doctor as the head physician of the military hospital. All military medical institutions in the Krasnoyarsk Territory were under his control. Even in war time

Father Valentin, being an exile, remained faithful to the Lord God, serving as a bishop. Metropolitan Sergius, elected patriarch at the 1943 Council, ordains St. Luke to the rank of archbishop.

At the slightest easing of persecution for religion, the new archbishop, a member of the permanent Synod, begins to actively preach the Word of God. 1944, by wartime order along with the hospital chief physician

moves to Tambov, continuing his medical work, working on the publication of works on medicine and theology.

Luka Krymsky

The last years of the saint's life

For patriotism shown during the war, Valentin Voino-Yasenetsky was awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War.” Patriotic War 1941–1945."

His works “Late resections for infected gunshot wounds of joints”, “Essays on purulent surgery” were awarded the Stalin Prize.

At the end of the war, Bishop Luke headed the Crimean diocese, becoming the Archbishop of Simferopol.

The saint-doctor saw the main task in his ministry as love for people; he taught priests, by his own example, to be servants of God, emitting light.

Heart disease did not allow the doctor to stand at the operating table, but he continued consultations, did not refuse city and rural doctors, consulting for free on weekdays. The Archbishop of Simferopol served on weekends. During his sermons, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was always full of people.

The invaluable heritage of the saint - a doctor, the works of St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky)

Saint Luke left behind a real gift for his descendants, his literary heritage.

“Essays on Purulent Surgery” remains a classic for all generations of doctors.
The book “I Loved Suffering” describes the difficult path from the vocation of a doctor to the rank of archbishop; it is autobiographical.
Sermon volumes reveal the essence of the Gospel, revealing the secrets of the Holy Book for simple Orthodox man. Sermon “On Constancy in Prayer”
The book “Spirit, Soul and Body” is a work that proves the connection between the spiritual state of a person and his state of the body. Professor Valentin Voino-Yasenetsky proves scientific level How to use prayer to achieve peace of mind and gain physical health.
In the book “On the Family and Raising Children,” the Holy Father characterizes the basis of a healthy family, right relationship between husband and wife, based on Holy Scripture. He leads the reader to God-fearing child rearing.

Important! Saint Luke emphasizes that not even the most earnest prayer will be heard by God, without observing the commandments of God and filling your heart with love for people.

Every book written by Archbishop Luke is a key that opens the doors to great power God's healing through obedience, fasting, prayer.

Miracles and healings given by the Saint - the doctor

To people who pray regularly, the saint has repeatedly appeared in visions of an archbishop or a doctor. Sometimes the image is so obvious that people who saw it claim that they saw the living ruler.

Sometimes in a dream, patients experienced a condition during an operation, and the next morning traces of a scalpel were visible on their body. This was evidenced by a Greek who had an intervertebral hernia removed in a dream; the next morning he discovered that he was completely healthy.
Operating doctors, who constantly pray before operations with the prayer to Saint Luke, claim that during especially difficult situations, their hands are guided by supernatural power.
According to a resident of Livadia, after the accident a man named Luka constantly appeared to her son, persuading him to return to his mother. This family had never heard of the holy healer and had never prayed to him. The doctor, who heard this story, showed the boy the icon of the Holy Father, which was always with him. The boy immediately recognized his guest. Thanks to the miraculous intervention of the bishop, the boy not only did not have his legs amputated, but after many operations he was even able to master a bicycle.

There are many such testimonies, they are written down in books located at churches in which they pray to the Holy Icon of Luke.

Service to Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea

On June 11, the Orthodox world celebrates the memory of Saint Luke. People come to the holy ashes every day with a request

help you gain faith;
bless for the operation;
grant healing;

Children are carried to the tomb of the Saint, the weak go, young and old come, everyone finds peace of mind, faith, healing after prayer and worship.

Advice! Prayer to Saint Luke, a confessor of the faith, a caring mentor and a talented surgeon, still helps those in need find a way out of difficult situations.

In many medical institutions, doctors begin their day with this prayer. Workers of social services and hospices consider St. Voino-Yasenetsky their heavenly patron.

Watch the video with a prayer to Luka Krymsky

The Son of God, God the Word, out of his immeasurable love, came down to earth and took upon himself human flesh in order to save a lost man. He took upon himself all human pain and sins. On earth, he taught people, healed them, helped them in their needs, and died for them. After His Resurrection, the Lord commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel to all creation - to enlighten, baptize and heal. And the apostles “went out and preached everywhere, with the Lord working together and confirming the word with signs following” (Gospel of Mark, 16-20).

The Holy Apostles do not work miracles with their own power and not at all in order to make an impression or gain glory and fame for themselves, as all sorcerers and deceived people do. The apostles have the Glory of God and the salvation of people as their only goals.

The deeds confirm the words of Christ: “He who believes in Me will do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do” (Gospel of John, 14-12).

This promise of Christ could not refer only to apostolic times. Christ does not stop working His miracles today in the Church through the saints. And today He has not stopped showing His love. And if the saints, in the apt expression, “are Christ - penetrating through the centuries,” then it is not at all surprising that, by performing miracles, the saints heal people, and thereby continue the work of Jesus Christ.

Saint Luke is one of the links in that long chain that originates in apostolic times. He loved Christ and people. He served the image of God - man, and especially the suffering, and served with incredible love and dedication. Saint Luke counted the sick greatest thing, which is an imitation of Christ himself.

Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos)

In one of his sermons he clarifies his understanding of this issue. And we clearly understand the motives that prompted him to devote himself to medical science. Not for the sake of money and fame, not for the sake of some other goals, but in order to serve, alleviate, heal a suffering person.

Saint Luke said: “...Have you ever thought about why the Lord sent His disciples not only to preach, but also to heal the sick? If the Lord considered the treatment of illnesses to be such an important matter that he put it on a par with the preaching of the Gospel, then this means for us that this is one of the most important affairs of man. He didn’t say, “Preach the Gospel and teach people how to organize their social lives.”

He says absolutely nothing about this. But he gives the apostles the commandment to heal the sick. Why is that? Because Our Lord Jesus Christ himself healed people, cast out demons, raised the dead, and gave the commandment to his disciples to heal the sick. For illness is the greatest pain and the most a big problem humanity.

There are many diseases, terrible illnesses that torment a person, destroy his life and lead him to despair. But the Lord is a lover of mankind and good, and he demands from us that we be merciful and do deeds of love. And the first work of mercy is the healing of the sick. In this way we show our compassion and our love for our unfortunate brothers who are suffering.”

Luckily for us, the head of the orthopedic clinic, Mr. G.P., came to the operating room that day. and took full responsibility for making the decision and carrying out the operation. It was this surgeon who overturned the decision to amputate and, as we were told later, literally fought to save the child’s legs and defended his position contrary to the opinion of all other doctors. As a result, the boy’s left leg was completely preserved, and only the heel on the right was amputated.

After the operation, our son spent a whole month in intensive care at the Aglaia Kyryakou Children's Hospital in Athens. Many doctors who participated in the consultations doubted that the legs would be saved in the future. Various infections and complications were feared. The series has begun plastic surgery at the St. Sophia children's clinic. All the doctors unanimously stated: the child’s legs were left, but one of them would never move, there were no blood vessels, no nerve fibers, no skin left on it. This leg will remain lifeless forever.

On November 26, 2005, our son for the first time mentioned the name of his, as he said, friend, some Luka. This friend, according to the child, woke him up after anesthesia and said: “Konstantin, wake up and go to mom.” This was repeated, according to our son, after each operation. We thought that we're talking about about a specific doctor working in this hospital. They started asking. We were told that there was no doctor with that name in the hospital. And so, after the next operation, Konstantin told us quite specifically: “Today I saw St. Luke.” We asked plastic surgeon Mr. N.P., what do these words mean? The doctor with a smile took out an icon with the image of St. Luke from the pocket of his robe and said: “This is who Constantine tells you about all the time. This saint really appears during the most difficult operations, like the one your son had.”

It should be noted that we knew nothing about this saint before. On the advice of our doctor, we read a book about St. Luke of Crimea. Seeing a book about St. Luke in my hands, Konstantin pointed to one of the photographs and said: “Here, mom, you see, this is my friend.”

The miraculous appearances of St. Luke continued. It was the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Our boy's leg had already begun to function, and he could even move his fingers. The doctors, seeing the recovery process, just threw up their hands and said: “Yes, Constantine has his own saint.”

Saint Luke appeared to our child several times right in the operating room (the boy underwent a total of more than 30 operations of varying degrees of complexity). On March 27, the saint appeared in the operating room in his bishop’s vestments, over which a medical robe was thrown, and said: “Konstantin, you pray, and I will try to cure you.”

Psychologists working at the hospital tried to encourage Konstantin and told him that all the treatment would end well, only in the future he would not be able to ride a bicycle like all the other children. However, Konstantin, after being discharged from the hospital, not only began to walk and run perfectly, but also successfully mastered the bicycle! Complete restoration of leg mobility is a true miracle!

We very quickly forgot our grief and all our experiences. But what do our experiences mean in comparison with the great grace of God that was so generously poured out on us through the prayers of St. Luke?

M.T., Livadya."

3. “I came to operate on you”

“On the afternoon of January 15, 2006, completely unexpectedly, my right ear began to hurt. One of my acquaintances, who greatly reveres St. Luke, gave me a book with his life. The first thing that came to my mind was to ask the saint to help me; in my heart I believed that he was a great saint. I put a piece of cotton wool in my ear, anointed my ear with oil from the lamp, put an icon of St. Luke on top and tied my head with a scarf.

My relative Mother A. and I began to think about whether I should go to the emergency hospital or not. In the end, I decided not to go anywhere. Although I understood that I would not be able to sleep due to the unbearable pain. However, I soon fell asleep. In a dream, Archbishop Luke himself appears to me in his bishop’s vestments. In his hands he had some kind of medical instrument that looked like a long needle. A.P. stood next to him. - that friend of mine who gave me a book about St. Luke. The saint tells me.

“I am Saint Luke and I have come to operate on you. Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt you.” And then he turns to my friend and says: “Watch how I now perform the operation.”

He put the phone in my ear. I felt a kind of puncture, but there was no pain.

When I woke up in the morning, I realized that my ear did not hurt. The cotton wool in the ear was completely saturated with pus. I went to the ENT doctor Mr. A.G. for inspection. He confirmed that the eardrum had been punctured and diagnosed acute inflammation of the middle ear. “My lady,” the ENT doctor asked in conclusion, “who operated on you? The surgeon who performed the surgery is truly a supreme master.” And I answered him: “Doctor, I see on your table, you are a believer, so I’ll tell you.”

I told him about what happened at night, told him about Saint Luke and gave him a book with the life of the Saint and his icon.

The doctor agreed with me. He prescribed antibiotics and added that it was fortunate that the pus had come out, otherwise you could have lost your hearing.

A week later I went to the doctor again, and he told me that I was absolutely healthy.

S.P. Athens."

4. “I came for surgery”

“My name is Maria K. In my letter I would like to express my gratitude to Saint Luke for the miracle of my spiritual and physical healing.

In 2008, I needed to undergo gynecological surgery. The operation was to be performed at the Metaxas Hospital in the city of Piraeus. In difficult times life situations I always turned to God and the saints for help. And yet my faith was weak, I was a so-called person of little faith.

Three years ago I read a book about Saint Luke. I was literally shocked by the martyrdom of this man and his feat as a doctor. When I had to make a decision about the operation, I boldly turned to God and Saint Luke in prayer, asking for help. For the first time in my life, I completely relied on the will of God and trusted in the help of St. Luke. On the eve of the operation, I prayed to Saint Luke like this: “Saint Luke, I know that you will help me during the operation and tell the doctor how to act. You yourself are present at the operation.” For the first time, I felt like I could ask for help.

On November 11, 2008, everything was ready for the operation. When I was no longer on the operating table, my heart began to pound. An anesthesiologist and three nurses approached me. Seeing my strong anxiety, the doctor began to calm me down. At that moment, a doctor wearing a surgeon's robe entered the operating room. He sat down on the edge of my bed and began to look at me carefully. I will never forget this look in my life. I said to myself: here is a true doctor who is very worried about me and truly sympathizes with me. Suddenly I hear the anesthesiologist asking him: “Who are you? Unfortunately, I don’t know you.” The unknown doctor answered her: “I came to this girl for an operation.”

After a few minutes, the anesthesiologist asked again: “Please tell me who you are?” The answer was: “I’m going to see this girl for surgery.” Then the anesthesiologist leaned over to me and quietly asked: “Who is this? Your relative? Did you ask him to come to you for the operation?” “No,” I answered. - I do not know this person". Then the doctor spoke again: “This operation will be performed by Mr. K.V. Why are you here?” And the third time the answer was: “I came to this girl for an operation.” The doctor, unknown to us, spoke quietly and then left.

I calmed down, my heart started working normally. I remember that in the book about St. Luke the following words were quoted: “A person is always afraid before an operation, he is in a state, his heart is breaking... The doctor must not only calm the heart with drugs, but also try to relieve the patient’s fear and psychological stress...”

At that moment, I could not even imagine that St. Luke himself came into the operating room. Meanwhile, the nurses and anesthesiologist commented on this event as follows: “I was probably mistaken. Most likely, he should have gone for another operation. Why was he so confused, he didn’t know which operating room he should go to?”

My operation was successful. The doctor who operated on me, talking to my husband, said: “You know, I have done thousands of similar gynecological operations, but, I assure you, none of them passed so calmly and easily. It was as if my hands were moving on their own!”

The next day I asked to bring me a book about St. Luke. It is difficult to convey my excitement when I realized that the doctor who came into the operating room was exactly like St. Luke when he was a doctor at a hospital in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky in 1910. The help of St. Luke had more spiritual meaning for me than physical. Saint Luke literally tore out from my heart the thorn of lack of faith that long years tormented me. I realized that a miracle happens to a person only when he completely surrenders himself to God.

Very soon my husband and I went to the Sagmata monastery in Thebes to serve thanksgiving prayer Saint Luke. We were very worried. Tears kept flowing from my eyes. I couldn't say a word. And my husband was still thinking about what we should donate to the monastery in gratitude to the saint. He had the only valuable thing with him - a watch, a gift from our godfather. 19 years ago this watch cost 2 thousand dollars. The husband loved them very much and never parted with them. But he decided to leave a monetary donation. Some kind of inner voice He told him: “No, leave your watch here.” He doesn’t listen to this voice and counts out the money. He heard this voice three times, and in the end he donated his precious watch to the monastery. “As soon as I left them here,” he told me, “it seemed to me as if I had freed myself from something that strongly tied me to this thing.”

“St. Father Luke, teach us to love God as you do.”

M.K., Zakynthos island.

5. “In intensive care”

Instruments that belonged to St. Luke

At the end of June 2009, 24-year-old Elena K. from the island of Leros underwent surgery to replace a heart valve. The doctor said that after the operation the patient would be in intensive care for two days. However, after this period, the girl did not return to normal, “did not wake up.” She was in this state for 27 days.

A friend of the family, having learned about what had happened, sent the girl’s parents a book with a biography of St. Luke, the text of a prayer service to St. Luke and oil from his relics from Simferopol. The parents began to pray to Saint Luke. Two days later, the patient finally opened her eyes and began to speak. Everyone joyfully thanked the Lord and Saint Luke for their help.

Meanwhile, the nurses from the intensive care unit said the following. During the next duty, the day before the patient “awakened,” a strange doctor appeared in the department, dressed in an old-style white long robe made of thick fabric. Without saying a word, he walked past the attendants into a separate block where the patient was. The strange doctor closed the door tightly behind him and drew the curtains glass partition. After a while, he appeared at the door again, silently walked past and left the department. The nurses hurried to the patient’s block and... saw her awake and reacting absolutely adequately to those around her.

6. “When it was all over...”

My name is E.H. I am 37 years old. I am originally from Morphou. Now I live in Limassol. I work as a flight attendant and teach Italian. On June 28, 2008, Sunday morning, I woke up very early and felt slightly unwell. It turned out that I had a fever, and I decided to go to the clinic and ask for some kind of injection so that the weakness would go away. My mother and I had a trip to Andros Island planned, and we didn’t want to postpone it.

On Tuesday, June 29, I didn’t feel better, and I decided to go to the doctor again. The time for the trip was approaching. At the clinic, my mother’s doctor examined me. They did tests, but found nothing. I had a slight fever and I felt dizzy. Just in case, the doctor suggested that I go to the hospital, but I refused and asked: “Can I go to bed after our trip? I’ll arrive and then go to the hospital.”

The doctor insisted, although he did not say anything about any serious illness. Weakness and fever don't count.

The next day, June 30, Tuesday, my sister-in-law came to the hospital and gave me a small paper icon of St. Luke. I didn’t know this saint before. I put the icon under my pillow.

On Wednesday, July 1, my health condition deteriorated sharply. I had a CT scan and were convinced that I had some kind of infection in my intestines. During the examination, I saw four eyes closely watching me.

I tried to look into the faces of the people around me, but I couldn’t. After the examination, I was transferred to the intensive care unit, and I remember that I was upset that I had lost the icon of St. Luke. My daughter-in-law gave me another one, but soon the missing one was found - the icon somehow strangely stuck to my back. So I held both icons tightly in my hands.

At dawn on July 2, 2008, the infection caused complications in the lungs. And on Saturday, the doctors, who could not explain what kind of infection I had, and could not cope with the disease, but only gave me the strongest antibiotics and gave me some kind of intravenous infusions, decide to subject me to surgery. Blood poisoning (sepsis) set in so quickly that they thought I wouldn’t live until evening.

And despite all the difficulties, I felt that I would recover and, with icons in my hands, I went for the operation. I gave the icons to the anesthesiologist to pick them up after the operation. I had my gallbladder removed, although in the end it turned out there was nothing wrong with it. It's arrived coma, in which I stayed for three days. My health was so critical that everyone expected the worst. The doctors did not reassure my relatives. My infected lungs refused to breathe. But a miracle happened when they were talking about my end.

On Tuesday, Father P. came and brought with him the relics of St. Luke - a piece of his heart. As I was later told, he baptized me with relics (a piece of the saint’s heart). At that moment I opened my eyes for the first time. From that moment on, my body began to fight, and sepsis, in a completely incomprehensible way, began to recede. I was completely healed. It was incredible for the doctors. Believers said that a miracle happened. Someone tried to give this fact a scientific explanation, but this did not convince anyone.

They brought me a book to the hospital - the life of St. Luke - a doctor (my doctor - in my situation). And I thought that the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian helped him.

And only then did I understand whose eyes were looking at me intently during the tomography on July 1st. It was the feast day of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and they were Saint Luke's right hand in the operating room.

My daughter-in-law was that day in the city of Verria in the monastery. Everyone prayed for my health, and then the elder of the monastery said: “Saint Luke and Saints Cosmas and Damian will be with her.”

E.H. Limassol - Cyprus."

***

From left to right: Professor Georgiy Konstantinovich Papageorgiou, Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos), Natalya Georgievna Nikolaou, Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee Valery Vladimirovich Marchik

This is only a small part of what is happening miraculous healings. They are a confirmation not only of the holiness of Saint Luke, but also proof of the love of the Lord, who even in our time of apostasy does not leave us.

We humans are separated by distances, borders, and language. But we are united by the Church, in the bosom of the Church all differences, distances and boundaries are overcome. And they are not an obstacle to the saints, for the saints are supranational, they are above racial differences. They do not discriminate or show partiality.

I would like to end my speech with the words of another modern saint - Father Paisius, who wrote about the holy elder Father Arseny like this: “I think that the most active activity of our holy father begins right now, after his death.”

I think it is natural that he helps now more than when he lived on earth, for now he is close to the heavenly Father and, as His child, through his intercession, which he had before, he can receive Grace in abundance and go to the suffering people and help them by giving appropriate treatment.

His great deeds for the love of Christ, his love and humility, brought him great spiritual development, and today he soars with the angels and rejoices because he helps more suffering people and that the name of God is glorified.

Today our Saint is already rushing to people with his non-physical legs, when, out of breath, he tried to keep up with every sick person in order to serve a prayer service and heal him, but now he flies like an angel from one end of the world to the other and can keep up with everyone who reverently calls for his help.

Translation: N. Nikolaou

Text provided by Irina Akhundova

You have read the article. Read also.

The icon of St. Luke (Bishop of Crimea) is especially revered in the Orthodox world. Many Christian believers say warm and sincere prayers before the image of the saint. Saint Luke always hears requests addressed to him: through the prayers of believers, great miracles are performed daily - many people find deliverance from various mental and physical ailments. The relics of Luke of Crimea show various healings these days, testifying to the great spiritual power of the saint. To worship the shrine, many Christians come to Simferopol from different cities of the world.

The icon of St. Luke is intended to remind people of the life of a great man, fearlessly following in the footsteps of the Savior, who embodied the example of the Christian feat of bearing the cross of life. On the icons, Saint Luke of Voino-Yasenetsky is depicted in archbishop's vestments with his hand raised in blessing. You can also see an image of the saint sitting at a table over an open book, in the works of scientific activity, which reminds Christian believers of fragments of the saint’s biography. There are icons depicting a saint with a cross in his right hand and the Gospel in his left. Some icon painters represent St. Luke with medical instruments, recalling his life's work. The icon of St. Luke is highly revered by the people - its significance for Christian believers is very great! Like St. Nicholas, Bishop Luke became a Russian miracle worker, coming to the aid of all life’s difficulties. Nowadays, the icon of St. Luke is found in almost every home. This is primarily due to the great faith of the people in the miraculous help of the saint, who is capable of healing any illness by faith. Many Christians turn to the great saint in prayer for deliverance from various ailments.

The early years of Archbishop Luke Voino-Yasenetsky

Saint Luke, Bishop of Crimea (in the world - Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky), was born in Kerch on April 27, 1877. Since childhood, he was interested in painting, attending a drawing school, where he demonstrated considerable success. After completing the gymnasium course, the future saint entered the university at the Faculty of Law, but after a year he stopped classes, leaving the educational institution. Then he tried to study at the Munich School of Painting, however, the young man did not find his calling in this area either. Desiring with all his heart to benefit his neighbors, Valentin decided to enter the Faculty of Medicine at Kiev University. From the first years of his studies, he became interested in anatomy. Having graduated from the educational institution with honors and received the specialty of a surgeon, the future saint immediately began practical medical activity, mainly in eye surgery.

Chita

In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky went to the Far East as a volunteer. In Chita, he worked at the Red Cross hospital, where he carried out practical medical activities. Heading the surgical department, he successfully operated on wounded soldiers. Soon the young doctor met his future wife, Anna Vasilievna, who worked as a nurse at the hospital. In their marriage they had four children. From 1905 to 1910, the future saint worked in various district hospitals, where he had to conduct a wide variety of medical activities. At this time, the widespread use of general anesthesia began, but there was not enough necessary equipment and specialist anesthesiologists to perform operations under general anesthesia. Interested in alternative methods of pain relief, the young doctor discovered a new method of anesthesia for the sciatic nerve. He subsequently presented his research in the form of a dissertation, which he successfully defended.

Pereslavl-Zalessky

In 1910, the young family moved to the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, where the future Saint Luke worked in extremely difficult conditions, performing several operations daily. Soon he decided to study purulent surgery and began to actively work on writing a dissertation. In 1917, terrible upheavals began in the fatherland - political instability, widespread betrayal, the beginning of a bloody revolution. In addition, the young surgeon's wife falls ill with tuberculosis. The family moves to the city of Tashkent. Here Valentin Feliksovich holds the position of head of the surgical department of the local hospital. In 1918, Tashkent State University was opened, where the doctor teaches topographic anatomy and surgery.

Tashkent

During the civil war, the surgeon lived in Tashkent, where he devoted all his energy to healing, performing several operations every day. While working, the future saint always fervently prayed to God for help in completing the work of saving human lives. There was always an icon in the operating room, and a lamp hung in front of it. The doctor had a pious custom: before an operation, he always venerated icons, then lit a lamp, said a prayer, and only then got down to business. The doctor was distinguished by deep faith and religiosity, which led him to the decision to accept the priesthood. Health A.V. Voino-Yasenetskaya's life began to deteriorate - she died in 1918, leaving four small children in the care of her husband. After the death of his wife, the future saint began to participate even more actively in church life, visiting churches in Tashkent. In 1921, Valentin Feliksovich was ordained to the rank of deacon, and then to the rank of priest. Father Valentin became the rector of the church, in which he always very lively and diligently preached the Word of God. Many colleagues treated his religious beliefs with undisguised irony, believing that the scientific activity of a successful surgeon ended completely with his ordination. In 1923, Father Valentin took monastic vows with the new name Luke, and soon assumed the rank of bishop, which caused a stormy negative reaction from the Tashkent authorities. After some time, the saint was arrested and imprisoned. A long period of exile began.

Ten years in captivity

For two months after his arrest, the future Saint Luke of Crimea was in Tashkent prison. Then he was transported to Moscow, where a significant meeting of the saint took place with Patriarch Tikhon, imprisoned in the Donskoy Monastery. In the conversation, the Patriarch convinces Bishop Luke not to give up his medical practice. Soon the saint was summoned to the KGB Cheka building on Lubyanka, where he was subjected to brutal interrogation methods. After the verdict was pronounced, Saint Luke was sent to Butyrka prison, where he was kept in inhumane conditions for two months. Then he was transferred to Taganskaya prison (until December 1923). This was followed by a series of repressions: in the midst of a harsh winter, the saint was sent into exile in Siberia, to distant Yeniseisk. Here he was settled in the house of a local wealthy resident. The bishop was allocated a separate room in which he continued to conduct medical activities. After some time, Saint Luke received permission to operate in the Yenisei hospital. In 1924, he performed a complex and unprecedented operation to transplant a kidney from an animal to a human. As a “reward” for his work, local authorities sent a talented surgeon to the small village of Khaya, where Saint Luke continued his medical work, sterilizing instruments in a samovar. The saint did not lose heart - as a reminder of bearing the cross of life, there was always an icon next to him. Saint Luke of Crimea was again transferred to Yeniseisk the following summer. After a short prison sentence, he was again admitted to medical practice and to church service in a local monastery. The Soviet authorities tried with all their might to prevent the growing popularity of the bishop-surgeon among the common people. It was decided to exile him to Turukhansk, where there were very difficult natural and weather conditions. At the local hospital, the saint received patients and continued his surgical activities, operating with a penknife, and as a surgical suture material used the hair of patients. During this period, he served in a small monastery on the banks of the Yenisei, in the church where the relics of St. Basil of Mangazeya were located. Crowds of people came to him, finding in him a true healer of soul and body. In March 1924, the saint was again called to Turukhansk to resume his medical activities. At the end of his prison term, the bishop returned to Tashkent, where he again took on the duties of a bishop. The future Saint Luke of Crimea carried out medical activities at home, attracting not only the sick, but also many medical students.

In 1930, Saint Luke was arrested again. After his guilty verdict, the saint spent a whole year in Tashkent prison, subjected to all kinds of torture and interrogation. Saint Luke of Crimea endured difficult trials at that time. The prayer offered to the Lord daily gave him spiritual and physical strength to endure all adversities. Then it was decided to transport the bishop into exile in northern Russia. All the way to Kotlas, the accompanying convoy soldiers mocked the saint, spat in his face, mocked and mocked him. At first, Bishop Luke worked in the Makarikha transit camp, where people who became victims were serving their sentences. political repression. The conditions of the settlers were inhumane, many decided to commit suicide out of despair, people suffered from massive epidemics of various diseases, and they were not provided with any medical care. Saint Luke was soon transferred to work at the Kotlas hospital, having received permission to operate. Next, the archbishop was sent to Arkhangelsk, where he remained until 1933.

"Essays on purulent surgery"

In 1933, Luka returned to his native Tashkent, where his grown-up children were waiting for him. Until 1937, the saint was engaged in scientific activities in the field of purulent surgery. In 1934, he published a famous work entitled “Essays on Purulent Surgery,” which is still a textbook for surgeons. The saint never had time to publish many of his achievements, which was hindered by subsequent Stalin's repressions.

New persecution

In 1937, the bishop was again arrested on charges of murder, underground counter-revolutionary activities and conspiracy to destroy Stalin. Some of his colleagues, arrested with him, gave false testimony against the bishop under pressure. For thirteen days the saint was interrogated and tortured. After Bishop Luke did not sign the confession, he was again subjected to conveyor interrogation. For the next two years he was imprisoned in Tashkent, periodically subjected to aggressive interrogation. In 1939 he was sentenced to exile in Siberia. In the village of Bolshaya Murta, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the bishop worked in a local hospital, operating on numerous patients under incredibly difficult conditions. The difficult months and years, full of hardships and adversity, were worthily endured by the future saint - Bishop Luke of Crimea. The prayers he offered for his spiritual flock helped many believers in those difficult times. Soon the saint sent a telegram addressed to the Chairman of the Supreme Council asking for permission to operate on wounded soldiers. Next, the bishop was transferred to Krasnoyarsk and appointed chief physician of a military hospital, as well as a consultant to all regional military hospitals. While working at the hospital, he was constantly monitored by KGB officers, and his colleagues treated him with suspicion and distrust, which was due to his religion. He was not allowed into the hospital cafeteria, and as a result he often suffered from hunger. Some nurses, feeling sorry for the saint, secretly brought him food.

Liberation

Crimean period

Soon the saint's health seriously deteriorated, Bishop Luke began to see poorly. Church authorities appointed him Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea. In Crimea, the bishop continues his busy life. Work is underway to restore the churches; Luka receives patients for free every day. In 1956 the saint became completely blind. Despite such a serious illness, he selflessly worked for the good of the Church of Christ. On June 11, 1961, Saint Luke, Bishop of Crimea, peacefully departed to the Lord on the Day of the Feast of All Saints. On March 20, 1996, the holy relics of Luke of Crimea were solemnly transferred to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Simferopol. Nowadays, they are especially revered by the inhabitants of Crimea, as well as by all Orthodox Christians who ask for help from the great saint.

Icon "St. Luke of Crimea"

During his lifetime, many Christian believers who were personally acquainted with this great man felt his holiness, which was expressed in genuine kindness and sincerity. Luke lived a hard life, full of labor, hardship and adversity. Even after the saint’s repose, many people continued to feel his invisible support. Since the archbishop's canonization as an Orthodox saint in 1995, the icon of St. Luke has continually shown various miracles of healing from mental and physical illnesses. Many Orthodox Christians rush to Simferopol to venerate the great Christian treasure - the relics of St. Luke of Crimea. The icon of St. Luke helps many sick people. The importance of her spiritual power is difficult to overestimate. Some believers received help from the saint instantly, which confirms his great intercession before God for people.

Miracles of Luka Krymsky

Nowadays, through the sincere prayers of believers, the Lord sends healings from many diseases thanks to the intercession of St. Luke. Real cases of incredible deliverances from various diseases that occurred thanks to prayer to the saint are known and recorded. The relics of Luke of Crimea exude great miracles. In addition to deliverance from bodily ailments, the saint also helps in the spiritual struggle against various sinful inclinations. Some believing surgeons, deeply revering their great colleague, following the example of the saint, always pray before surgery, which helps to successfully operate even on complex patients. According to their deep conviction, Saint Luke of Crimea helps. Prayer addressed to him from the heart helps solve even the most difficult problems. Saint Luke miraculously helped some students to enter a medical university, thus their cherished dream came true - to devote their lives to treating people. In addition to numerous healings from illnesses, Saint Luke helps lost, unbelieving people find faith, being a spiritual mentor and praying for human souls.

Relics

When Luke's grave was opened, the incorruption of his remains was noted. In 2002, Greek clergy presented the Trinity Monastery with a silver shrine for the relics of the archbishop, in which they still rest today. The holy relics of Luke of Crimea, thanks to the prayers of believers, exude many miracles and healings. People come to the temple all the time to venerate them. After Bishop Luke was glorified as a saint, his remains were transferred to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in the city of Simferopol. Pilgrims often also call this temple: “Church of St. Luke.” However, this wonderful one is called Holy Trinity. The cathedral is located at the address: Simferopol, st. Odesskaya, 12.

Memory 29 May / 11 June

From a book published by the Sretensky Monastery publishing house.

Saint Luke (in the world Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky) was born in 1877 in the city of Kerch, Crimea, into a noble family of Polish origin. Since childhood, he was interested in painting and decided to enter the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. However, during the entrance exams, he was overcome by doubt, and he decided that he did not have the right to do what he liked, but that he needed to work to alleviate the suffering of his neighbor. Thus, having read the words of the Savior about the laborers of the harvest (see: Matt. 9:37), he accepted the call to serve the people of God.

Valentin decided to devote himself to medicine and entered the medical faculty of Kyiv University. The artist's talent helped him in scrupulous anatomical studies. He completed his studies brilliantly (1903) on the eve of the Russian-Japanese War, and his career as a doctor began in a hospital in the city of Chita. There he met and married a sister of mercy, and they had four children. Then he was transferred to the hospital in the city of Ardatov, Simbirsk province, and later to Upper Lyubazh, Kursk province.

Working in hospitals and seeing the consequences that occur with general anesthesia, he came to the conclusion that in most cases it must be replaced with local anesthesia. Despite the meager equipment in hospitals, he successfully performed a large number of surgical operations, which attracted patients from neighboring counties to him. He continued to work as a surgeon in the village of Romanovka, Saratov region, and then was appointed chief physician of a 50-bed hospital in Pereslavl-Zalessky. There he still operated a lot, continuing to conduct scientific research.

In 1916, in Moscow, Valentin Feliksovich successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic of local anesthesia and began working on a large monograph on purulent surgery. In 1917, when the roars of revolution thundered in big cities, he was appointed chief physician of the Tashkent city hospital and settled with his family in this city. Soon his wife died of tuberculosis. While caring for a dying woman, the idea came to his mind to ask his operating sister to take on the responsibility of raising the children. She agreed, and Dr. Valentin was able to continue his activities both at the hospital and at the university, where he taught courses in anatomy and surgery.

He often took part in debates on spiritual topics, where he spoke out refuting the theses of scientific atheism. At the end of one of these meetings, at which he spoke for a long time and with inspiration, Bishop Innocent took him aside and said: “Doctor, you need to be a priest.” Although Valentin never thought about the priesthood, he immediately accepted the hierarch’s offer. On the following Sunday he was ordained a deacon, and a week later he was elevated to the rank of priest.

He worked simultaneously as a doctor, as a professor and as a priest, serving in the cathedral only on Sundays and coming to classes in a cassock. He did not perform many services and sacraments, but he was zealous in preaching, and supplemented his instructions with spiritual conversations on pressing topics. For two years in a row, he participated in public disputes with a renounced priest, who became the leader of anti-religious propaganda in the region and subsequently died a miserable death.

In 1923, when the so-called “Living Church” provoked a renovationist schism, bringing discord and confusion into the bosom of the Church, the Bishop of Tashkent was forced to go into hiding, entrusting the management of the diocese to Father Valentin and another protopresbyter. The exiled Bishop Andrei of Ufa (Prince Ukhtomsky), while passing through the city, approved the election of Father Valentin to the episcopate, carried out by a council of clergy who remained faithful to the Church. Then the same bishop tonsured Valentin in his room as a monk with the name Luke and sent him to a small town near Samarkand. Two exiled bishops lived here, and Saint Luke was consecrated in the strictest secrecy (May 18, 1923). A week and a half after returning to Tashkent and after his first liturgy, he was arrested by the security authorities (GPU), accused of counter-revolutionary activities and espionage for England and sentenced to two years of exile in Siberia, in the Turukhansk region.

The path to exile took place in horrific conditions, but the holy doctor performed more than one surgical operation, saving the sufferers he met along the way from certain death. While in exile, he also worked in a hospital and performed many complex operations. He used to bless the sick and pray before surgery. When representatives of the GPU tried to prohibit him from doing this, they were met with a firm refusal from the bishop. Then Saint Luke was summoned to the state security department, given half an hour to get ready, and sent in a sleigh to the shore Arctic Ocean. There he wintered in coastal settlements.

At the beginning of Lent he was recalled to Turukhansk. The doctor returned to work at the hospital, since after his expulsion she lost her only surgeon, which caused grumbling from the local population. In 1926 he was released and returned to Tashkent.

The following autumn, Metropolitan Sergius appointed him first to Rylsk of the Kursk diocese, then to Yelets of the Oryol diocese as a suffragan bishop and, finally, to the Izhevsk see. However, on the advice of Metropolitan Arseny of Novgorod, Bishop Luke refused and asked to retire - a decision that he would bitterly regret later.

For about three years he quietly continued his activities. In 1930, his colleague at the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Mikhailovsky, having lost his mind after the death of his son, decided to revive him with a blood transfusion, and then committed suicide. At the widow’s request and taking into account the professor’s mental illness, Bishop Luke signed permission to bury him according to church rites. The communist authorities took advantage of this situation and accused the bishop of complicity in the murder of the professor. In their opinion, the ruler, out of religious fanaticism, prevented Mikhailovsky from resurrecting the deceased with the help of materialistic science.

Bishop Luke was arrested shortly before the destruction of the Church of St. Sergius, where he preached. He was subjected to continuous interrogations, after which he was taken to a stuffy punishment cell, which undermined his already fragile health. Protesting against the inhumane conditions of detention, Saint Luke began a hunger strike. Then the investigator gave his word that he would release him if he stopped the hunger strike. However, he did not keep his word, and the bishop was sentenced to a new three-year exile.

Again a journey in appalling conditions, after which work in a hospital in Kotlas and Arkhangelsk from 1931 to 1933. When Vladyka was diagnosed with a tumor, he went to Leningrad for surgery. There, one day during a church service, he experienced a stunning spiritual revelation that reminded him of the beginning of his church ministry. Then the bishop was transferred to Moscow for new interrogations and interesting offers regarding scientific research, but on the condition of renunciation, to which Saint Luke responded with a firm refusal.

Released in 1933, he refused the offer to head a vacant episcopal see, wanting to devote himself to continuing scientific research. He returned to Tashkent, where he was able to work in a small hospital. In 1934, his work “Essays on Purulent Surgery” was published, which soon became a classic of medical literature.

While working in Tashkent, the bishop fell ill with a tropical disease, which led to retinal detachment. Nevertheless, he continued his medical practice until 1937. The brutal repressions carried out by Stalin not only against right-wing oppositionists and religious leaders, but also against communist leaders of the first wave, filled the concentration camps with millions of people. Saint Luke was arrested along with the Archbishop of Tashkent and other priests who remained faithful to the Church and were accused of creating a counter-revolutionary church organization.

The saint was interrogated by a “conveyor belt”, when for 13 days and nights in the blinding light of lamps, investigators, taking turns, continuously interrogated him, forcing him to incriminate himself. When the bishop began a new hunger strike, he, exhausted, was sent to the state security dungeons. After new interrogations and torture, which exhausted his strength and brought him to a state where he could no longer control himself, Saint Luke signed with a trembling hand that he admitted his participation in the anti-Soviet conspiracy.

So in 1940, he was sent into exile for the third time, to Siberia, to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where, after numerous petitions and refusals, he was able to obtain permission to work as a surgeon and even continue scientific research in Tomsk. When the invasion of Hitler's troops took place and the war began (1941), which cost millions of victims, St. Luke was appointed chief surgeon of the Krasnoyarsk hospital, as well as responsible for all military hospitals in the region. At the same time, he served as a bishop in the diocese of the region, where, as the communists proudly reported, there was not a single functioning church left.

Metropolitan Sergius elevated him to the rank of archbishop. In this rank, he took part in the Council of 1943, at which Metropolitan Sergius was elected patriarch, and Saint Luke himself became a member of the permanent Synod.

Since religious persecution had eased somewhat during the war, he embarked on an extensive program of reviving religious life, devoting himself with renewed energy to preaching. When the Krasnoyarsk hospital was transferred to Tambov (1944), he settled in this city and governed the diocese, while at the same time working on the publication of various medical and theological works, in particular an apology for Christianity against scientific atheism, entitled “Spirit, Soul and Body.” In this work, the saint defends the principles of Christian anthropology with solid scientific arguments.

In February 1945, for his archpastoral activities, Saint Luke was awarded the right to wear a cross on his hood. For patriotism, he was awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”

A year later, Archbishop Luka of Tambov and Michurinsky became a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree for scientific development new surgical methods treatment of purulent diseases and wounds, set out in the scientific works “Essays on purulent surgery” and “Late resections for infected gunshot wounds of joints”.

In 1946 he was transferred to Crimea and appointed Archbishop of Simferopol. In Crimea, he was forced, first of all, to fight the morals of the local clergy. He taught that the priest's heart must become fire, emitting light The Gospel and love for the Cross, be it a word or your own example. Due to heart disease, Saint Luke was forced to stop operating, but continued to give free consultations and assist local doctors with advice. Through his prayers, many miraculous healings occurred.

In 1956 he became completely blind, but continued to serve from memory. Divine Liturgy, preach and lead the diocese. He courageously opposed the closure of churches and various forms persecution from the authorities.

Under the weight of his life, having fulfilled the work of witnessing to the Lord, Crucified in the name of our salvation, Bishop Luke rested peacefully on May 29, 1961. His funeral was attended by the entire clergy of the diocese and a huge crowd of people, and the grave of St. Luke soon became a place of pilgrimage, where numerous healings are performed to this day.

Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra,
adapted Russian translation - Sretensky Monastery Publishing House

Sections