What time did the Holy Fire descend? If the Holy Fire does not descend, then what will happen? Reasons to see the Holy Fire

Holy Fire- one of the strongest symbols of faith and confirmation of its truth among Orthodox Christians. Once again, he descended from heaven last Saturday in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (erected in the 4th century by order of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena on the spot where Christ’s earthly journey was completed) on the eve of the Great Feast of Orthodox Easter.

The Descent of the Holy Fire is proof of the truth of the Orthodox Faith.

The Holy Fire descends only on Orthodox Easter and only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch. There was an experience of achieving the convergence of fire in 1101 and in 1578, when the Turks controlled Jerusalem. All attempts did not lead to results.

The Lord revealed His will to people: the fire did not descend into Kulukvia, in which the Armenian patriarch was intensely praying at that time, but descended on one of the outer columns of the temple, at which the Jerusalem patriarch prayed together with the believers - the column cracked in this place, and this crack can be see now.

After such a phenomenon, the Latins and Armenians were forced to come to an agreement with the Orthodox and recognized that God has the will to give the Holy Fire only into the hands of a minister of the Orthodox Church. It is known that for the fire to appear, there is one more condition - local Orthodox Arabs must appear in the Holy Sepulcher Church with songs and dances, offering prayers to the Mother of God and Christ in Arabic.

Holy Fire: miracle or man-made reality?

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the power and nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far the attempts have not been crowned with success. Believers accept fire as God's highest grace, without questioning its divine nature in the slightest. Skeptics and atheists carefully try to explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view, and I think this is also normal.

Let's try to understand the mystery and nature of the descent of the Holy Fire.

How to prepare for receiving the Holy Fire

It is not the first millennium that the Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, subject to several other conditions.

The first mentions of this phenomenon date back to the 4th century, they are found among church historians.

A vivid description, full of the depth of experienced feelings, is given in his book “I Saw the Holy Fire” by Archimandrite Savva Achilleos, who was the chief novice at the Holy Sepulcher for more than 50 years. Here is a fragment of a book about how the Holy Fire descends:

“….the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of the dead silence, I heard some kind of tremulous, subtle rustling. It was like a subtle breath of wind. And immediately after that I saw a blue light that filled the entire internal space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw how this light was spinning, like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this Blessed light I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Large tears flowed down his cheeks...

... the blue light again came into a state of movement. Then it suddenly became white... Soon the light acquired a rounded shape and stood motionless in the form of a halo above the Patriarch’s head. 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 the Holy Fire, slowly extending his hands to the sky. He barely had time to raise them to the level of his head when suddenly all four bundles lit up in his hands, as if they were brought closer to a blazing furnace. At that same second, the halo of light above his head disappeared. From the joy that overwhelmed me, tears flowed from my eyes...”

Information taken from the site https://www.rusvera.mrezha.ru/633/9.htm

Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, preparation for the descent

The ceremony of preparation for the descent of the Fire begins almost a day before the start of Orthodox Easter. These days, not only Orthodox believers, but also other Christians, Muslims, and atheist tourists rush to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which can accommodate 10 thousand people. Representatives of the Jewish police are also present here, vigilantly monitoring not only order, but also ensuring that no one brings fire or devices that cause it into the temple.

Then an unlit lamp with oil is placed on the center of the bed of the Holy Sepulcher, and a bunch of candles in the amount of 33 pieces is also placed here - the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. Pieces of cotton wool are placed around the perimeter of the bed, and tape is attached to the edges. Everything is done under the strict supervision of the Jewish police and Muslim representatives.

It is important that the phenomenon of the descent of Fire is ensured by the obligatory presence in the temple three groups of participants:

Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Hegumen and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, making themselves known by noisily unconventional singing of prayers in Arabic .

The festive procession is closed by the Orthodox Patriarch, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and clergy, who go around the holiest places of the temple, going around the Kuvuklia (chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from his vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that could cause fire, and enters the Edicule.

After which the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim key keeper.

From this moment those present are waiting for the Patriarch to emerge with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence is different every year: from several minutes to several hours.

The moment of expectation is one of the most powerful in faith: believers know that if the Fire is not sent from above, the temple will be destroyed. Therefore, parishioners take communion and pray earnestly, asking to be granted the Holy Fire. Prayers and rituals continue until the appearance of the Holy Fire.

How the Holy Fire descends

This is roughly how the atmosphere of waiting for the Holy Fire is described by people present in the temple at different times. The phenomenon of convergence is accompanied by the appearance in the temple of small bright flashes, discharges, flashes here and there...

When filming with a slow-motion camera, the lights are especially clearly visible near the icon located above the Edicule, in the area of the Temple dome, near the windows.

A moment later, the entire temple is illuminated by glare, lightning, and then... the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with that very Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individual people spontaneously ignite.

An incredible atmosphere of joy, delight and happiness fills the entire space; it truly becomes an energetically unique place!

At first, Fire has amazing properties - it doesn’t burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, and pour it on themselves. There are no cases of clothing, hair or other items catching fire. The fire temperature is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of healing of illnesses and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Holy Dew, will remain on human clothes forever, even after washing.

And subsequently, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire, although there are cases in areas near the temple of their spontaneous combustion. Fire is delivered by air to Cyprus and Greece, and so on all over the world, including Russia. In areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own.

There were fears that the Fire would not go down this year due to the fact that archaeologists in the fall of 2016, for scientific purposes, opened the tomb with the Holy Sepulcher, in which, according to legend, the body of Jesus Christ rested after the crucifixion. The fears were in vain.

Video about the descent of Fire in Jerusalem.

Scientific explanation of the Holy Fire

How does science explain the nature of Holy Fire? No way! There is no scientifically proven evidence of this phenomenon. Just as there are no scientific interpretations of all things that happen according to the will of God. We must accept the fact of Fire as a divine essence.

Attempts to somehow explain the nature of this phenomenon are rather revealing in nature, as is usually the case, the desire to convict the Church of insincerity, deception, and concealment of the truth.

But in fact, why does the Fire descend only among Orthodox Christians? Well, there is only one God, are there only different faiths? And why does the day of celebrating Orthodox Easter fall on different dates on the calendar every year, but the fire descends at the right time? By the way, in the past, its convergence was observed at night with the onset of Holy Saturday before Easter, now it happens during the day, closer to noon.

The Holy Fire is a myth

What arguments do skeptics give when exposing the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, thereby trying to dispel the myths about the divine nature of fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

Fire at the right moment is obtained from essential oils, pre-sprayed into the atmosphere of the temple and capable of self-ignition.
The candles that are given out in the temple shop are impregnated with a special composition that saturates the atmosphere of the temple, causing those very flashes and spontaneous combustion of the candles.

But other candles were also lit, which passionate skeptics brought with them to the temple.

Some substances, for example, white phosphorus, have spontaneous combustion. Concentrated sulfuric acid, when combined with manganese, ignites spontaneously, but the flame does not burn. The fire does not burn for some time when ethers burn. But only the first moments.

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

Here's another recipe for self-ignition:

“... they hang lamps in the altar and arrange a trick so that the fire reaches them through the oil of balsam tree and devices made from it, and its property is the appearance of fire when combined with jasmine oil. Fire has a bright light and a brilliant radiance.”

The phenomenon of fire can be explained as the result of the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper layers of the atmosphere, through magnetic field Earth.

But why here and at this time? Unconvincing!

Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? The land of Jerusalem is very old, in addition, the temple is located in a unique place, on ancient tectonic plates.

Perhaps this fact contributes to the phenomenon.

Or maybe the believers themselves, gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their energy of excitement, the special state of the nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, are able to generate energy flows, which are already abundant in places of pilgrimage.
The Catholic Church does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire.
In 2008, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem’s interview with Russian journalists caused a lot of noise, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without placing any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

Professor Pavel Florensky in 2008 carried out measurements and recorded three flash-discharges, akin to those that happen during a thunderstorm, and thereby confirmed the special atmosphere during the appearance of Fire, that is, simply its Divine origin.

Literally a year ago, in 2016, Russian physicist, employee of the Russian Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Andrei Volkov managed to bring equipment with him to the temple for the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and take measurements electromagnetic field indoors. Here's what the physicist himself says:

– During 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.

– 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, this inexplicable burst of energy can be called a message from God?

– Many believers think so. This is the materialization of a Divine miracle. You can't find another word.

I think there are other attempts to explain the mystery of the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire. But whether God’s plan can be squeezed into mathematical formulas is a question.

Conclusion

After analyzing the facts listed above, everyone will decide for themselves: a miraculous sacrament or a man-made process with the participation of people is the Holy Fire. The truth of faith does not need proof! For others, miracles do not exist and everything that happens around us must be subject to the laws of science.

However, just decades ago people did not believe in special properties , and water on the day of July 7th of Ivan Kupala. Today, the facts that water on these days (nights) changes its structure, becoming “holy water”, are no longer in doubt either among skeptics or science.

And, you see, is it really so important how and where the fire appears on the eve of Orthodox Easter? FAITH in its amazing power and FAITH in general is much more important. Do you remember?:

“All people believe. Some believe that there is a God, others believe that there is no God. Both are not provable!”

Are you drawn to the mysteries of the world? Take a look at the blog section of the same name, read about and other articles in the section.

P.S. After a long time, a reader left this comment. He sheds light on the mystery of the Holy Fire:

The descent of the Holy Fire is the result of the religious power of faith. This mental energy is plasma in nature. Directed at one (one year) time and place causes inflammation.
Aimed at time (2000 years), at the symbol - the cross, through Jesus Christ, Christian faith causes the birth of a new Sun.
Since 621, the Islamic faith gives birth to a new young Month with its faith. The symbol is the Kaaba stone.
This is how Universes, planets, comets, meteorites and other space objects are born, over millions and billions of years, to replace those that pass away.
Comets, meteorites and other small cosmic bodies are born by various religious sects, burning in the atmosphere they bring benefits in the form of its purification or replenishment of the mass of the Earth and other planets. This is the diagram. Read more in the books of the author V.G. Grozov. If you didn’t know this, if it’s not in the media, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Therefore, as the Bible says: “Let cry, and anger, and rage be put away from you.”
Sincerely. Vladimir Bocharov. Sochi, Adler.

MOSCOW, April 15 – RIA Novosti. The delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation (FAP), which received the Holy Fire in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, delivered the shrine to Moscow.

At the Vnukovo-1 international airport, a plane with the Holy Fire was met by hundreds of believers. They were able to receive particles of the Holy Fire to bring it to their homes and temples. The shrine was brought on a special flight in special lamps.

The Holy Fire is sent to thousands of churches in Russia, near and far abroad. During Bright Week (the first week after Easter), those who wish will be able to receive the Holy Fire at the office of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation in Moscow. To do this, you need to come with your lamp to the address: Pokrovka Street, building 42, building 5 (from 9.00 to 18.00).

The Holy Fire symbolizes the miraculous light of the Resurrection of Christ. Every year on the eve of Easter, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, other representatives of the Orthodox clergy and tens of thousands of pilgrims pray for his descent in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Annual miracle

The appearance of the shrine, which annually lights up on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the Edicule - the chapel over the Holy Sepulcher in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of Christ, despite its regularity, is called the "miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire." According to legend, if the fire does not go down, it will become a sign that the end of the world is approaching, and the people in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher will die.

Pilgrims come to the Old City from early morning. Believers go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with lamps and "Easter" - bunches of 33 candles, according to the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. The main temple of Christians is divided between several denominations, so everyone tries to take a place in accordance with this order. Greeks and Copts are usually the first to enter the temple. A special moment of the ceremony is the entrance to the Orthodox Arab temple. They walk through the temple with drums and loud shouts praising Christ. It is believed that without this ritual the Holy Fire will not descend.

The elders of the Orthodox Arab youth, sitting on each other’s shoulders, animatedly gesticulate and chant: “There is no faith except the Orthodox faith! Christ is the true God!” They ask the Lord to grant the believers the Holy Fire.

Inside the temple there are solemn processions of the clergy, including Armenian, Coptic, and Syrian. They are traditionally accompanied by kavvas - guards in Turkish uniforms who have been hired since ancient times to guard Christian celebrations. Moving through the crowd, the kavwas knock their staves on the stone slabs of the temple.

At noon, the procession to the Holy Sepulcher begins from the Jerusalem Patriarchate, which ends before the entrance to the Edicule. A large lamp is brought into it, in which the fire should ignite, and 33 candles.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem traditionally enters the Edicule wearing only a linen cassock - so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches or anything else into the cave with which fire can be made. Then the entrance to the chapel is sealed

In 2017, a litany - a prayer ceremony - of the Holy Fire took place in the renewed Edicule. The chapel was restored for about a year. For the first time in 500 years, the marble slab covering Christ's burial bed was removed and studied. The opening of the tomb outraged some believers, who were concerned that the Holy Fire might not descend after this. However, their fears were not justified.

After the descent of the Holy Fire, Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem handed it over to those gathered in the temple. The believers standing in the front rows lit their candles, the fire was passed from one person to another with lightning speed. Many washed themselves with the Holy Fire, which in the first minutes after the descent has an amazing property - it does not burn.

For two thousand years, Christians who celebrate their main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, have witnessed the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an architectural complex that includes Golgotha with the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which is located the Edicule ("royal bedchamber") - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - Cathedral Temple of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, underground Temple of the Finding Life-giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen of the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars.

The earliest mentions of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found among the holy fathers Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Silvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. According to the testimony of the apostles and holy fathers, the Divine Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ; The first witness to the miracle was the Apostle Peter.

One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.

At about 1 p.m., the litany itself begins (in Greek, “prayer procession”) of the Holy Fire. In front of the procession are the banner bearers with 12 banners, behind them are young men, a crusader cleric, at the end of the procession is Orthodox Patriarch one of the local Orthodox churches(Jerusalem or Constantinople) accompanied by the Armenian patriarch and clergy.

During the procession of the cross, the procession passes all the memorable places in the temple: the sacred grove where Jesus was betrayed, the place where Christ was beaten by Roman legionnaires, Golgotha, where he was crucified, the Stone of Anointing, on which the body of Jesus Christ was prepared for burial. Then the procession approaches the Edicule and circles it three times. After this, the Orthodox patriarch stops just before the entrance to the Edicule, he is unmasked - they take off his festive vestments, leaving him in only a white linen vestment (a long liturgical robe with narrow sleeves reaching to his toes), so that it can be seen that he is not bringing anything with him into the Savior’s burial cave , which could start a fire.
Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should burn - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

At this time, the lights in the temple turn off and tense anticipation sets in. All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. The prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle occurs. Over the years, the wait lasted from five minutes to several hours.

According to eyewitnesses, after the patriarch entered the Edicule, first occasionally, and then more and more, the entire air space of the temple was pierced by flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. Little lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly visible that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging above the Edicule, from the dome of the temple, from the windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb. At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.

Sometimes, according to eyewitnesses, lamps and candles in the hands of worshipers light up by themselves. Most people hold several candles in their hands (to then take them to their churches and distribute them to loved ones). Each of them is like a torch, so that soon the entire temple begins to literally shine with fire.

Later, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire. Fire is delivered on special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it is distributed throughout the world. Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring the Holy Fire to Russia.

The Holy Fire descends once a year in Jerusalem on Orthodox Easter. The descent takes place on Holy Saturday (April 15, 2017) in Kuvuklia, in the chapel inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. For two thousand years now, Christians who celebrate their main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, have witnessed the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.

Conversations about inexplicable things in the courtyard of this Temple, where all roads lead, are commonplace. It is on its territory that the main Christian shrines are concentrated - the place of execution, burial and resurrection of the Savior.

According to legend, the annual mysterious ignition of fire in the Holy Land is a sign of God’s mercy, which notifies the Lord’s care and gives believers hope that God will prolong the existence of the world for another year. In different years, the wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

The prayer of tens of thousands of Christians for the descent of the Holy Fire will take place on the pre-Easter Holy Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Holy Fire is considered a symbol of God's blessing to the human race. It is carried by pilgrims throughout Orthodox world. The fire will be delivered to Russia by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, which in 2017 included the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

Descent of the Holy Fire in 2017 date time where to watch

The descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will be broadcast on television. The NTV channel will show this great miracle live on Russian TV. In accordance with the TV program, the live broadcast of the descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will begin on NTV at 13:15 Moscow time.

The convergence of the Holy Fire will be broadcast on Ukrainian television by Inter TV channel, the broadcast will begin at 12:45 (local time).

Descent of the Holy Fire 2017 live broadcast watch online

When will the Holy Fire 2017 arrive in Russia?

The delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation will deliver the holy fire to Russia in special lamps, made according to the “Olympic” model, on a special flight from Jerusalem to Moscow. Everyone will be able to receive a particle of the Holy Fire right at the Vnukovo-1 airport, where the plane from the Holy Land will land presumably at 22.00 Moscow time. The Holy Fire will be brought to many cities in Russia, as well as to Russian parishes abroad.

During Bright Week (the first week after Easter), the Holy Fire can be received at the foundation’s office in Moscow at Pokrovka building 42, building 5 (from 9.00 to 18.00). Those interested must have their own lamps.

The Descent of the Holy Fire - how it happens

In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Holy Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 hours Jerusalem time.

Approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, a church ceremony begins. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since Good Friday; many stay here immediately after the procession of the Cross, which takes place in memory of the events of that day. By ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished. A lamp filled with oil, but without fire, is placed in the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and tape is laid along the edges.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the site where the Tomb of Jesus Christ was. This is where the Holy Fire appears. In a crowd of pilgrims, it is difficult to calculate the distance from Golgotha to the last bedchamber of Christ, but it is 33 steps, which is equal to the years of Jesus’ earthly life.

Moreover, each believer has 33 candles. Those who did not take care of them in advance are forced to buy them directly in the temple from the monks at three times the price.

In turn, the guards check the chapel, lock the door and put a seal, which means there is no source of fire inside.

Meanwhile, young Arab Christians sitting on each other's shoulders loudly stir up emotions in the crowd. According to legend, in the year when Arab youth were forbidden to misbehave in the temple, the fire lingered for several days. So, young Arabs can now do whatever they want in the temple.

According to tradition, two clergymen enter the chapel. The hierarchs remain in very simple clothes without belts. This is due to the fact that when the Holy Land belonged to the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish guards could not believe in the miracle of Fire; they carefully checked the belts so that matches would not be hidden there. Now the inspection function has been inherited by Israeli policemen, who, moreover, take care that representatives of two competing faiths do not start to sort things out.

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should burn - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

The carrying out of the Easter fire symbolizes the exit from the Tomb of the “True Light,” that is, the risen Jesus Christ. After the service, light appears inside the Edicule (Chapel over the Holy Sepulcher), and bells ring in the temple. Burning bunches of candles appear from the windows of the Edicule, served by the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian Archimandrite. The walkers light the fire from their candles, after which the fire quickly spreads throughout the temple.

Pilgrims leave notes with best wishes. When the fire subsides, it leaves no burns in the first few seconds.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an architectural complex that includes Calvary with the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which the Edicule ("royal bedchamber") is located - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - the cathedral Church of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen Equal to the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars. On the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there are several active monasteries; it includes many auxiliary rooms, galleries, etc.

Although according to many, both ancient and modern testimonies, appearances of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, the most famous and impressive is the miraculous convergence

The Holy Fire on the eve of the Orthodox holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, on Holy Saturday. Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts, etc.), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.

In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Holy Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 hours Jerusalem time.

Then the procedure for checking the Edicule for the presence of fire sources takes place, after which the entrance to the Edicule is closed by the local key holder (Muslim) and sealed with a large wax seal, on which the representatives of the Jerusalem mayor's office, the Israeli police, etc., who carried out the inspection, put their personal seals.

Both historical and modern practice indicate that during the descent of Fire there are three groups of participants. First of all, the Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing. Mandatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot and the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. The third group of obligatory participants are local Orthodox Arabs. 20-30 minutes after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth, shouting, stomping, drumming, riding on top of each other, rush into the temple and begin to sing and dance. Their exclamations and songs represent ancient prayers in Arabic for the sending of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.

At about 1 p.m., the litany itself begins (in Greek, “prayer procession”) of the Holy Fire. In front of the procession are banner bearers with 12 banners, behind them are young men, a crusader cleric, 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 clergy.

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings into the cave a large lamp in which the main fire and 33 candles should light up - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, first occasionally, and then more and more, the entire air space of the temple is pierced by flashes of light and flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. Little lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly visible that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging above the Edicule, from the dome of the temple, from the windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb. At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.

Sometimes, according to eyewitnesses, lamps and candles are in the hands of those praying. Most people hold several candles in their hands (to then take them to their churches and distribute them to loved ones). Each of them is like a torch, so that soon the entire temple begins to literally shine with fire.

In 2016, on a special flight in special lamps from Jerusalem, the Holy Fire was carried by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation (FAP).

In 2017, the Holy Fire was also part of the annual program “Ask for Peace in Jerusalem.”

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.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources