The Church remembers the Holy Martyr Clement, the Pope

More great content, memes, commenting and community not available on this site.

We are also on Facebook and Instagram which have been designated terrorist organizations by the Russian government.

The Holy Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was born in Rome into a rich and noble family. Separated from his parents since childhood by force of circumstances, Clement was raised by strangers. While living in Rome, the young man received an excellent education, was surrounded by luxury, and was close to the imperial court. But he was not pleased with the joys, pagan wisdom did not captivate him. He began to think about the meaning of life. When news of Christ and His teachings reached the capital, Saint Clement left his house and estate and went to the lands where the apostles preached.
In Alexandria, Clement met the holy Apostle Barnabas, whose words he listened to with deep attention, perceiving with all his heart the power and truth of the Word of God. Arriving in Palestine, Saint Clement was baptized by the Holy Apostle Peter and became his zealous disciple and constant companion, sharing with him his labors and sufferings. The Holy Apostle Peter, shortly before his sufferings, ordained Saint Clement as bishop of the city of Rome. After the death of the apostle, followed by St. Linus, Bishop of Rome (67-79), and his successor, St. Bishop Anacletus (79-91), St. Clement was in the Roman see (from 92 to 101).
The virtuous life, mercy and prayerful feat of St. Clement converted many to Christ. So, one day on Easter day, 424 people were baptized by him at once. Among the baptized were people of all classes: slaves, rulers, members of the imperial family.
The pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, denounced St. Clement to Emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of blaspheming the pagan gods. The emperor expelled Saint Clement from the capital, sending him to the Crimea to work in the Inkerman quarries near the city of Chersonesos. Many of the saint's disciples followed him, preferring voluntary exile to separation from their spiritual father. Arriving at the place of exile, St. Clement met many Christian believers who were condemned to work in difficult conditions, completely without water. He prayed with the condemned, and the Lord in the form of a Lamb showed him the place of the spring from which the whole river poured out. This miracle attracted many people to St. Clement. Listening to the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans turned to Christ. 500 or more people were baptized every day. And there, in the quarries, a temple was cut down in which he officiated.
The apostolic activity of the saint aroused the anger of Emperor Trajan, and he ordered the drowning of Saint Clement. The martyr was thrown into the sea with an anchor around his neck. This happened in 101.
Through the prayers of the faithful disciples of the saint, Cornelius and Thebes, and all the people, the sea departed, and people found the incorruptible body of their pastor at the bottom of the uncreated temple ("Angelic Church"). After that, every year on the day of St. Clement's martyrdom, the sea receded and for seven days Christians could worship his holy relics. Only in the 9th century, during the reign of the Constantinople Emperor Nikephoros (802 - 811), by God's permission, the relics of St. Clement became inaccessible for worship for 50 years. During the reign of Emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius visited Chersonesos. Upon learning about the hidden relics of St. Clement, they prompted Bishop George of Chersonesos to pray to the Lord for the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr. After the conciliar service of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the clergy who arrived with them from Constantinople and the fervent prayer of all those gathered on the surface of the sea, the holy relics of Bishop Clement miraculously appeared at midnight. They were solemnly transferred to the city to the Church of the Holy Apostles. Some of the relics were brought by Saints Cyril and Methodius to Rome, and the holy head was subsequently brought to Kiev by the Holy Prince Vladimir (+ 1015) and laid in the Tithe Church together with the relics of St. Thebes, where a chapel was built in the name of St. Clement. The memory of the holy martyr is revered in Russia. Since ancient times, many temples have been dedicated to him.
St. Clement, who is referred to as an apostolic man, left us a spiritual legacy - two epistles to the Corinthians - the first written monuments of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles. (They are published in Russian translation in the Writings of the Apostolic Men.)

More great content, memes, commenting and community not available on this site.

We are also on Facebook and Instagram which have been designated terrorist organizations by the Russian government.