The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-05
RUSSIANS woRsHIPAN NEW SAINT
als Romans Said to Be Incorruptibls and
Revcrcnced by tho Orthodox.

| aIs Remains Said to Be IncoFruptible and
Revcrenced by tho Orthodox.
What orthodox Russians regard as .
great event, and ono which must have
curious interest for Frcnchmen, has
Just taken place at Chernigoff, a town Of
about SO, 900 inhabitants in south Rus.
ia. 1t is described by the Moscow cor
respondent of the London Standard as
athe officially sanctioned invention Of
the incorruptible remains of Arch
bishop Theodosius,' who died 200 years
ago"
The Russian Greek church, he says,
recognizes, in addition to the various
forms of relics familiar to the Roman
Catholic faith, a symbol of higher sane
lity than any in the so-called "moshchi,'
word apparently signifying (Divine)
power." These "moshchi" are to be
lound in all the principal churches
throughout the empire, and are the OBJ
jects Of especial veneration to all pill
grims.
Every traveller in Russia will recall
having seen in the churches q number
If tombs, usually without lids, but GOV.
cred with glass, through which may be
liscerned the figure Of a man in rich
Sestments and covered, as a rule, from
head to foot. The hands are usually
folded on the bosom, and a portion of
the right hand, with a round spot the
size of shilling on the forehead, arc
left to appear through the coverings for
The devout to kiss as they murmur their
prayer to the sleeping saint that he will
intercede for them above. These are
the "moshchi."
The Russian church teaches that very
holy men, during life, may become the
means of divine proof of the truths OF
Christianity after death by the fact that
the corpses Of such, however long they
have remained underground, and not
withstanding the quality of the earth
in which they lie, damp or dry, cold OF
heated, may, even If exposed to the di.
rect action of atmospheric influence
above ground, be divinely preserved
from any trace Of corruption. The gar
ments of the dead almost invariably,
and the collins sometimes, share in this
manifestation of indestructibility
These 'incorruptible remains" are
very numerous throughout Russia, but
of late years few of them have been
found, as the holy synod and the en-
peror now cause more strict invcstiga.
ton to be made into the details of each
case than was the custom in former
days. For it is not sufficient that these
:emains should be found, after long
periods of interment, incorrupt1ble, but
they must have manifested wonder
working powers.
The usual order of things is for some
dcvout believer TO see, generally in n
dream, tho figure of a saint, who bids
him search for his 1.-THE saint's) body in
a certain place. The body is taken up,
and miracles, chiefly Of the healing
KIND, at onae begin and are carefully re-
corded, with such detail and corrobora-
ton as seem proper to the local church
authorities on the spot. After longer
OF shorter lapse of time the clergy make
application for the oanonizatien of their
saint and formal sanction for the "in-
ven,ion" of his ''incorruptible remsins"
TO the holy synod, which, If the proofs
and miracles are considered satisfac-
tory, advise the emperor TO acccde TO
the request A day is then appointed
End preparations are made for the great
event.
In the present instance the ceremonies
lasted five days and drew over hun
dred thousand people TO the little town.
which is a long distance from any rail-
way. A universal holiday for . week
was declared and two regiments of in
fantry, with two squadrons OF Cozsscks, !
were dispatched 10 the spot TO prevent !
I possible recurrence Of the Moscow dis |
aster. The services concluded Oh Sep |
terbsr 81, after days prayer for |
preparatory services. The ''moshchiT
was carried 20 the cathedral a. eight |
o'clock in the evening. through crowds /
OF pilgrims. tach Of whom bore z lighted /
taper At the SINE hou- sc--ices EseTs