Will there be a blessed fire this year? The secret of the Holy Fire has been revealed: we light it at home

“There are many substances that can spontaneously combust.”

Convergence Holy Fire- a great Easter miracle. This year, on April 7, thousands of pilgrims will be waiting for his appearance, as always, in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. However, for many years, skeptics have been arguing: is fire really of divine origin, or is it the work of human hands? The latest scandal, associated with the exposure of this miracle, occurred almost a month before Easter: the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate, Samuil Agoyan, stated that the patriarchs themselves light wax candles from an oil lamp.

"MK" decided to experiment and get fire chemically- without matches, lighters or other attributes that the priest definitely cannot carry with him.

Let us note right away: we do not want to offend anyone’s feelings with this text and do not set ourselves the goal of disproving the divine origin of fire. If a certain phenomenon can be imitated with the help of a trick or experiment, this does not mean that the phenomenon itself is a trick. We show that with the help of simple chemical manipulations you can reproduce something similar, get fire. But is it a miracle the Holy Fire itself or the result chemical reaction- everyone decides for themselves. In the end, everyone will be given according to their faith.

What do we know about the environment in which the fire descends? It is known that this is a closed phenomenon - only one person enters the chapel over the Holy Sepulcher, the patriarch of the Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Church. Even those who stand directly next to the walls of the edicule cannot see what is happening inside. It is also known that the patriarch, before he goes inside to pray for the descent of the fire, is searched: he should not have any matches or lighters with him.

Fire - ordinary, human - can be obtained different ways. Mechanical: for example, by friction, or using a magnifying glass, glasses or binoculars, or even making a lens out of ice. However, it is unlikely that the priest will be able to carry some kind of device with him - then it would be easier to actually hide the lighter. The best way to simulate sudden spontaneous combustion of a candle is to use chemical methods.

Eat classic way, which was used by magicians back in the 19th century. A piece white phosphorus dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, a volatile, toxic liquid. A wick is dipped into the solution. After the carbon tetrachloride evaporates, the phosphorus ignites itself and lights the candle. It is convenient that spontaneous combustion does not occur immediately - there is just enough time to move the candle or lamp to the right place.

There are many substances that can spontaneously ignite, for example alkali metals,” a professor at the Russian Chemical Technical University named after A. Mendeleev Dmitry Mustafin. - If you take a piece of potassium or sodium and throw it into water, it will start to burn. In addition, alkali metal carbides burn. Quite a lot of active metals, especially if they are crushed into powders, aluminum, zinc, cobalt, all spontaneously ignite in air. Some immediately, others after some period of time. You can mix two substances - an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent. If you take saltpeter or potassium permanganate and mix it with alcohol, the mixture should catch fire.

You can’t just buy white phosphorus or other self-igniting substances in a store. We chose the simplest and relatively safe way to create fire - mixing glycerin and potassium permanganate, known as potassium permanganate. We warn you: do not repeat this experience at home. This should only be done in rooms specially designed for this purpose (for example, in chemical laboratories) and only with a fire extinguisher at the ready.

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent. When reacting, it decomposes to atomic oxygen, which oxidizes glycerol. The reaction is exothermic, that is, it is accompanied by a strong release of heat and ignition of the suspension.

Simple glycerin from the pharmacy will not work. In fact, it is not even glycerin, but glycerol - an 85% solution. This concentration of the active substance is not enough: the solution boils, but does not burn. Therefore, we bought a 99.5% glycerin solution at a specialized chemical store. Potassium permanganate, in turn, is simply not sold in pharmacies - only by prescription. We got it from our own old stocks.

The experiment should only be carried out in glass or porcelain dishes - in no case in plastic and preferably not in metal. We will not reveal the secret of “how much to weigh in grams”. Glycerin is poured into a glass container (in concentrated form - a viscous transparent liquid). Potassium permanganate powder is added - there is no need to dilute it before this. After some time, the reaction begins sharply - everything seethes, boils and burns with a bright bluish flame. We placed a candle nearby, the wick of which was lit by chemical fire.

It is clear that no glassware will be brought into the edicule, and it is unlikely that members of the clergy are quietly chemistry in the corner. But there is a similar method where concentrated sulfuric acid is used instead of glycerin. The components taken in a certain ratio are used to make a paste. A small amount of it - literally a match head or less - is applied to the candle wick, which after some time lights up. To be sure, you can attach a tiny piece of paper to the wick. Alas, when we experimented with glycerin, we needed a fairly large volume of potassium permanganate, which definitely wouldn’t be possible to apply to the candle unnoticed.

There is one more property of the Holy Fire - it does not burn in the first minutes, and pilgrims can even wash themselves with it. A similar phenomenon of a chemical nature is used by illusionists in their work.

April 16th, 2017 , 08:27 am

Many pilgrims come to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Friday evening, and some during the day and even in the morning take places closer to the Edicule. The temple - no matter how large it is - simply cannot accommodate everyone: thousands and thousands of pilgrims meet the Holy Fire on the street.

The service in the Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Spiritual Mission (burial of the Shroud) ended at about eight o'clock in the evening, and we immediately went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The narrow streets of the Old Town are crowded - the closer you get to the temple, the more crowded it gets. There is a traffic jam on the street corner: the police are regulating the traffic, the crowd is pressing, we are squeezed so that we can’t breathe.

There is another traffic jam at the entrance to the temple. For some reason they are not allowed inside, we don’t know what’s wrong. People pile up and pile up. We are waiting, but then there is movement - they began to let us through. People are pressing from the right, from the left, and from behind - everyone wants to get to the temple as quickly as possible. Here is the entrance - they squeezed it so hard that there was no urine; step, another step; however, we are not walking - we are being carried almost through the air. Threshold! We are in the temple. God bless!

I go immediately to the right - past the Stone of Anointing, along Calvary, smoothly going around the Greek altar in a circle, I need to get to the area near the Catholic chapel: it is best to expect the Holy Fire here - the Edicule is nearby and from this place it opens good review.

I look around. There are Greeks around me, mostly pensioners; it is clear from everything that they have been meeting the Holy Fire for several years - everyone is on folding chairs, holding themselves confidently, the women have knitting, the men have magazines, a long night lies ahead. Near the wall there is a group of young people from Russia; they are completely at home: they put tourist mattresses on the floor, covered themselves with blankets, and pillows under their heads.

In front of me, several young Arabs are sitting directly on the stone floor on newspaper sheets. Every half hour they get up to stretch. And you can’t sit on a chair for a long time - I feel how my legs and back are going numb.

The main event is still far away, may God grant you patience and patience. The eyes gradually close, the head becomes heavy and tilts down. Several hours passed in the fight against sleep.

The night ended, morning came, and the hot southern sun illuminated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Orthodox Christians from all over gathered globe- the Greeks, and the Arabs, and the Russians, and the Serbs, and the Bulgarians - gathered, driven by one goal: to see the wondrous miracle - the Heavenly Fire.
We are overcome by impatience: quickly, quickly, the moment for which we came here would come. I heard dozens of eyewitness accounts, and they all spoke differently about the Holy Fire, but, as they say, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Soon, very soon, I will find out what it is, I will see Fire with my own eyes and touch it with my own hands.

Everyone who was in the temple stood up, the candles were extinguished, people’s faces were turned to the east, to where the Edicule is located. The temple fell silent, everyone tries to stand on tiptoes in order to better see the Edicule, or at least part of it, and so as not to miss anything. The tension is growing, it seems that the air itself is electrified.
And suddenly the entire space of the temple was illuminated by a bright flash. It was bluish in color and looked like a flash of lightning, only there was more light. She produced an extraordinary effect in me, filling my entire being with joy and jubilation. Apparently other pilgrims experienced the same thing. Exclamations rang out, the whole temple was filled with noise - the same noise a forest makes when a gust of strong wind suddenly hits it.

Everyone who was in the temple held out bunches of candles forward and upward.

Some time passed, and the noise in the temple gradually began to subside. And suddenly, again, completely unexpectedly, a dazzling flash flashed over Edicule, then closer to us another one, then over the altar of the Greek Orthodox Church. They, these heavenly flashes, cut through the entire temple from top to bottom, illuminating the excited faces of people, leaving everyone in awe. These amazing flashes of bluish light in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher speak of the imminent descent of the Holy Fire.

The Arabs are the noisiest of all: they beat drums, clap their hands, jump in place, emitting piercing guttural screams. Some young men sit on the shoulders of their friends and pretend to be horsemen. What are they shouting about? What are they happy about? These Arabs are Orthodox, they shout: “Our faith is right! Our faith is Orthodox!”

One day, Arabs were not allowed into the temple on Holy Saturday because of their noisy behavior. The Patriarch and pilgrims from all over the world began to pray for the descent of the Holy Fire. There was no fire. The prayer continued. There was still no fire. Everyone was gripped by anxiety: we had angered God, the Christians thought, intensifying their prayer. Two hours passed and the fire did not go down. At the end of the third hour, the Patriarch ordered the Arabs to be allowed into the temple. They did not enter, but burst into the doorway with whooping, dancing, deafening drumming - and at that very second the Holy Fire descended on the Holy Sepulcher!

No matter how careful you are so as not to miss anything, what happens in the temple will still be unexpected for you.

Suddenly the temple was illuminated by especially bright flashes, there were many of them, and they shone throughout the entire temple at once, illuminating it with a dazzling radiance. This radiance was seen and felt by every person, no matter where in the temple he was - next to the Edicule, in the Greek altar, in the Armenian chapel or in the place where the Life-giving Cross of the Lord was found.

And then the moment came, which we were all looking forward to and for which we had overcome distance, heat, fatigue, sleep - an Arab youth rushed headlong through the temple - from east to west, and in his hands was a marvelous, bewitching torch. He paused for a second or two at the southern entrance to the Greek Church of the Resurrection so that pilgrims could light their candles, and then continued his rapid run.

People greedily reach out to the Heavenly Fire, another bunch of candles is lit, another, another, and another - and now the entire temple is blazing with a shining, jubilant Fiery Glow. I cover a large torch with my hand - The fire is warm, pleasant, alive, it does not burn at all; This is not earthly, not ordinary fire - this is Heavenly Fire! I start washing my face with it: I bring it to my chin, cheeks, forehead - the fire doesn’t burn.

And the temple rejoices, joyful smiles bloom on people’s faces - just like a spring meadow blooms.

It is impossible for one person to see and remember all the details of this event, and I resort to the help of other eyewitnesses. They said that one nun, who was standing on the first balcony opposite the Edicule, lit up a bunch of candles by itself. The wonderful lamps hanging over the Stone of Anointing also lit up on their own at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire (this happens every year). It is difficult to say how long the rejoicing lasted, and then the moment of extinction of the Fire came. The fire acquired earthly qualities and began to burn, but our joy did not diminish at all.

The event that I have described is the greatest miracle, and it amazes a person with its extraordinary nature. It is difficult to find words that would accurately convey all the shades of what is happening on Holy Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Well, what is the spiritual meaning of the descent of the Holy Fire? Why does he go to the Holy Sepulcher every year?

The Holy Fire is a sign of God's boundless mercy towards the fallen human race.

Well, why does the Holy Fire descend on Holy Saturday, and not on some other day? Hidden here great secret. The Son of God is still in the Tomb, the hearts of His disciples are still enveloped in sadness, nothing yet speaks of the impending joy and imminent Resurrection, but the Lord is already sending the Holy Fire. He sends as a sign of His greatest mercy to people, as a sign of His visible Resurrection, a harbinger of the immutability of His promises. This is the jubilant messenger whom the commander sends with the message that victory is near.

The Holy Fire is also a call to repentance. The Lord gives all of humanity as a whole and each person a sign in order to be saved. “Where are you hurrying? - He seems to say. - Why such a fuss? And why do you worry so much about earthly things? Is this true? Is this salvation? Do I not say to you: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
We do not read the Gospel, and if we do, it is very superficial. We do not fulfill God's commandments. We behave as if human life ends on earth, but the human soul is immortal. We have completely forgotten about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let's stop! Let's look inside ourselves! Let's stop creating lawlessness!

Let us hope that while the desire for repentance glimmers in our hearts, the Holy Fire will descend - a great sign of God’s mercy.

The Holy Fire in 2018 is a mystery of humanity that cannot be explained or substantiated scientifically. Every year the Holy Fire appears at the same time - on the eve of the Great Resurrection of Christ.

The descent of the fire symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ. Every year at approximately the same time, he appears in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. A huge number of pilgrims come with their candles to the temple during Holy Saturday Holy Week to receive the sacred fire.

Holy Fire in 2018: truth or fiction

This happens every year before Easter. People's skepticism is understandable, but scientists cannot fully figure out how the convergence of fire occurs. It is said that when the flame appears there is an incredibly powerful electromagnetic pulse. The combustion itself occurs approximately according to the principle of a lighter. Many clergy themselves say that this is just a beautiful legend, but the truth has not yet been found out.

It began around the 5th century as an interesting tradition that was purely symbolic in nature, but then, around the 9th century, all sources begin to talk about it as real miracle. They say that in the Middle Ages, priests sometimes even left the temple and then entered again. The fire was already burning at this time. Even in the 20th century, people say that you need to see it with your own eyes - that’s the only way to believe in this miracle. At first the fire does not burn. You can touch it with your hands, as if washing your face with it. They say that the first people who touch the fire receive forgiveness of all sins except mortal ones.

Many people say and think that the priests themselves kindle the fire, but there has been no evidence or refutation. This question remains open, since no one is completely sure that they are right. Believers around the world watch online broadcasts of services in this temple. Everyone dreams of visiting it live. You need to see this miracle with your own eyes. To believe in it or not is a personal matter for everyone. As the Great Scripture says, if the fire does not descend, this will be the first evidence of the beginning of the end of the world. For this reason, many are afraid that the fire will not be lit. Even if this is fiction, there may be a hidden subtext, because even in this case there is a possibility that the fire will not light. In other words, the question of faith remains open.

A fire appears right in front of Orthodox Easter- on Saturday, every year according to the Julian calendar. First begins the service, which reflects the passions of Christ - the crucifixion, burial and resurrection. In 2018, everything will happen according to the traditional schedule. The service is scheduled for April 7. It is on this day that the Light of the Lord will descend.

As always, this will happen between 13:00 and 15:00. Sometimes the fire appears almost immediately, and sometimes it is a little late. Fire will arise, as always, in the Edicule itself - in the Holy Sepulcher. This has been happening for fifteen hundred years. If now it is possible to explain this scientifically at least somehow, then how to explain the appearance of fire in those times when “tricks” were impossible is simply unrealistic.

In 2018, April 7 will be Holy Saturday. This is the last day of Lent, which is already filled with a certain joy, because by this time Jesus Christ had already finished his suffering. All that remains is to wait for His resurrection.

The fire will spread throughout the world. Specially appointed clergy will be required to bring it to the temples of their countries, from where other people will be able to take a piece of the sacred fire home. This is a real miracle, which for a true Christian believer is not a hoax. Faith in purification by fire must live in every heart. You won’t be able to miss the moment of truth, because the service will be broadcast on television on one of the TV channels. Not everyone has the opportunity to visit Edicule or other sacred places.

Pray to our Lord on this day to send the Holy Fire to us all. This will be a great event, because we will know for sure that the Lord has given us another year of his mercy and his blessing. Read prayers of gratitude on this day if the Holy Fire descends from Heaven to illuminate our world.

Descent of the Holy Fire in 2018: date, time, where to watch

The Holy Fire is something that almost the whole world waits for every year. Its descent takes place right on the eve of Easter, and not only Christians and believers are eager to see it. After all, every person knows that if Fire has appeared, then everything will be fine on Earth for another year. It is believed that if the Holy Fire does not arise at least once, then a big disaster will soon occur. That is why people wait with bated breath for this miracle to appear.

The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire, which has existed for more than a thousand years, is strictly regulated and prescribed down to the smallest detail.

10:15 Walking around the Edicule (chapel) in a procession led by the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem

11:00 Closing and sealing of the marble Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher

11:30 Emergence of emotional Arab Christian youth

12:00 Arrival at the Temple of the Greek Patriarch

12:10 Address by representatives of the Armenian clergy, as well as the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox churches to the patriarch

12:20 A closed lamp is brought into the Holy Sepulcher, in which a fire should flare up

12:30 Procession of the cross of the Greek clergy with a three-fold circumambulation of the Edicule 12:50 Entrance to the Holy Sepulcher of the Patriarch and the Armenian Archimandrite

12:55 – 15:00 Exit of the Patriarch with the Sacred Fire Traditionally, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims with different corners peace.

Where can you see the Holy Fire

Such a phenomenon as the Holy Fire, as historians and representatives say christian church, arose about two thousand years ago. You can see how it flares up in only one place. In Jerusalem there is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was built where the cave is located where the coffin with the body of the Savior was placed. It was there that believers first saw this inexplicable miracle, and it is there that the Fire appears every year. Therefore, about ten thousand people gather in this temple every year to see everything with their own eyes. Other believers observe this phenomenon only on television. Therefore, many questions arise about when the descent of the Holy Fire will take place in 2018. The date, time, where to watch the broadcast - all this interests people, because many believe that even if you are not in the temple, but see the flame flaring up on TV, you can receive the blessing of the Lord.

It is worth saying that when exactly Fire appears, no one can say. The fact is that this inexplicable phenomenon occurs every year in different time. But, as a rule, it happens in Holy Saturday. This time it falls on April 7th. If we talk about time, then from the very morning the believers, together with the church ministers, gather at the temple so as not to miss such a significant event. In addition, the procession and several other religious rituals are held first. And often the Holy Fire can only be seen in the late afternoon. It is first given to all believers in the temple, and then sent in lamps to churches located in other countries.

Where to watch live broadcasts of the Descent of the Holy Fire

Every year, several TV channels broadcast live from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But most often the occurrence of this miracle is shown in the recording. The film crew records the entire ceremony, then selects best moments, and all this is assembled into an hour or an hour and a half program. It is then often shown on Sunday.
But if you want to see everything in real time, then you can turn on the NTV channel. The live broadcast will begin at 13.15 Moscow time on April 7th. You can also watch the appearance of Fire on the Internet. Some resources will also broadcast online.
As for Channel One and Russia TV channel, they will not broadcast this event, but will show a broadcast from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior at 19.30.

The descent of the Holy Fire is a very bright event that all people rejoice at. As those who managed to observe the phenomenon with their own eyes say, often candles and lamps in their hands light up by themselves, flashes appear in the place where the tomb of Christ stood, and dew also appears on the cotton wool that is laid out in the temple. Such miracles certainly deserve attention!

Scientists managed to get to the Holy Sepulcher and conduct research, the results of which shocked believers.

Regardless of whether a person considers himself a believer or not, at least once in his life he was interested in real evidence of the existence higher powers that every religion talks about.

In Orthodoxy, one of the evidences of miracles indicated in the Bible is the Holy Fire descending on the Holy Sepulcher on the eve of Easter. On Holy Saturday, anyone can see it - just come to the square in front of the Church of the Resurrection. But the longer this tradition exists, the more hypotheses journalists and scientists build. All of them refute the divine origin of fire - but can you trust at least one of them?

History of the Holy Fire

The convergence of fire can be seen only once a year and in the only place on the planet - the Jerusalem Temple of the Resurrection. Its huge complex includes: Golgotha, a cave with the Cross of the Lord, a garden where Christ was seen after the resurrection. It was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fire was seen there during the first service on Easter. Around the place where this happened, they built a chapel with the Holy Sepulcher - it is called Edicule.

At ten o'clock on the morning of Holy Saturday, all candles, lamps and other light sources in the temple are extinguished every year. The highest church dignitaries personally monitor this: the last test is the Edicule, after which it is sealed with a large wax seal. From this moment on, the protection of holy places falls on the shoulders of the Israeli police (in ancient times, the Janissaries handled their duties Ottoman Empire). They also put an additional seal on top of the seal of the Patriarch. What is not proof of the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire?

Edicule

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a procession of the cross begins to stretch from the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Holy Sepulcher. It is led by the patriarch: having walked around the Edicule three times, he stops in front of its doors.

“The Patriarch dresses in white robes. With him, 12 archimandrites and four deacons put on white vestments at the same time. Then clerics in white surplices with 12 banners depicting the passion of Christ and His glorious resurrection emerge from the altar in pairs, followed by clerics with ripids and life-giving cross, then 12 priests in pairs, then four deacons, also in pairs, and the last two of them, in front of the patriarch, hold bunches of candles in their hands in a silver stand for the most convenient transfer of the holy fire to the people, and, finally, the patriarch with a rod in right hand. With the blessing of the patriarch, the singers and all the clergy, singing: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart,” go from the Church of the Resurrection to the edicule and circle it three times. After the third circumambulation, the patriarch, clergy and singers stop with the banner bearers and the crusader in front of the holy life-giving tomb and sing the evening hymn: “Quiet Light,” recalling that this litany was once part of the rite of the evening service.”

Patriarch and Holy Sepulcher

In the courtyard of the temple, the Patriarch is watched by thousands of eyes of pilgrims-tourists from all over the world - from Russia, Ukraine, Greece, England, Germany. The police search the Patriarch, after which he enters the Edicule. U entrance doors the Armenian archimandrite remains in order to offer prayers to Christ for the forgiveness of the sins of the human race.

“The Patriarch, standing before the doors of the holy tomb, with the help of the deacons, takes off his miter, sakkos, omophorion and club and remains only in the vestment, epitrachelion, belt and armbands. Dragoman then removes the seals and cords from the door of the holy tomb and lets the patriarch inside, who has the aforementioned bundles of candles in his hands. Behind him, one Armenian bishop immediately goes inside the edicule, dressed in sacred robes and also holding bunches of candles in his hands to quickly transfer the holy fire to the people through the southern hole of the edicule in the chapel of the Angel.”

When the Patriarch is left alone, behind closed doors, the real mystery of magic begins. On his knees, His Holiness prays to the Lord for the message of the Holy Fire. His prayers are not heard by people outside the doors of the chapel - but they can observe their result! Blue and red flashes appear on the walls, columns and icons of the temple, reminiscent of reflections during a fireworks display. At the same time, blue lights appear on the marble slab of the Coffin. The priest touches one of them with a cotton ball - and the fire spreads to her. The Patriarch lights the lamp using cotton wool and hands it to the Armenian bishop.

“And all those people in the church and outside the church say nothing else, only: “Lord, have mercy!” they cry unremittingly and shout loudly, so that the whole place hums and thunders from the cry of those people. And here the tears of the faithful people flow in streams. Even with a heart of stone, a person can then shed tears. Each of the pilgrims, holding in his hand a bunch of 33 candles, according to the number of years of the life of our Savior ... hastens in spiritual joy to light them from the primary light, through clergymen from the Orthodox and Armenian clergy specially appointed for this purpose, standing near the northern and southern holes of the edicule and the first to receive holy fire from the holy tomb. From numerous boxes, from windows and wall cornices, similar bundles of wax candles are lowered on ropes, since the spectators occupying places at the top of the temple immediately strive to partake of the same grace.”

Transfer of the Holy Fire

In the first minutes after receiving fire, you can do whatever you want with it: believers wash themselves with it and touch it with their hands without fear of getting burned. After a few minutes, the fire turns from cold to warm and acquires its normal properties. Several centuries ago, one of the pilgrims wrote:

“He lit 20 candles in one place and burned his candle with all those lights, and not a single hair curled or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them with other people, he lit those candles, and on the third day I lit those candles, and then I touched my wife with nothing, not a single hair was scorched or curled.”

Conditions for the appearance of the sacred fire

There is a belief among Orthodox Christians that in the year when the fire does not ignite, the apocalypse will begin. However, this event already happened once - then a follower of a different denomination of Christianity tried to remove the fire.

“The first Latin Patriarch Harnopid of Choquet ordered the expulsion of the heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics. A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He attempted to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and admit only Latins there, completely depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem. God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not happen until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.”

Fire under the Latin Patriarch and a crack in the column

In 1578, clergy from Armenia, who had not heard anything about the attempts of their predecessor, tried to repeat them. They obtained permission to be the first to see the Holy Fire by prohibiting them from entering the church Orthodox Patriarch. He, along with other priests, was forced to pray at the gate on Easter Eve. The minions of the Armenian Church never managed to see the miracle of God. One of the columns of the courtyard, in which the Orthodox prayed, cracked, and a pillar of fire emerged from it. Traces of its descent can still be observed by any tourist today. Believers traditionally leave notes in it with their most cherished requests to God.

A series of mystical events forced Christians to sit down at the negotiating table and decide that God wanted to transfer the fire into the hands of an Orthodox priest. Well, he, in turn, goes out to the people and gives the sacred flame to the abbot and the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified, the Armenian Apostolic and Syrian Church. Local Orthodox Arabs must be the last to enter the temple. On Holy Saturday they appear in the square singing and dancing, and then enter the chapel. In it they say ancient prayers on Arabic, in which they turn to Christ and Mother of God. This condition is also mandatory for the appearance of fire.

“There is no evidence of the first performance of this ritual. The Arabs ask the Mother of God to beg her Son to send Fire to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. They literally shout that they are the most eastern, the most Orthodox, living where the sun rises, bringing with them candles to light the Fire. According to oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918-1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours, but to no avail. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended"

Have attempts to find a scientific explanation for the Holy Fire been successful?

It is impossible to say that skeptics managed to defeat believers. Among the many theories that have physical, chemical and even alien justification, only one deserves attention. In 2008, physicist Andrei Volkov managed to get into Edicule with special equipment. There he was able to make the appropriate measurements, but their results were not in favor of science!

“A few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from the Edicule, a device recording the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave pulse in the temple, which no longer appeared. I don’t want to refute or prove anything, but this is the scientific result of the experiment. An electrical discharge occurred - either lightning struck, or something like a piezo lighter turned on for a moment.”

Physicist about the Holy Fire

The physicist himself did not set the goal of his research to expose the shrine. He was interested in the very process of the descent of fire: the appearance of flashes on the walls and on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher.

“So, it is quite likely that the appearance of Fire is preceded by electrical discharge, and we, measuring the electromagnetic spectrum in the temple, tried to catch it.”

This is how Andrey comments on what happened. It turns out that modern technology cannot solve the mystery of the sacred Holy Fire...