Saratov Welcomes Relics of Saint Matrona, Sought for Fertility Prayers

Saint Blessed Matrona of Moscow is one of the most famous and revered saints in Russia. Today, a particle of her relics was brought to the Saratov church of Seraphim of Sarov. It is believed that through her intercession, a real miracle can happen. However, there were few who wished to test this.

The relics of Saint Matrona of Moscow are permanently kept in the Pokrovsky Stavropegial Convent in Moscow. This is one of the main pilgrimage centers, where long queues often form. People turn to her with requests for healing from illnesses, help with family problems, finding a spouse, having children, achieving financial well-being, as well as for wisdom and comfort. Hundreds of thousands come to venerate her relics. In Saratov, it became possible to touch a particle of her relics right after the Feast of the Epiphany.

«Ask for spring to come sooner,» the taxi driver who was giving me a ride to the church told me. He was first annoyed that too much snow had fallen, but then remembered the situation in Kamchatka.

— Though if you don«t have to dig out a multi-story building from snow — that»s already good. But still, I«d like a less snowy winter. Something like in St. Petersburg.

Surprisingly, there was no queue in front of the church. And inside during the service, there were few people. It is believed that Saint Matrona particularly helps women with requests for conceiving children, but there were equal numbers of women and men. Many came for Epiphany water. Next to the priest who was reading the akathist — one of the church hymns dedicated to the saint — stood a water blessing tank.

— I was told that water can only be drawn after the service, — whispered to me a woman standing nearby with a cane and an empty five-liter plastic bottle. — And how long does it last?

I honestly admitted that I didn«t know. But, noticing that the woman — of venerable age with a cane — was standing alone with a large container, I clarified:

— How will you carry such a big bottle, maybe you need help?

— Oh no, someone will meet me. My son will scold me for going for holy water, he said — pour from the tap, it«s already sacred. But that»s not the same. I«ve almost gone blind, I can»t see anything anymore, but I can manage slowly. Though I«ve stumbled twice already while walking. So I»ll slowly get to Matrona too.

The church was being replenished by new arrivals. Behind me stood a woman with eyes wet from tears. For some reason, it became important for me to talk to that little old lady who was standing nearby like family.

— And have you been to Moscow in that church where Matrona«s relics are? — I whispered.

— I was there about 50 years ago. What I asked for — it didn«t help. But it depends on one»s luck. Though it was a different time then. I was born in 1948 in a military family in Berlin. After 10 years, we moved here, my mother«s sisters lived here. I was baptized when I was almost 30. To believe or not to believe — that»s a debatable question. But I no longer argue.

In the church, there is a table where gifts from visitors are accepted. My neighbor said that she put flour and a loaf of bread there — she knows that it«s necessary for good. And she went to draw water. A queue formed at the water blessing tank. A separate one — to the relics of Saint Matrona. There were men, women, and families with children.

When I left the church, I saw another woman in a headscarf who was standing and, apparently, waiting for someone.

— Excuse me, please, may I ask you — what brought you to the church today?

— I think you, as a woman, should understand me, — she answered and turned her gaze away.

The reliquary with a particle of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow will be in Saratov in the church in the name of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (Bolshaya Gornaya St., 351/70) until February 1, 2026. The shrine can be venerated daily during church hours: from 7:30 to 19:00.