Icons of the Mother of God evoke a special feeling among Orthodox Christians. Photos with the names of the most famous images in Russia are presented on this page.

Through icons, believers turn to the Mother of God with prayers for the strengthening of faith, the healing of diseases, and the salvation of the soul.

How many icons of the Mother of God exist

No one knows exactly how many different images of the Mother of God are written. In the calendar published by the Moscow Patriarchate, 295 names are mentioned.

But according to iconography, the images of the Virgin are divided into only three types: Oranta (looks with arms raised up), Hodegetria (the baby blesses the Virgin), Eleusa (tenderness, clung to each other).

Icons of the Mother of God with photos and descriptions

Below is a list of Holy Faces, the most popular or, on the contrary, little known, whose history or description is very interesting.

"Kazan" Icon of the Mother of God

Celebrated on July 21 and November 4. The miraculous image saved the country in times of unrest, disasters and wars. Its meaning is in the preservation of the country under the shadow of the Virgin.

The most revered image in Russia. Found in 1579 in Kazan on fire during the persecution of Christians. Married couples bless them, they pray for the healing of eye diseases, for the reflection of a foreign invasion.

Icon of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice"

In 1878, a retired soldier suffering from hard drinking had a vision of St. Varlaam to go to the city of Serpukhov and pray there in front of a certain image. This icon turned out to be the now known “Inexhaustible Chalice”.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin "Feodorovskaya"

It is celebrated on March 27, and also on August 29. She is asked for a happy marriage and healthy children.

Possibly written by the apostle Luke. It was located in the XII century in the city of Gorodets. She miraculously moved to Kostroma: she was seen in the hands of St. warrior Theodore Stratilates, who walked with her through the city. Hence the name "Feodorovskaya".

"Sovereign" Mother of God

Celebrated March 15th. The meaning of the image lies in the fact that power over Russia passed from the king directly to the Virgin Mary.

Appeared in 1917 in the village of Kolomenskoye, in the Moscow region, on the very day on which Nicholas II abdicated. The Mother of God, as it were, received the state from the tsar.

"Vladimir" icon

Celebrated on June 3, July 6, September 8. The meaning of the image for Orthodox Christians is in the preservation of Russia from foreign warriors.

Written by the Apostle Luke on the tabletop of the Holy Family. Saved Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane. Under Soviet rule, she exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery.

"Tikhvin" Mother of God

This image, according to legend, was written by the evangelist and apostle Luke. He miraculously appeared near the city of Tikhvin. Particularly remarkable among the many miracles revealed in the image was the salvation of the Tikhvin Monastery during the Great Northern War in 1613.

"Three-handed"

It is named after the miracle that happened to St. John of Damascus. His severed hand was rooted in place by prayer at the image of the Mother of God. In honor of this event, a silver hand was attached to the salary of the image.

"Unexpected Joy"

Celebrated on May 14 and December 22. The meaning of the image lies in the mercy of the Mother of God even to unrepentant sinners, leading them to repentance.

The icon is named in memory of the conversion of one lawless person who, with an Archangel greeting, asked for a blessing for his lawless deeds.

"Blessed Womb"

In the 14th century it was in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin. Glorified by many miracles.

"Annunciation"

The image is dedicated to the twelfth holiday of the same name.

"Blessed Sky"

Celebrated March 19th. The meaning of the image is that it is in this guise, according to the assumption, that the Blessed Virgin Mary will descend to earth, preparing people for the second coming of Christ.

The image was brought to Moscow by the Lithuanian princess Sofya Vitovtovna at the beginning of the 15th century.

"Joy of All Who Sorrow"

In 1688, the sick Euphemia, a relative of the patriarch, suffering from an incurable disease, was miraculously healed before this image.

"Upbringing"

Celebrated March 18th. The significance of the icon is associated with the education of the young generation in the Orthodox faith.

This is a Byzantine image known for many miracles. Helps parents and their children.

"Life-Giving Source"

It is celebrated on the fifth day after Easter. Pray for the preservation of prudence and a sinless life.

The icon is named in memory of the holy spring of water near Constantinople. In this place, the Virgin Mary appeared to Leo Marcellus and predicted that he would become emperor.

"Redeemer"

Celebrated October 30th. In 1841, in Greece, after a prayerful vigil in front of this image, the invasion of locusts was miraculously stopped.

The icon was with the family of Alexander III when their train was wrecked. It was on this day that they began to celebrate the name day of the icon, in commemoration of the salvation of the emperor.

"Key of Intelligence"

Pray for children who have difficulty learning. The icon is locally venerated, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Appeared in Russia in the 16th century, akin to the image "Addition of the mind."

"Mammal"

The icon was brought to Serbia from Jerusalem by St. Savva in the 6th century.

"Unfading Color"

Means the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"Joy"

Celebrated on February 3rd. It means the great mercy of the Mother of God to sinners, despite even her Son.

The miraculous deliverance from the robbers who attacked the Vatopedi Monastery on Athos is connected with the image.

"Birth Assistant"

Helps with difficult childbirth.

"Self-written"

Locally venerated on Athos. It miraculously manifested itself with a pious icon painter from the city of Iasi in 1863.

"Quick listener"

Athos icon. From her came a miraculous healing of the sight of a disobedient monk.

"Assuage my sorrows"

Celebrated on February 7th. Relieves mental anguish. Many healings have come from her.

Brought to Moscow in 1640 by the Cossacks. She streamed myrrh in 1760.

"Healer"

The meaning is the comfort of the sick. Often decorates hospital temples.

Conclusion

Turning to these icons has always helped Orthodox Christians in difficult moments of life. And now, in the modern world, healings and miracles continue. New miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary appear.

The intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos will continue until the end of the history of the human race.

Prayer to the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles is one of the most powerful prayers, because it helps to immediately turn to 12 saints. People turn with the help of prayer to the apostles, the Lord, so that they would help them in solving many life problems.

Apostles - who are they?

The twelve apostles were faithful helpers and companions of Jesus, all of them from ordinary families. Each of them carried the Holy word to the people and helped people to convert to Christianity. For their devotion to faith and Christ, many of them paid with their lives.

How does the image help?

In front of the shrine, Orthodox Christians pray for the following:

• about peace and love between people;
• about strengthening the spirit and faith;
• about help in difficult life situations;
• for the cure of physical and mental ailments.

If you read a prayer in front of your face every day, this will help protect yourself from evil forces and daily temptations, because the icon of the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles is a strong symbol of firmness of faith, love for people and humility. It was thanks to these qualities that the disciples of Jesus were able to spread the Word of the Lord throughout the world.

How to read a prayer correctly?

People often ask the saints for help when they have lost their faith or gone astray. After all, it is this prayer that helps to cope with failures, helps to adequately accept the blows of fate, restore faith in the Lord, and also embark on the true path of life.

It is very important that prayer comes from the depths of the soul, and that a person’s thoughts are cleansed and directed only to God.

There is no need to memorize the words of the prayer, it is enough that the prayer comes from a pure heart. Before pronouncing the text, you need to clear your mind and open your soul, otherwise nothing will work out. It is best to read a prayer service in the morning, because at this time the most optimal moment for petition.

It is also important that the praying person feel comfortable contacting the Saints, telling them about their problems and asking for help.

If you are not sure about something, then it is best to talk to the priest before prayer, he will tell you how to do everything right.

Icon of 12 apostles

The first joint images of Christ and his disciples appeared in the III-IV centuries. In church traditions, a clear canonical image of the 12 apostles has not been fixed.

There are two iconographic images formed in the XIV-XV centuries:

1. According to the Byzantine tradition, the figures of the apostles are depicted in full growth and they are arranged in several rows. Each of them has a scroll in their hands, as a symbol of Christian teaching. On some images, the companions are depicted with symbols of martyrdom: Peter with a sword, Andrew with an oblique cross, Bartholomew with a knife. In rare cases, a church building is depicted next to the saints, which symbolizes the one Christian Church that they founded.
2. There is also an ancient Russian tradition of depicting the apostles. Russian icon painters painted them in the form of a vine. Christ is depicted in the upper part of the shrine or in the center, and in the curls there are half-length images of his disciples. In some other images, the master depicts the Mother of God and John the Baptist next to the figure of the Savior.

Prayer to 12 apostles, protecting from trouble and problems

“O holy apostles of Christ: Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Fomo and Matthew, James and Jude, Simon and Matthias! Hear our prayers and sighs, which are now brought with a contrite heart, and help us, the servants of God (names), with your all-powerful intercession before the Lord, get rid of all evil and enemy flattery, keep the Orthodox faith firmly betrayed by you, in it with your intercession or wounds , nor by prohibition, nor pestilence, nor any wrath from our Creator, we will diminish, but we will live a peaceful life here and be able to see the good on the land of the living, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One in the Trinity glorified and worshiped by God, now and forever and ever forever and ever."

How does prayer help?

Prayer is a direct way of communication between people, God, and the spirit world. Reading a prayer in front of the icon will help you in various life situations:

• to calm the soul;
• during any undertaking;
• to feel secure;
• to find peace for family and friends;
• to overcome diseases;
• or simply when there is a need to communicate with those who are above the addressee.

Now you know everything you need about prayer and the icon of the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles, and you can ask them for help at the right time for you.

And so, how many icons did the Apostle Luke write? Historians claim that the apostle painted three main images of the Mother of God, which formed the basis of the entire iconography of the Mother of God. This opinion is based on the "Tale of the Three Icons, written by the Apostle Luke." It tells about the history of the creation of images under the guidance of the Archangel Gabriel himself and conveys to us the words of the Most Pure One: “May the Grace of the One Born of Me and Mine be with these icons.”

Icons painted by the Apostle Luke

Among the many images attributed to St. Luke, there are three types of images, the history and fate of which allows them to be traced back to the first centuries of Christianity:

• tenderness. The face depicts Mother and Baby, their mutual affection and love.
• Hodegetria, or the Guide - on these faces the Mother of God is depicted with her right hand pointing at Her Divine Son, calling people to turn to God.
• Image of the Mother of God without the Child.

In addition to these images, one can find information that at least twenty more images of the Virgin belong to Luke’s brush, of which, according to L.A. Uspensky, there are about 10 in the Russian Church, 13 on Athos, and 8 in the West.

Icons of the Mother of God painted by the Apostle Luke: “Vladimirskaya (“Tenderness”), according to legend, written on the board of the table at which the meals of the Holy Family were held.

• Korsun, brought to Russia by Prince Vladimir after his baptism in 988. The icon belongs to the “Tenderness” type, but represents its abbreviated or “shouldered” version. It could have been brought to Korsun by the prince's bride, Princess Anna.
• Smolensk Hodegetria, glorified by the fact that from this image he received a blessing for his feat - the fight against the Mongols - the martyr Mercury of Smolensk, and many other miracles.
• Hodegetria of Czestochowa, who has the title of "Queen of Poland" and resides in "Jasna Gora", or Jasna Gora in a Catholic monastery.
• Vilna Hodegetria, from the 15th century. located in Vilna and glorified by miracles. After 1917 the image was lost.
• Khakhul icon, the image of the Mother of God without the Child, a shrine of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Icon of the Mother of God of Kik. History of the icon

The icon got its name at the place of its current location, the Kikksky monastery on about. Cyprus. Historians believe that during the first centuries of the spread of Christianity, the image was kept in Egypt under the supervision of one of the Christian communities. In the tenth century, she was transported to Constantinople. The icon came to Cyprus in the 11th century at the behest of the Mother of God herself, she expressed a desire to have her icon transferred from the emperor's palace to the monastery of Kikos.

Already from ancient times, the Icons of the Mother of God and Jesus were covered with a veil, the reliable reason for this phenomenon is still unknown, but there is a lot of evidence of how those who tried to lift the veil and see the faces of the Saints were punished. It is for this reason that the icon has not yet been studied by scientists.

Description of the image

The icon is painted on wood, its dimensions are: height 104 cm, width 78 cm. The Mother of God is depicted waist-deep, she holds the baby with her right hand, her head is turned to the right side. The baby leans against the mother's cheek and hugs her neck with his left hand. The right hand of the child is stretched forward, and he touches her mother's shoulder. The legs of Jesus are covered with a chiton to the feet, the left leg is bent so that the foot is visible from under the fabric. The image of the icon was updated several times, on its reverse side is depicted the Throne and the Instruments of the Passion.

Sumel icon

The face is considered to be the ancient Hodegetria, at least it has been mentioned since the end of the 4th century. It was during this period that the face was in Athens and was considered to be written by Luke.

In 385, a miracle happened near the icon, two monks came to pray to it: Barnabas and Sofroni. During the prayer, they heard the voice of the Mother of God, she told them to go after the icon, and immediately two angels appeared in front of them, they took the face and carried it out of the temple. The surprised monks followed the Angels, they stopped on Mount Mela. Here St. Mary ordered to build a monastery. So, at a high altitude, in a completely waterless place, a cave monastery appeared. By the miracle of the appearance of the Mother of God, a water source appeared near the monastery, which still exists today.

The monastery functioned even after the capture of these lands by Turkey, the miracles that took place in the monastery did not allow the Turks to defeat it.

Only in the 20th century, when Greece was defeated in the war with Turkey, the monastery's servants were forcibly evicted from Mount Mela. The icon of the Mother of God miraculously managed to be saved, today it is kept in Macedonia in the monastery of Panagia Sumela, which was named after the image. In September 2017

the icon visited St. Petersburg. The face was carried through the streets of the city during the procession.

Philermo Icon of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke

On this icon, the Mother of God is painted without Christ, her hands are folded in a prayer position. In her own way, she asks for mercy from God for all people. This icon was painted during the life of St. Mary, the year of its writing is considered to be the year 46 from the Nativity of Christ. Luke painted the face in Jerusalem, it was from this city that Emperor Theodosius transferred the icon to Constantinople in 430.

Since the 12th century, the Crusaders belonging to the Order of the Ionites took possession of the icon, and kept the shrine until 1799. The name of the icon is associated with the hill of Filermo of the same name. It is located on the island of Malta and here was the residence of the Johnites. They kept the image here from 1570 to 1798.

In 1798, Malta was captured by the French, and the Knights of Malta asked for help from the Russian Emperor Paul I, who favored the Ionites. In gratitude for the help, the Maltese in October 1799 handed over to the Russian Empire 3 shrines that had been kept by the crusaders for centuries:

• Particle of the Cross of the Lord;
• Right hand of John the Baptist;
• Philermo icon.

Since 1800, there has been a tradition of celebrating this event. The icon was first located in the city of Gatchin, then it was transferred to St. Petersburg. After the revolution of 1917, the face ended up on the territory of Yugoslavia, but in 1933 it was confiscated by the special services. At the moment, the icon is stored in Montenegro in the city of Cetinje in the chapel of the local museum.

Korsun Icon of the Mother of God

The icon is painted on wood. Dimensions of the image: height 38.5 cm, width 33 cm. The icon painter depicted Mary waist-deep with a baby in her arms.

About the described faces and many others, a pious opinion has been preserved in the church environment, connecting them with St. Luca.

Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

The material on which the face is written: wood, tempera. Dimensions of the icon: height 87 cm, width 66 cm. The icon depicts the Mother of God with the baby Jesus. Mary holds the child in her left hand, his right hand is folded in a blessed gesture, in his left hand he holds a scroll.

Unfortunately, no one can say for sure which icons the Apostle Luke painted, but the fact that he was the first icon painter and became the founder

the tradition of icon painting is a well-known fact, and it was thanks to Luke that people learned what kind of names the Mother of God during her lifetime.

Who was the nun Alipia? Have all her predictions come true? Why is she highly revered and turn to her for help? You will learn about this and much more from the article.

The Life of Mother Alipia

There is very little information about the woman’s childhood, and she herself was reluctant to talk about it. Mother was born in 1910 in a village called Vysheley, which is located on the territory of the Penza province. The parents baptized the girl under the name Agafia, in honor of the martyr Agafia of Palermo.

Alipia's father, Tikhon, strictly observed fasting, during fasting days he ate only dry bread and drank straw broth. The man's temper was harsh, but fair.

Mom, on the other hand, had a soft and kind disposition, tried to help the poor. The daughter of the Avdeevs was well educated, she read Church Slavonic and Mordovian, but it is not known where she studied.

In 1917, due to the October Revolution, Agafya's father and mother were killed. She herself miraculously escaped, as she went to a neighbor, and when she returned home, her relatives were already dead. She was only eight years old when her parents died, for the whole night her daughter read the Psalter over the bodies of her parents.

All her life, the old woman lived without documents and registration. Another woman forbade herself to be photographed, so her pictures can literally be counted on her fingers.

The old woman traveled a lot in the Holy Lands, she told about this herself, for some reason she constantly spoke of herself in the masculine gender:

“I was everywhere: in Pochaev, in Pyukhtitsa, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. I have been to Siberia three times. I went to all the churches, lived for a long time, I was accepted everywhere.

During this journey, the woman covered a thousand kilometers.

Alipia spent a long time imprisoned in prison, where she was tortured and interrogated. Once, during another arrest, a woman was put in a large cell, where many people were at the same time. Every day, five or six people were taken from the cell and they never returned.

This went on until three people remained in the cell: herself, the clergyman, and his son. In the evening the priest turned to his son:

“Let’s serve a memorial service on our own, today they will pick us up by dawn” ... And he said to mother: “Today you will leave here alive.”

In the morning the men were taken away by the guards and they never returned.

According to mother's stories, the apostle Peter saved her, opened the cell door and led her past the guards to freedom through the back door, he told her to stick to the sea, and she walked for eleven days. The journey was without food and water, there were sheer walls on Agafya's path, along which she climbed and fell more than once, as evidenced by deep scars on her hands.

Researchers of the mother's life suggest that during this period she saw the elder hieroschemamonk Theodosius Kashin. The old woman said this: “I was with Theodosius, I saw Theodosius, I know Theodosius.”

War years

During the years of World War II, the nun was captured by the Germans. Her cell-attendant Marfa reported that during the captivity, the old woman read the Psalter at night for those women who had relatives in their homeland. She also helped many captives escape, and they made it home safely.

Mother herself was able to escape from captivity even at the end of the war, she crossed the front line and went on foot to Kyiv.

Mother Wonderworker

Agapia possessed extraordinary love and compassion for people, she performed many miracles, for example, she helped to get rid of difficult illnesses. She treated people with the help of a miraculous ointment, of her own preparation, although most people are sure that Mother Alipia's help was not in the ointment, but in the prayer that she read. There is evidence of healing from very serious ailments, healings occur in our days.

Mother Alipia predictions

During her life, the nun made predictions of many events, and they all came true. Five years before her death, the woman predicted the revival of the Goloseevsky monastery. This happened in 1993, services and services began again on the territory of the monastery. In the same year, the Reverend Alexy Goloseevsky was canonized as a Saint, who helped mother during her stay on the territory of the monastery.

The woman predicted the tragedy in Chernobyl, she said:

“... Under the ground is burning, grief is coming. God! Have pity on the babies, have pity on the people. Close doors and windows tightly, there will be a lot of gas ... "

Agafya certainly did not know such words as “reactor”, and therefore explained everything as best she could. When people asked her if they should leave the territory of the infected zone, she answered: “No, it’s not necessary, and wash the food, read the Our Father and the Mother of God, cross and eat and you will be healthy ...”.

The nun began talking about “grief coming” back in the winter of 1986, and the day before the disaster she walked down the street and read a prayer.

Death prediction

The woman also predicted her own death, a nun from the monastery where Alipia lived told about this: “In April 1988, I brought the Church calendar to Matushka, and she asks: “Look what day October 30 will be. I looked and said - Sunday. She once pointedly repeated, Sunday. After her death, we realized that then, in April, Matushka revealed to us the day of her death – more than six months before her.”

Alipia was buried on the territory of the Kyiv forest cemetery. In 2006, the remains of Matushka were transferred to Goloseevo and reburied near the temple, where she once lived in a lonely forest house.

Asking for help

And so, how to ask for help from mother Alipia is right, so that all requests are heard. The main rule is that the request comes from a pure heart. When visiting the temple, first visit the remains of the old woman, then learn how to write a note to mother Alipia. Parishioners should write a request on a small piece of paper, here you can write any short request, then twist it, and leave it in the cross over the grave of the monks.

Those who have already visited the remains of the nun claim that the note left by the mother has a special power and always helps.

Prayers to the nun

Nowadays, people often read the prayer of Alipia Goloseevskaya for healing from difficult illnesses and overcoming life's difficulties.

Prayer to mother Alipia Goloseevskaya for help

Oh, great praise to the Church of Christ, the city of Kyiv is walled and comforted, Reverend Mati Alipie!

We fall to you and pray to you - be our intercessor to Christ God, vigilant, as we believe, if you will beg the Humanity God, everything will be given to you from the sea of ​​His goodness. And as God is philanthropic, so you, begging us sinners, will not despise

our petition, for we ourselves, because of the multitude of our sins, do not have boldness. Your work, saint, is to intercede for sinners, it is God's work to have mercy on the desperate. Ask, reverend, to anyone according to his needs:

In the illnesses of the existing, soon comfort and heal, as now you are doing healing in abundance - as if speaking dumb, seeing the blind, restoring those injured from the bed of sickness with bones. You can ask the Lord for everything, reverend, if you pray to Him for us.

Tumors fierce do not exist. Give a quick healing to those suffering from burns, as if you appeared to a sick boy at night, listening to his mother’s prayer. Thou didst show the great miracle of healing to the whole world. In these difficult days of the triumph of lawlessness and unrighteousness, offended and unjustly condemned, imprisoned in prison, envy, lies and self-interest for the sake of the persecuted, intercede for deliverance from slander and misfortune, as if the grace to intercede for them has been purely given to you from the Lord.

Good marriages bless and unite. Give safe permission to mothers who give birth, keeping their children from any harm. Hear the warm prayer of the parents, the sorrow for the weary children, so that their children will pass into the consciousness of the truth, avoiding the networks of the evil one, they will find eternal salvation. Accept prayers for the parents of their grieving children, so that through your prayers they will know the light of Christ's Gospel. So comfort the childless and give them the fruit of the womb, so that the new true Christians will present to the Lord with your blessing and maternal upbringing. To those who require your help in consummating a Christian marriage, send a companion of their lives blessed by the Lord, so that by your care Christ God will bring the service of a small church in a family union. Above all, grant peace, silence and unfeigned love, may we be true disciples of Christ. To those who have surrendered to the ailments of drunkenness and drug addiction and those who do not have the strength of the spirit, leave this soul-destroying iniquity, give strength of spirit and enlightenment of the mind, as if you appeared to a person, accepting death from drunkenness to those who have it and your blessing healed from this ailment.

Send down through your prayers the lonely and helpless consolation invisible from the Lord and the knowledge of the true love of Christ, let them lead away, as our friends - saints and angels, invisibly observe us.

Accept the petitions of the poor and the afflicted, and give them with your prayers unexpected care, as if they had thee benefactor in their earthly life.

Cowardly, despairing in your life, be an ambulance comforter, as if you had saved your wife, in sorrow, who intended to destroy herself and the maiden, who was saved from harm in a fall from a height. However, their souls are pernicious

thou hast delivered the abysses. So, we pray to you, reverend, save from sudden death, as if you had preserved the youth unscathed, having received a terrible blow on the road.

Pour out motherly help in the teaching to those who arrive and give an increase in the mind, so that they remain without sorrow in the out-of-the-easy course of their teaching.

In various everyday affairs, troubles and difficulties, give a speedy arrangement and a good end to this. Hear the prayers of those who mourn for those who are astray, who are outside the saving ark of the Orthodox Church, may the All-Good Lord save them by fate and bring them to the knowledge of His truth.

Send down strength and fortitude to the soldiers in the performance of their godly service, may the Lord save them from all evil. Teach those who are monks the right to walk in the way of the Lord, strengthening them in ascetic labors and in the moderate bearing of your cross, as you also labored for salvation in love for the Lord and His people.

Give true standing in the Orthodox faith as a bishop and priest, so that the flock of Christ is shepherded faithfully and without hypocrisy, rightly ruling and walking without stumbling before the Lord.

The head and authority of the wise people of our government, but in union with the Church, our country is in peace and silence. Open for us with your prayers the doors of God's mercy and deliver us from all evil. Grant us to escape the snares of the evil one. Pray, reverend, to the Merciful Lord for us penitents, may He forgive us our faults according to the multitude of His goodness. And even to the end, by your prayers, keep us uncondemned, but saved by your intercession and help, we will always send glory, praise, thanksgiving and worship to the One in the Trinity God, the Creator of all. Amen.

The life of Simon the Zealot was closely connected with Jesus Christ and filled with all sorts of trials that he worthily endured for the sake of faith.

Life of a saint

Very little information is known about the life of Christ's associate. It is known for sure that he was born in Cannes, and that it was in his house that Jesus turned water into wine, and this happened at a man's wedding. Seeing this miracle, Simom believed in the power of the Savior and, leaving his family, went to be his disciple. For his devoted and faithful service, the young man received the nickname "Zealot", which means "zealot".

The exact origin of this nickname is unknown, but it is assumed that it indicates that the apostle belongs to the religious and political direction of the Zealots.

This direction arose in the era of the Maccabees in the middle of the 1st century BC and reached the peak of its development in the first half of the 1st century after the birth of Christ, the movement of the Zealots was very radical in its work. The goal of the adherents of this direction was the liberation of Judea from the power of Rome, as well as from Hellenistic influence. For example, in 66, by order of the Roman governor, all silver was seized from the Jerusalem temple - this was the reason for the beginning of the Jewish war, and its zealots began.

At the time of Christ's life, the Zealot society did not use radical methods to achieve its goals, but still they had a great national consciousness and believed in their mission.

Simon's belonging to this party suggests that religious issues were extremely important to him. Having believed in Christ as the promised Messiah and Savior, he began to preach the new faith with the same zeal with which he had previously confessed the teaching of Moses.

The companion had another nickname "Kananit", it was given by the name of the city in which he was born. Simon is also called the half-brother of Christ, since his father was also Joseph, the husband of Mary. Today, the exact location of Canna of Galilee, in which the apostle was born, is not known, but there is an assumption that it was located on the territory of the present-day village of Kafr-Kana, located in Israel, and a temple called the "Wedding Church" was built on the same place.

After the Resurrection of Christ and his ascension to Heaven, the man began to serve the Lord, first on the territory of Israel, as the second bishop.

He also preached Christianity in Egypt, Libya and Abkhazia.

Wanderings

For devotional service, the companion was endowed with a special gift, thanks to which he traveled the world and preached the word of God. During the years of preaching, he visited the territory of Mauritania, Egypt, Persia and Britain. Twenty years after the crucifixion of Jesus, the apostle arrived to carry the holy word to the Iberian lands, and then went to the mountains of Ossetia and Abkhazia.

As a dwelling, Simon chose a cave, which was located in a deep gorge near a mountain river. He descended to his shelter with the help of ropes. On the territory of all the lands that the saint visited during the years of his life, he spoke about the life of Christ, the miracles he performed and how he sacrificed himself for the sake of all mankind.

The death of a saint

The apostle preached on the territory of Georgia for a long time. During this period, the country was ruled by Aderky, who was an ardent supporter of paganism, and because of this he outlawed the apostle and his assistants.

The life of the Apostle Simon the Zealot was cut short in 107, as he succumbed to cruel tortures. There are several versions regarding the death of a man, according to one of them, he was crucified, according to another, he was sawn up with a saw. The martyr was buried near the place where he lived.

After the death of the saint, many people came to his grave, read a prayer to St. Simon the Zealot and asked for help in various life situations. All those who asked received help, and once again they were convinced of the power of the Lord.

memorial day

Every year on May 23, Christians celebrate the day of memory of the apostle. This day has always been special for believers, it was after its celebration that one could start working in the field.

Icon of Simon the Zealot

Most often, icon painters depict the saint as an old man with gray hair, holding a book or a scroll. These objects are depicted on all icons where the faces of the apostles are depicted. The book is a symbol of the word of God.

There are such icons on which the saint is depicted with a saw in his hands, it symbolizes his martyrdom.

What is asked of the saint

What do believers pray to the apostle Simon the Zealot? Basically, he is asked for help in needs, healing from illnesses, well-being in family life. Women turn to St. Simon the Zealot with a prayer for a husband, thus they want to protect them from life's dangers and difficulties.

When reading a prayer in front of the icon of the martyr, the main thing is to be pure in heart and ask only for good deeds.

Prayer to the Apostle Simon the Zealot

Holy glorious and all-praiseable Apostle of Christ Simone, worthy to receive into your house in Cana of Galilee our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, Our Lady Theotokos, and to be an eyewitness to the glorious miracle of Christ, manifested on your brother, turning water into wine! We pray to you with faith and love: implore Christ the Lord to transform our souls from sin-loving into God-loving; save and keep us with your prayers from the temptations of the devil and the falls of sin, and ask us from above for help during our despondency and helplessness; let us not stumble over the stone of temptation, but steadily walk the saving path of the commandments of Christ, until we reach these blessed abodes of paradise, where you are now settling down and having fun. Hey, Apostle of the Savior! Do not disgrace us, who trust in you, but be your helper and patron in all our lives and help us piously and God-pleasingly end this temporary life, receive a good and peaceful Christian death and be worthy of a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ; Yes, having escaped the ordeals of the air and the power of the fierce world-keeper, let us inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and glorify the magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Now you know about the life of the apostle, and how the patron Simon the Zealot helps those believers who ask him for help, knowing this you can turn to him in difficult moments of your life.

Cosmas and Damian are miracle-working brothers who lived in the second half of the 3rd - early 4th centuries, they healed people during their lifetime and continue to help all those who ask after death. A prayer read to doctors for healing will help the one asking to get rid of various ailments and misfortunes.

Life of Cosmas and Damian

The holy brothers lived in the 3rd century from the Nativity of Christ, grew up and were brought up in a Christian family, their father was Greek and professed paganism, and their mother was a Christian, her name was Theodotia.

Even in childhood, the boys were left without a father, and this was probably to their happiness, the mother calmly took up their upbringing. After the death of her husband, the woman no longer dared to marry, and devoted her life to raising children in Christian traditions. Theodotia gave up all the joys of life for the sake of serving the Lord and her sons.

Thanks to their mother, the brothers devoted their entire lives to God, leading a righteous and chaste life.

For such devotion, God gave them the gift of healing, which they used for the benefit of people.

Emperor Karin found out about the brothers, and he did not like what they were doing and that they were converting the people to Christianity. The emperor sent his servants for Cosmas and Dimian to kill the brothers, but when the people they helped found out about this, they hid the healers from the murderers.

When the soldiers did not find the brothers, they decided to arrest other Christians, Cosmas and Damian could not allow this and surrendered voluntarily. The healers were thrown into prison, and after that they were put on trial.

Despite the threat of death, the men did not abandon Christianity, and did not agree to sacrifice according to pagan traditions.

They said this: “We have not harmed anyone, we are not engaged in magic and sorcery, which you accuse us of. We heal ailments by the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and do not take any reward for helping the sick.”

The Lord punished Emperor Karin and sent a sudden illness on him. This miracle forced many witnesses to believe, who began to ask the brothers to heal the emperor.

The emperor himself asked for help from the righteous, and they helped the ruler. After healing, Karin gave the men freedom, and they continued to help people. Fame, success and love for the brothers aroused the envy of their mentor, who taught Cosmas and Damian to heal, he believed that they owed everything to him.

The elder, obsessed with revenge, called his disciples into the forest, allegedly to collect medicinal herbs, led them into the thicket, killed them, and threw their bodies into the river. The life of Kosma and Damian ended unexpectedly, but the memory of them is alive to this day.

Saints are commemorated every year on July 14th.

Faces of saints

The most common icon of the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian is the one on which the martyrs are painted together in full growth, the brothers are also depicted in motion. On the icon, Saints Cosmas and Damian are depicted dressed in long shirts, with capes made of a rectangular piece of fabric over them. In the right hand, men hold a spoon, and in the left a casket, these objects indicate the occupation of men - healing.

In addition to the traditional icon, there are also other images:

• icon of Cosmas and Damian of Arabia;
• brothers stand before God;
• saints sometimes healing the sick;
• fragments of their lives.

What do Cosmas and Damian pray for?

The brothers were doctors during their lifetime and now they are revered as healers even now. Prayer to the saints is read during various diseases: colds, chronic diseases, tumors, ulcers. Prayer to healers will help get rid of drug and alcohol addiction.

The prayer addressed to Cosmas and Demian has great power, so its reading should be taken seriously and only with pure thoughts.

Saints help all the people who turn to them, protect them and support them. Since the brothers led a chaste and righteous lifestyle, they often help with discord in the family and protect against adultery.

Temples dedicated to saints

In many cities of Russia and other countries, many churches have been built in honor of the martyrs Cosmas and Damian, in which people can turn to saints for help, read prayers to them and glorify both gift and virtue.

List of temples:

• · “Church of Cosmas and Damian of Rome, in Old Pani. It was built in 1564, rebuilt and restored in 1803 in
• classicism style. In 1930 it was destroyed, but in 2000 it was restored to its intended original forms.
• · Temple of Cosmas and Damian in Shubin, was built in 1722, in a simplified Moscow baroque style.
• · Temple of Cosmas and Damian, located in the village of Brusyany, Samara region.
• · Monastery of the Holy Brothers in Serbia, 5 km east of Orahovets, Prizren region, Kosovo.
• · Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Bulgaria, Kuklen community, Plovdiv region, known since the 11th century AD. e."

Localities dedicated to saints

The coat of arms of the city of Schmallenberg, located in Germany in North Rhine, Westphalia, depicts saints. The coat of arms of the district of Bedefeld depicts Saints Cosmas and Damian. On the Volga River in the Republic of Mari El, stands the city of Kozmodemyansk. In the Yaroslavl region there is a village Kozmodemyansk. In Italy, in the Latina province of the Lazio region, there is the city of Santi Cosma.

Prayers that are read to the saints

A correctly read prayer is a powerful weapon against many troubles, the main thing is to read it with a pure heart and thoughts.

Prayer to the unmercenaries and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian for health

O wonderworkers of glory, doctors of the abyss, Cosmo and Damian! You, from the youth of Christ God, having loved, not only the art of healing, but rather the inexhaustible grace of healing all sorts of ailments from God, naturally received. The same, you will soon hear us, before your honest icon, falling down. young children, for your help in the teaching of the book asking, instruct with your prayers, but they will gain jealousy for your life, not an earthly thing, but more in piety and right faith, unceasingly and succeed. Lying on the bed of sickness, desperate for help in humanity, who come running to you warmly with faith and fervent prayer, grant the healing of diseases by your merciful miraculous visit; so also from fierce ailments into despondency, cowardice and murmuring of the grace that has come to you from God in patience, confirm and instruct, so that they understand the will of God about them, holy and perfect, and the partakers will be made God's saving grace. The fraternity of the Holy Church, your holy intercession from the God is awarded, and all those who come up from the sickness of the fuss to you, will retain, and from the non -wisely laughs, and you will have a good petition to be a good thing, and for the same time, it’s good for the same. together they will be honored in the future age

always sing and glorify the all-holy and magnificent name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 2

Wonderworkers of glory, doctors of the abyss, Cosmo and Damian! From your youth, you have loved Christ God and keep that commandment with all your heart, and even give yourself to the teachings of medicine, but virtuous for the sake of life and purity of soul, by the power of Christ God, not only the art of healing, but rather the inexhaustible grace of God. Fire -in -me -down and Miloserdia for the not -to -those of the Crack, we’ll not be in the way, but you also give a more healing of more healing, you will fill the whole world, and you will not be more likely, but you will suffer a lot of things. in the correction of life, you admonish and draw to Christ by repentance. The same now and we, who are falling to you before the honest hiccups of your wow, hear you, you can do the young child, you like to ask the book, you are jealous, but it will not be more likely let them succeed. Lying on the bed of illness, human help to the desperate, but to you warmly with faith and fervent prayer who come running, grant the healing of diseases by your merciful, miraculous visit. Many times falling into illnesses and from fierce ailments into despondency, cowardice and murmuring who have come, confirm the grace given to you from God in patience, and instruct, so that they may understand the will of God for them, holy and good, and for themselves and live their own will of Christ. In the ailments of those who do not care about the correction of life, who do not repent of sins, break with a hardened heart for salvation and call to repentance, but if the weak are in body, they will be healthy in soul, and the communicants will be made God's saving grace. The fraternity of the Holy Church, your holy intercession from God is awarded, and all the vowingly resorting unharmed to you, preserve from the long -explosion, from the sickness of the people and the ineffective, from the emergence of the upper Follow the right faith of the Twerdsh, in the bonnial of the nasty, in the pre -tributaries, in the prayer, in the prayer to the God of the diligent, and with your taste they are sung in the boogging branch and glory to the almighty and the din of the diligence, and the diligence of the din. . Amen.

Prayer to Cosmas and Damian of Arabia

To you, the holy unmercenaries and miracle workers Cosmo and Damian, as if to a quick helper and a warm intercessor for our salvation, we are unworthy, on our knees, we run and, crouching, fervently cry out: do not despise the prayers of us sinners, the weak, who have fallen into many iniquities and all the days and hours of those who sin.

Pray to the Lord that He grant us, His unworthy servant, His great and rich mercy, deliver us from all sorrow and illness, for you have received from the Lord and Savior of our Jesus Christ the inexhaustible grace of healing, for the sake of firm faith, unmercenary healing and your martyrdom death.

Paki, crouching, diligently we pray: ask us from the Lord all that is beneficial, even in our temporary belly, and most of all, for eternal salvation, may we be able to improve the death of the Christian, painless, shameless, peaceful, and let us get rid of the wiles of the devil and eternal torment , we will be heirs of the infinite and blessed Kingdom of Heaven. She, the servants of God, do not stop praying for us, with faith flowing to you, if for the multitude of our sins and we are not worthy of your mercy, both of you, the faithful imitator of the love of God of God, create, let us bear fruit worthy of repentance and achieve eternal rest , praising and blessing the marvelous in His saints Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and His Most Pure Mother, and your warm intercession, always, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Hilarion the Great is revered in Christianity and deserved respect for being faithful to Christianity and not succumbing to the temptations sent to him by evil forces, an addressed prayer to St. Hilarion the Great will help to cope with temptations and life's difficulties.

Information about the life of the righteous

In the 3rd century, in 291, a boy was born in the village of Tavafa, they named him Hilarion, in the future he will become a preacher - Hilarion the Great. His father and mother at one time received a good education and worshiped pagan gods, so that their son also received a good education, they sent their son to Alexandria, it was in this city that the young man converted to Christianity. On the territory of Egypt, the young man heard about Anthony the Great, a righteous man who helped people cope with various life problems with the help of faith, and went to him to gain wisdom.

Hilarion spent several years next to Antony, but he found the desired calmness for himself, he decided to lead a solitary way of life. The man receives the blessing of the elder and goes to his city. Upon arriving home, the righteous man learned that he had no relatives left, he gave everything valuable that he had to the poor and went to the desert, located near the city of Maium.

The man constantly walked around in the same clothes, sackcloth and robes that Antony gave him. He ate only figs - this is figs.

The life of Saint Hilarion the Great was filled with trials and temptations, but with the help of faith he was able to overcome them. The devil was constantly tempting the man to lead him astray and drive him out of the desert, but prayers and repentance helped him to endure all the trials.

One interesting incident happened to the Saint once, robbers attacked him and wanted to rob him, but by the power of the holy word he was able to persuade them to leave this way of making money and repent of their sins.

The Lord gave the saint the gift of casting out demons, thanks to this skill he helped many people who were possessed.

The believers knew what Hilarion the Great was helping with, and began to come to him for help, the elder healed people for free, arguing that there was no need for payment for the help of the Lord.

With the help of the senses, the saint felt what exactly this or that person was obsessed with, and delivered him from passions. The Lord rewarded the elder with a gift

cast out a demon and he used it for the benefit of people. The fame of the Saint spread throughout Palestine, and it was with his blessing that monasteries began to be built throughout the country to spread Christianity among the population. Hilarion toured all the built monasteries and initiated the monks into how to properly conduct services and read prayers.

In his declining years, the saint, in order to avoid the excessive attention of people, settled in the desert on about. Cyprus, but even here he did not find peace, since possessed people constantly nailed to him and the righteous healed them with the help of prayer.

After living in the desert for several years, the elder moved further to the center of the island and chose a cave among the mountains as his dwelling. Here he lived for about 5 years, daily struggling with temptations with the help of the holy word. A very beautiful garden grew near the old man's dwelling, and he wanted to be buried in this place, the man lived to be eighty years old and was buried in the year three hundred and seventy-one.

Image on icons

On the icons of the Monk Hilarion the Great, icon painters, as a rule, depict him in a cassock, in one of his hands is a cross, in the other - a book, these objects were not chosen by chance, they are symbols of faith.

What do they pray to Hilarion the Great

Coming to the face of a sage, people mainly turn to him with such requests:

• solving financial problems;
• healing of serious illnesses;
• getting rid of obsession.

It is not necessary to pray in front of the icon in the temple, this can be done at home. It is especially useful to have the image of a saint at home for those men who were baptized with the name Hilarion, thus a person will receive strong protection and a talisman.

Where are the relics of the saint

As the elder bequeathed, he was buried in the territory of a beautiful garden. Growing near his cave, but the disciple Hesychius transferred the relics of Hilarion the Great to another place so that people would not disturb his peace. The remains found their refuge in a monastery in Palestine.

In the 9th century, the remains of the saint were transported to the territory of France by order of the ruler Charlemagne. In the first half of the 16th century, the elder's brush was transported to the territory of Venice.

“Some parts of the relics are kept in several churches:

• Church of St. Mina in Crete;
• Kikk monastery in Cyprus;
• Nicholas Monastery in Florida.

Memorial Day of St. Hilarion the Great is celebrated on November 3rd.

Prayer one

O glorious servant of God, Hieromartyr Hilarion, our Father, you, in the days of short-term life on earth in the midst of persecution and sorrows of many, preserved your faith, did not quench your spirit and taught the faithful how it is fitting to live in the house of God, even if there is a church of God alive, a pillar and affirmation of the truth . For this sake, we fall down to you: help us with your prayers to keep firmly the dogmas and canons of the Church, to acquire the sight of your sins with a humble spirit, to love every person as an incorruptible image of Christ according to the gospel verb, to despise or reject anyone, but serve everyone according to your strength, and so Lord working, may we be honored with you and with all the New Martyrs of Russia to sing the Holy Trinity forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer is different, composed in the Solovetsky Monastery

O great saint of God and glorious miracle worker, Saint Hilarion! Having descended from far and near cities and villages, in a hedgehog at the place of your exploits, pray and kiss your multi-healing relics, from the depths of our hearts we cry out to you: with a rod of goodness, like a good shepherd, save the erring sheep of the flock of Christ, dwell in the courtyards of the Lord, protect us from temptation, heresies and schisms, teach us to philosophize on the dry land: enlighten our scattered mind and direct us on the path of truth, warm our cold heart with love for our neighbor and zeal for the fulfillment of God's commands, revive our weakened will with sin and negligence by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit: yes to your following the pastoral voice, let us preserve our souls in purity and truth, and so, helping God, we will achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with you we will glorify the honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Kuksha is a revered and respected sage in Christianity, he lived a long life filled with all sorts of trials.

Brief description of the life of the Monk Kuksha of Odessa

The sage was born in the 19th century, or rather in 1874 in a village called Garbuzinka in a simple family. The mother wanted to serve the Lord, but her parents chose a different life for her and married her off. After the birth of children, the woman constantly prayed to God that one of them would become a priest.

From his youth, the guy adored silence, loneliness and had a deep sympathy for people. His relative was possessed by demons, in order to save him, he brought a relative to an old man who died to cast out demons. The wise man healed the guy, and Kukshe answered like this:

"Just because you brought him to me, the enemy will take revenge on you - you will be persecuted all your life."

At the age of twenty, the young man visited Jerusalem for the first time, with him there were also many people from his native village, on the way home he would also visit Mount Athos. During this journey, the guy realized that he wanted to serve God and hurried home for the blessing of his parents.

Upon arrival at home, the man visited the Kyiv sage and miracle worker Jon, who had special insight. The elder blessed him, then touched his head with a cross and said:

“I bless you to the monastery! You will live on Athos!

The father did not immediately give his consent to the monasticism of his son, but the mother immediately blessed him with the image of the Kazan Mother of God, he did not part with her throughout his life. In 1896 he came to the Holy Mountain and became a novice.

A year later, the man again visited the Holy Land. Here two miracles happened to him, which served as a special sign of his future.

“... There is a Siloam font in Jerusalem. There is a custom for all pilgrims, especially barren women, to plunge into this spring, and according to legend, the one who first has time to plunge into the water will have a child. Kosma and his mother also went to plunge into the Siloam font.

It so happened that in the twilight of the vaults someone pushed him down the steps, and he suddenly fell first into the water right in his clothes. The women screamed with regret that the young man was the first to plunge into the water.

But this was a sign from above that Father Kuksha would have many spiritual children. He always said: “I have a thousand spiritual children…”.

The second sign happened in Bethlehem.

“... Having bowed to the place of the birth of Christ the Divine Infant, the pilgrims began to ask the guard to allow them to take holy oil from the lamps, but he turned out to be cruel and intractable. Suddenly, one lamp miraculously overturned on Kosma, dousing his entire suit. People surrounded the young man and collected holy oil from him with their hands. So the Lord showed that through Father Kuksha, many people will receive Divine grace ... ".

In the first decade of the 20th century, the Greek authorities, for political reasons, asked the Russian priests to leave Athos, and Cosmas too, “... It is so pleasing to God that you live in Russia, you also need to save people there,” the man’s spiritual mentor said. Thus, a priest from Athos became a minister of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The saint dreamed of accepting the great schema, but since he was still young, he could not do this. Once, being near the relics of St. Silouan, the monk expressed his desire, and he, as it were, heard his request.

At the age of fifty-six, the man fell seriously ill, everyone thought that he would not recover, and the monks tonsured his brother into the great schema, after this event he recovered and recovered.

Prophecies of the Elder

During his life, the sage not only instructed people with his wise word, but also predicted the future, so Kuksha of Odessa made prophecies about Ukraine, and they all came true.

“... My dear brothers and sisters in Christ in Christ our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace be with you from our Lord Jesus Christ with Grace. For the letter I thank you, which I received not so long ago. Save you, Lord, that you have not forgotten me a sinner. My dear sisters, I believe in your grief and from the bottom of my heart I thank the Lord in everything, but it is a pity that I cannot save you from it. But be patient, my dear brothers and sisters, for this is what our Heavenly Father has ordained. Know, my dear sisters, that everything is sent from God, good and bad and sorrowful. Accept everything with joy, as from the hand of the Most High God, the Lord, do not be afraid God will not leave you, He will never send you sorrow and grief beyond your strength, and will never put a heavy burden on you, but according to your strength and will give as much as you have enough power.

Know my sisters, if your grief is great, then know that you have a lot of strength to endure it, and if it is not enough, then there is little sorrow to endure. God will never put grief on you, so that you do not find yourself without strength, but you endure this or that grief of a person, for time is coming to death,

now the last chapter of the third book of the prophet Ezra is beginning to be fulfilled, death is rolling towards us quickly, oh, oh my sisters, what a time is coming that you don’t want to live in this world.

And here, terrible disasters are coming to the earth, fire, famine, death, destruction and destruction. And who can avert them. If it is appointed by the Lord for the sins of people, and this time is already close, lo, lo. And do not listen to anyone who says that there will be peace, there is no peace and there will be no peace.

War and immediately strong, overwhelming hunger, look where everything will immediately disappear, there will be nothing to eat, and then death, death and death, they will drive everyone to the east, men and women, but not a single soul will return from there, everyone will die there. Terrible and great will be death from hunger. And whoever remains from hunger will die from pestilence, from pestilence, and this contagious disease will be impossible to treat. It was not in vain that the holy prophet said and wrote: "Woe, woe and woe to you, our land." One grief will pass, the second will come, the second will pass, the third will come, and so on. Oh, our God…”

Life in the camp

The priest endured many trials in his life, since during the times of repression, priests were constantly persecuted. In 1938, the monk was sentenced to five years of hard labor, so the 63-year-old monk ended up doing hard work at the logging site. They worked at hard labor for 14 hours, they worked hard and received meager food for this.

During the imprisonment, one interesting incident happened to the priest, which can be equated to a miracle: “On Easter, Father Kuksha, weak and hungry, walked along the barbed wire, behind which the cooks carried baking sheets with pies for protection. Crows flew over them. The monk prayed: “Raven, raven, you fed the prophet Elijah in the desert, bring me a piece of the pie too!” And suddenly I heard over my head “kar-rr!” and a meat pie fell at his feet. It was the raven who stole it from the cook's pan. Batiushka lifted the pie from the snow, thanked God with tears and quenched his hunger.”

Pochaev period

The elder returned from hard labor in 1948 after the end of his sentence. Here he begins to bear the feat of passion, helping many people, for which he was exiled by the authorities to Pochaev. In the monastery, he continued to serve God and help people, but even here there were ill-wishers, through whose fault the persecution of the priest resumed.

In order to protect the elder from persecution, in 1957 the bishop sent him to the village of Khreshchatyk to St. John the Theologian Monastery.

In 1960, the elder moved to the Odessa Holy Assumption Patriarchal Monastery, which became his last home. To those who came to the priest for a blessing, he said: “The Mother of God wants to take me to her, but pray - and Kuksha will live 111 years! And then 90 years old - and Kuksha is gone, they will take spatulas and bury.

In 1964, the old man fell ill, in a fit of anger, his cell-attendant Nikolai drove the weak old man out into the street at one in the morning, it was cold outside, as it was autumn. In the dark, the man fell into the pit, could not get out of it, as he injured his leg, and lay in it until the morning. In the morning, his brothers found him and pulled him out of the pit, but he developed bilateral pneumonia from the cold. No matter how hard they tried to cure him, nothing worked, and the man died.

The authorities feared that a large crowd would gather at the funeral of the priest, and banned telegrams from Odessa announcing the monk's death. But the abbot of the monastery gave a wise answer to this: "A monk's homeland is a monastery."

Finding relics

After the death of the elder, various miracles began to happen near the place of his burial, people began to be healed from serious illnesses there.

The relics of St. Kuksha of Odessa are in the Holy Dormition Monastery, they have never been taken outside of it.

Icon of Kuksha Odessa, which helps and meaning

As a rule, icon painters depict Kuksha as an old man with a long gray beard. He is dressed in traditional monastic clothes, and a halo is often depicted above his head, as a symbol of holiness. In shrines, the monk holds a scroll with Holy Scripture. On some icons, scenes from his life are depicted next to the elder.

Basically, in front of the icon, people read a prayer to Kuksha of Odessa about healing from severe physical and psychological ailments, gaining faith and providing assistance in various life situations.

Prayer to Kuksha of Odessa

O reverend and God-bearing Father, our Kukshō, the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God, praise, God-saved city of Odessa, unfading flower, meek shepherd of Christ and a great prayer book for us. We zealously resort to you and ask with a contrite heart: do not take away your cover from our monastery, in it you fought a good feat. Be a good helper to all who piously live and work well in it. O our good shepherd and God-wise mentor, Reverend Father Kuksho, look graciously at the coming people, tenderly praying and asking you for help and intercession. Remember all those who have faith and love for you, who prayerfully call on your name and come to worship with the power of your saints, and graciously fulfill all their good petitions, overshadowing them with your patristic blessing. Deliver, holy father, from every slander of the enemy our holy Church, this city, our monastery and our land, and do not leave us with your intercession, weak, burdened with many sins and sorrows. Illuminate, most blessed, our mind with the light of the face of God, strengthen our life with the grace of the Lord, and having established ourselves in the law of Christ, we will flow lazily along the path of the commandments of the saints. Autumn with your blessing to us, and to all those who are in sorrow, who are obsessed with mental and bodily illnesses, granting healing, consolation and deliverance. Above all of these, ask us from above the spirit of meekness and humility of wisdom, the spirit of patience and repentance, who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by disastrous heresies and schisms, enlightenment, in the darkness of unbelief with the wandering light of true knowledge of God, enlightenment, strife and discord, satisfaction. Beg the Lord God and the Most Holy Theotokos to grant us a quiet and sinless life. Remember us unworthy at the throne of the Almighty, and ask for a peaceful Christian death, and make us worthy of your help to improve eternal salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, may we glorify the great generosity and inexpressible mercy of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity we worship God, and your fatherly intercession in ages of ages. Amen.

If a person suffers from frequent psychoses and nervous disorders, then he should come to the temple and read a prayer to Kuksha of Odessa for psychosis in front of the icon of the saint, he will definitely help you, because even during his lifetime, the elder bequeathed people to come with their troubles to his grave.

Memorial Day of Kuksha Odessky is celebrated annually on September 29.

For many centuries, Saint Princess Anna has been worshiped by Orthodox Christians not only in Russia, but also abroad. Anna Kashinskaya, holy missus, in what way she helps people, you will learn from the article, because prayer in front of this icon can protect your home and family from grief and loss.

Life of a princess

Princess Anna lived on the lands of Russia in the 13th century, she was the daughter of the Rostov prince. From childhood, the girl showed zeal in prayer and grew meek and pious.

From a young age, the princess had to learn about the fragility of earthly happiness and the transience of worldly goods. The blows overtook her one after another, so in 1294 her father died, then in 1296 the grand ducal tower with all the property burned to the ground.

After the early loss of her father, the princess married out of great and mutual love, but the happiness of family life did not last long, her husband, Prince Mikhail of Tverskoy, became very ill, as soon as this danger passed, as Theodora, the first-born of the grand-ducal family, died in infancy.

In 1318, a new grief befell the princess, for refusing to bow to pagan idols in the Horde, her husband was tortured to death. The most regrettable thing was that the death of the prince was provoked by the rivalry of the fellow Moscow prince Yuri.

Internecine wars and raids of enemies were taken away from the woman's relatives one by one: in 1325, her eldest son, Dimitry the Terrible Eyes, met in the Horde with Prince Yuri of Moscow, the culprit in the death of his father, killed him and was executed by the khan for this.

In 1339, her second son, Alexander and grandson Theodore, died in the Horde, their heads were cut off, and their bodies were cut into pieces. Thus, the khan took revenge for the uprising of Tver against the Tatars, led by the cousin of the khan, Uzbek.

The many troubles and hardships that the saint endured during her life prompted her to think about monasticism.

The clergyman blessed the princess, she took the tonsure and settled in the St. Sophia Monastery in Tver. After some time, at the request of the youngest son Vasily, the princess-mother moved to a monastery specially built for her.

The woman constantly prayed for her innocently killed relatives, and only thanks to her prayers, her soul found peace.

The inner monastic life of the princess is a mystery to people who knew her in the world, and for many generations of believers it is only known that she devoted herself to a secret feat. The destiny of a woman was a prayer for the innocently deceased relatives and for the pacification of the Russian land.

Anna died in 1368 with a prayer on her lips. Immediately after the death of the saint, miracles of healing of hopelessly ill people began to occur on his grave. In 1649, Kashinskaya was canonized, and her image was painted by icon painters of St. Sophia Cathedral.

In the host of Russian saints, Anna Kashinskaya occupies a special place, since each saint is characterized to a greater extent by one or another Christian virtue.

A woman embodies the virtue of patience, this spiritual property in Christianity has such a high value that without it it is impossible to acquire other, more sublime, virtues, such as humility and meekness.

Icon of the Holy Blessed Princess Anna of Kashinsky

On the icon, the holy noble princess Anna Kashinskaya is depicted standing on the banks of the Nerl River, a woman humbly accepting the blessing of the Lord, setting off for difficult obedience. On the icon, the princess is depicted in a monastic attire - a schema, with a rosary in one hand, and pressed to her heart with the other hand. This image shows every believer that in the face of any sorrow he must be humble and rely on the will of the Almighty. Only this path will help you reach the grace of the Lord, and only by following it will you enter the Kingdom of the Lord.

What helps the icon of Anna Kashinskaya

The princess experienced many troubles in her life, but this did not break her, but, on the contrary, made her even stronger, it helped her to remain a deeply religious person until her death. Orthodox Christians from all over the world pray to the Holy One and ask for help for consolation, the bestowal of spiritual strength, the healing of illnesses and the expulsion of longing.

Also, the face of Anna Kashinskaya helps believers to cultivate the spirit of humility. She stands up for all those who have lost their parents, widowed or bereft of children.

According to folk tradition, those who are going to tie the knot, as well as those who are ready to take monastic orders, pray before the icon of the saint.

Days of celebration

At the moment, the saint has three holidays:

• the acquisition of relics - August 3;
• another acquisition of relics - June 25;
• day of departure to God.

Where is the icon

Many icons with the face of the Saint have been written, but the original image, as well as the incorruptible relics of St. Anna of Kashin, is located in the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Kashin.

Trials after death

Tests did not leave the missus even after death. Anna was canonized as a saint by Patriarch Nikon, but after he fell out of favor, the name of the Saint was blotted out from church books. The thing is that on the icon, the hands of St. Anna were folded in a two-fingered sign of the cross (now it is three-fingered), this hinted at the unjustification of church reforms after the split of the church.

But the people did not forget and did not leave their favorite, people continued to keep records of miracles, held religious processions. In the 19th century, justice was restored, even a second canonization took place, by the way, this caused a big surge in the popularity of the name Anna.

Prayers before the icon of St. Anna

Special prayers have been composed to appeal to the righteous princess. Praying in front of the icon, you should first read the daily prayers, thank the Lord, then move on to personal requests.

Prayer to St. Anna of Kashinsky

“Oh, the most holy and blessed Princess Anna, with her meekness and mercy healing the wounds of body and soul! I humbly pray to you: pacify my sinful anguish and give consolation in every grief and sorrow. Preserve my soul and my life, so that I may glorify our Lord and know the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Prayer for comfort in any grief.

“Blessing the princess, who illuminated the world with the imperishable light of her soul, intercessor and humble prayer book for our destinies! We humbly pray to you: save, princess, from the misfortunes and misfortunes of the humble and unworthy servants of God, do not leave us in fiery hell to desecrate the devil, implore our Lord to show the right path and illuminate our souls with your gentle light. Amen".

Prayers for the forgiveness of sins will help you cleanse your soul and draw closer to the grace of God.

The Monk Moses Murin lived in the 4th century in Egypt. He was an Ethiopian by origin, his face was black and therefore people called him "murin". In his youth, the man was a slave of one noble man, but after he committed the murder, the master drove him away, and he stuck to a gang of robbers.

For violent temper and great physical strength, he was chosen as the leader in the gang. Moses, along with his accomplices, did many atrocities, such as murder, robbery, and therefore everyone was afraid of them. Moses spent several years in a sinful robbery life, but thanks to the grace of God, he repented of his deeds, left the gang and went to one of the desert monasteries.

The life of Moses Murin was difficult and filled with trials. He was not soon freed from passions, often came to the abbot of the monastery, Abba Isidore, asking for advice on how to get rid of fornication. The wise old man advised a man never to be satiated with food, to stay hungry, observing the strictest abstinence from everything worldly.

Having lived for many years in monastic deeds, the Monk Moses was consecrated to the rank of deacon. The bishop dressed him in white clothes and said: "Abba Moses is now all white." The saint replied: "Lord, what makes pure - external or internal?" Out of humility, the monk considered himself unworthy to accept the rank of deacon.

Once, the bishop decided to test the man, and ordered the clergy to drive the deacon from the altar, scolding him with an unworthy murine, the monk accepted the dishonor with complete humility. Having tested Moses, the bishop consecrated him to the presbyter. The Monk Moses served in this rank for 15 years and gathered 75 disciples around him. Murin spent a lot of time in prayers for admonition and repentance, as he wanted to atone for all his sins.

When Murin was 75 years old, he warned his monks that robbers would soon attack their skete and kill everyone who lived in it. The saint blessed the disciples to leave the skete in order to avoid a violent death.

The disciples urged their teacher to leave with them, but he replied: “I have been waiting for many years for the time when the word of my Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled on me, saying:“ All who receive the knife will perish by the knife ”(Matt. 26, 52).

After the students listened to the teacher's answer, 7 brothers remained with him, of which one, when the robbers approached, hid nearby. The bandits killed the Monk Moses and the six disciples who remained with him, their death came around the year 400.

The meaning of the icon of St. Moses Murin

The image of Moses Murin is the helper and hope of all believers, especially he helps people prone to alcoholism and fornication. On the icon

the righteous man is depicted as a man with a dark face and a righteous look. In his hands he holds a bundle, with all his appearance the man radiates grace and kindness.

How does the image help?

And so, how does the icon of Moses Murin help believers throughout the Earth? Basically, they come to the face of the Saint for help to overcome the attraction to drunkenness and debauchery. A prayer read in front of the icon will help heal the souls of people who have sinned with serious crimes.

Most often, people turn in prayers to the Saint in such requests:

• with alcoholism and drug addiction;
• about the forgiveness of prodigal sin and thoughts;
• in constant disputes with neighbors.

Prayer for drunkenness to the Monk Moses Murin

Reverend Moses Murin

Oh, the great power of repentance! Oh, the immeasurable depth of God's mercy! You, Reverend Moses, were formerly a thief, but then you were horrified by your sins, grieved for them, and in repentance came to the monastery, and there, in great lamentation for your iniquities and in difficult deeds, you spent your days until death and were rewarded with Christ's grace of forgiveness and the gift of miracles.

O reverend, you have achieved wonderful virtues from grave sins, help the slaves (names) praying to you, who are drawn to death from the fact that they indulge in immeasurable, harmful to the soul and body, the use of wine. Incline your merciful eyes on them, do not reject or despise them, but listen to them who come running to you.

Moth, holy Moses, Lord of Christ, lest He, the Merciful, reject them, and may the devil not rejoice in their death, but may the Lord spare these powerless and unfortunate (names), who were possessed by the pernicious passion of drunkenness, because we are all God's creations and redeemed by the Most Pure By the blood of his Son.

Hear, Reverend Moses, their prayer, drive away the devil from them, grant them the power to overcome their passion, help them, stretch out your hand, lead them on the path of good, free them from the slavery of passions and deliver them from drinking wine, so that they are renewed, in soberness and a bright mind, they loved abstinence and piety and eternally glorified the All-good God, who always saves his creatures.

Fill your heart with faith and sincerity, and then all your prayers will be heard, and your requests will be fulfilled.

There is probably no Christian who has not heard of the Apostle Matthew. Few facts have been collected about the life of the Apostle Matthew, but it is known for sure that he was one of the closest disciples of Christ.

Each of the twelve apostles played a special role in the development of Christianity. All of them are sincerely revered by believers and they are often turned to for help.

Levi Matthew is often approached with prayers from moments of financial difficulties, as well as in other life situations.

Life of the Apostle Matthew

Matthew was a tribute collector for the Roman Empire. Previously, people in this profession were despised and considered traitors. Like all people at that time, the man was a sinner, but one day everything changed.

When the publican met Jesus Christ, he was delighted with how strong he was. After fellowship with Christ, the man followed him and became his disciple.

Description of the image

Many images of the righteous are known, and all of them are endowed with incredible power. As a rule, on icons, the holy Apostle Matthew is depicted with a book in his hands, while his eyes are directed to the pages of the book. He is dressed in red and green clothes. On some images, the apostle is depicted in full growth. You can read a prayer in front of the icon of the saint in many churches of the country, the main thing is to turn to him with a sincere heart.

What to pray to the apostle Matthew

The martyr is considered the patron of people who are employed in the field of finance, for example, they can be people of such professions: sellers, entrepreneurs, accountants or bank employees.

If a person constantly carries the icon of a saint with him, then his affairs will go up in the near future. Also, the image will protect against scammers and major losses. People who look for work for a long time, thanks to the holy face, will soon find it. The addressed prayer to the apostle Matthew helps to resolve conflicts with superiors and colleagues. The martyr helps to find a way out of a difficult situation and will not allow mistakes to be made that will entail serious consequences.

Where is the icon of the Apostle Matthew

Faces with the image of the Saint are especially popular, so they can be found in temples throughout the country. The fresco, made by Andrei Rublev, with the image of Matthew is located in the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. In the churches of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica there are

various icons with the image of the saint. In the John the Baptist Convent there is an icon of the Holy Apostle, which has amazing power. In the city of Sudak there is a temple of the Apostle Matthew, you can visit it and pray in front of the icons of the saint.

Memory date

The day of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew and his icons is celebrated annually on November 29th. On this day, a service is held in the temples, and believers visit the temples in order to attend the divine liturgy.

Where are the relics of the evangelist kept?

Saint Matthew is one of the most mysterious personalities of Christianity. The location of his relics has remained a mystery for two millennia.

At the same time, several countries claim the right to possess the relics of the saint. The Italians claim that the remains of the evangelist date back to the 1st century. n. e. were transported to the Apennine Peninsula, and are currently stored in the Cathedral of San Matteo in the city of Salerno. Representatives of the Vatican claim that the remains of the apostle were found during excavations on the territory of one of the Lombard castles.

Thanks to this, the Cathedral of San Matteo is listed in all Catholic pilgrim guides and in all tourist brochures for Italy.

But there is no documentary evidence of the presence of relics in Italy. On this occasion, the Vatican responds as follows: "Before the old Catholic tradition, it is believed that the relics in Salerno belong to the Apostle Evangelist Matthew ...". That is, the Vatican, therefore, does not directly state that the remains from the city of Salerno belong to the Saint.

Another country that claims that they have the relics is Kyrgyzstan. Here is an excerpt from an article by E. Zygmund from the Itogi magazine: “... At the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, scientists are looking for an ancient monastery where, according to legend, St. Sigmund.

The church tradition says: "... After the apostle Matthew was martyred, his followers hid the body of the saint from desecration ...". According to information, the relics of the Apostle Matthew were buried in lands where no Roman legionary had set foot. According to one version, the incorruptible remains are hidden on the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan, on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. This version is not purely ecclesiastical, it's just that believing Christians are sure that the martyrdom of the Apostle Matthew ended in the lands of Central Asia.

One document testifies in favor of the Central Asian theory.

In the middle of the XIX century. Russian scientist and traveler, Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, ended up in Venice and got the opportunity to work with the so-called Catalan map of the world, compiled in 1375-1377. by two authors, Abraham and Yehudi Kreskes.

The scientist's attention was drawn to the image of a building with a cross, which, according to the map, was located on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Nearby on the map was the following inscription: “A place called Issyk-Kul. In this place is the monastery of the Armenian brothers, where the body of St. Matthew, the apostle and evangelist, resides. On the map, the drawn building with the cross was connected by a straight line to Jerusalem.

In 1857, Semyonov Tien-Shansky went to Turkestan. During his journey, he tried to find traces of the monastery, but apart from the legends of local peoples about the cities that went under water, he did not find anything. The scientist did not find traces of the temple, but suggested that the building could well exist in the area of ​​the Kurmentinskaya Bay of Issyk-Kul and later went under water.

Some clergymen are also standing up to defend the Issyk-Kul version. According to Metropolitan Vladimir of Tashkent and Central Asia: "... The shrine was kept in a monastery located on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, and the entire Christian world knew about its whereabouts."

Recently, discussions about the place of burial of the disciple of Christ have flared up again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan even invited a representative of the Vatican to Bishkek to resolve the problem that had arisen.

The fact is that several scientists were simultaneously engaged in research on this issue, and independently of each other they came to the conclusion that the body of Matthew was buried precisely on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

Prayer before the icon of the Apostle Matthew

If you have any life problems and you don’t know how to untie them, for example, look for a job, then you need to go to the temple and read the apostle Matthew a prayer for work, he will definitely hear the request and help you. They also turn to the martyr in other life situations, the main thing is that the request be sincere and only for good.

Words of prayer

“O glorious Apostle Matthew, who dedicated his life to the Lord! Hear my prayers, help me cope with troubles and difficulties. Deliver me from poverty and lawlessness. Let my offenders be punished, and justice will prevail. I believe in your power and in the power of the Lord

God Almighty. Be with me at the moment of responsibility, guide me on the right path. Amen".

Sometimes a person does not have the opportunity to attend church, and it seems to him that the prayers read at home will not be effective and will not be heard. This is not so, because if your requests come from a pure heart, then the Saint will hear you and will certainly help.

Orthodox icons, their names and meanings are an important aspect of the study of Christian science. Any dwelling of a Christian is very difficult to imagine without a variety of icons, each of which has its own meaning. As the history of religion says, many of them became known to believers many centuries ago. The religious beliefs of people have been formed for a very long time, but the icons do not lose their special cultural and historical significance for the parishioners of many churches and temples. Orthodox icons, photos and their names play an important role in the human and its approach to the Lord.

It is believed that every saint can invisibly help even in the most seemingly hopeless situation. It is worth turning to some of the saints for help in any serious life situation. The names of Orthodox icons and their meanings will be presented in this article. In addition to descriptions and stories about the miraculous properties of each image, photos of the most revered of them will also be given.

This material will tell about the meaning of each icon presented, as well as the rules of prayer and the miracles that a particular holy face can create. It also happens that the names of icons with a photo already carry information about what troubles this image can save from. Each described icon in the rubric will be given a special place. The icon of the Mother of God, painted and kept for a long time in the walls of the temples of the city of Kazan, has the greatest authority among believers both in Russia and around the world. This majestic and large-scale icon is considered the main protector of the inhabitants of our country. Any significant holiday in the life of a Russian person cannot do without the ritual of worshiping this image, whether it be baptism or a sacred wedding ceremony for loving hearts.

The revered icons of the Mother of God will be described below. Photo and name, and their meaning will also be revealed.

It is known that the icon of Our Lady of Kazan helps single believers soon find family happiness, and long-established couples overcome discord in relationships and begin to live happier. Since she protects families, it is customary to hang her in any home near the crib so that the baby is under the protection and protection of the Lord.

In order to quickly find out which image of the Mother of God to pray in a given situation, it is better to learn in advance the icons of the Virgin with names. Speaking about the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, it is worth noting that it is considered no less revered among many believing citizens. There is evidence that this icon was awarded during the coronation of the most influential tsars in the Russian Empire. You can pray to this icon to become kinder, to find a family and be healed of serious illnesses, and also to make peace with those with whom there was a serious conflict. Also, this image invisibly protects mothers and young children who are in a difficult life situation from misfortunes and sorrows. On top of that, this icon helps with infertility and other disorders of the reproductive organs, as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers. These are the most popular icons of the Virgin. Photos and names of other images will also be presented in this article.

As it has already become clear even from the description of these two icons, the power of the Mother of God is practically omnipotent, however, like many other icons of the Orthodox Church. That is why it is so important for every believer to know the icons of the Most Holy Theotokos with names. Every Christian needs to know at least some facts about the meaning of certain images, as well as some information about the life of this or that Orthodox saint.

As you know, the Lord hears those people who follow Him, observing all church and spiritual laws. Believe in God and be happy. Below are the most revered icons of the Virgin, the names and meanings of each of them.

Icon of the Mother of God "Blessed Sky"

Prayers are offered to this miraculous icon to take the true path, and also that dead people in the next world be calm and good. They praise this icon in the old way, and on March 19 in a new style.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Desperate One Hope"

Some names of icons can rarely be heard in church life, but this does not deprive them of their power. Despite the fact that indicates the low popularity of this image, in the Orthodox Church there is even an akathist for her. Prayers in front of this icon can heal despondency, mental decline and sorrow. Those believers who are disappointed and have lost their divine spirit pray to the Almighty to perk up, forgive offenders and reconcile with enemies. In addition, the icon is prayed for deliverance from envy and reconciliation of warring people, including neighbors.

Modern addictions (gambling, drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, computer addiction) are subject to healing when referring to this image of the Mother of God.

Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God

This icon helps in the treatment of plague, cholera, pestilence and other serious illnesses. It is revered in this image either on June 18 or June 1.

Icon of the Mother of God "Search for the Lost"

This famous icon is prayed for to cure toothache and headache, vision problems, fever and epilepsy, for well-being in marriage, for the return of faith in the Lord to the heart, as well as for very severe, almost incurable childhood ailments. In addition, the same icon is addressed with a request to cure addiction to alcohol. The date of the day of praise is February 18 or 5.

Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir

This icon is known primarily for the fact that in the days of ancient Russia the most noble gentlemen and kings were crowned with it. It is also known that with the participation of this image, elections of primates were held. They pray to this icon to become kinder, to be healed of serious illnesses, to expel demons from the body. Mothers and their little children can fully rely on the patronage of the Virgin in this image, and for those who are just waiting for the baby to appear, this face will give an easy birth and health to a newborn baby. Barren women can turn to the icon with a request to grant long-awaited children.

The Vladimir and Kazan Mother of God are the most beloved icons of the Virgin. Photos and names of these shrines can be found in the homes of even not very devout people.

Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

Sometimes the names of the icons speak for themselves. This icon is popular among people who have suffered severe resentment, suffering, severe seizures and diseases of the respiratory organs, tuberculosis patients. In addition, here you can pray for the healing of the hands of a sick person. The name day of the icon is celebrated on October 6 or 24.

Icon "The Tsaritsa"

There are quite rare, but very strong icons of the Mother of God, photos with names of which will be presented below.

The icon of the Mother of God "The Tsaritsa" helps those people who suffer from cancer and endure a number of courses of chemotherapy and radiation.

Prayers are offered to this icon during epidemics of plague, fever, ulcers, blindness, and hearing impairment. The name day of the holy image is celebrated on August 6 or 22.

This icon is prayed for the normalization of relations in the country, for justice, for finding joy in the heart, for the absence of hypocrisy in love. The day of this icon is celebrated on March 15 or 2.

This image of the Holy Mother of God is prayed in the presence of severe vices of the soul and body, and also after any important business has ended. The name day of this icon is celebrated on June 11 or 23.

Those who are currently suffering serious illnesses of soul and body, as well as those who are obsessed with infirmity, offer their prayers to this image. True believers, when referring to this wonderful icon, receive complete healing for an indefinite period. The name day of the icon "Life-Giving Spring" is celebrated on the day of Bright Week.

Prayers are addressed to this holy image against cholera, visual impairment and other similar ailments. It is customary to celebrate the name day of this icon on September 8 or 21.

Name days are celebrated on Tuesday of Bright Week, and it helps with strong fires, as well as with various problems and in need of consolation in spiritual hardships. Memorial Day February 12 or 25.

It is customary for Orthodox citizens to turn their prayers to this icon in case of mass death of livestock, plague, cholera, as well as in the presence of blindness and problems of the musculoskeletal system. Treatment in a huge number of cases guarantees a complete recovery.

This icon, endowed with miraculous properties, is prayed for with pronounced paralysis, with smallpox infection, with diseases of the legs, with suspicions of attacks by "evil spirits", and also protecting themselves from a sudden death. The days of memory of the icon are celebrated on March 16 or 29.

in cases where there is a danger of invasion by foreigners, as well as the return of sight to blind people and the successful entry into God's union for people who love each other. In addition, such a prayer helps to survive cataclysms. The icon celebrates the name day on June 8.21 and in October on the 4th and 22nd.

Those who suffer from significant hearing impairments, as well as other similar ailments, bow and pray to this image. This icon celebrates the name day on September 2 and 15.

"Kozelshchanskaya" Icon of the Mother of God

A prayer appeal to this wonderful, life-giving icon is useful for any injuries to the limbs, serious injuries and upcoming serious surgical interventions. This icon of the Mother of God celebrates the name day on February 6 and 21.

Icon of the Mother of God "The Mammal"

This divine face is usually worshiped by women in childbirth, pregnant and lactating mothers. This icon celebrates Memorial Day on January 12 and 25.

Before this majestic icon, they pray in the name of piety, the triumph of truth, for the revival of mercy and compassion in people's hearts, for the acquisition of a healthy physical body and mind, for the preservation of the Christian faith throughout the country. The glorification of this icon and its name day takes place on April 12 and 25.

This icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is designed to save people sincerely praying to Her from fires, floods and other damage to property. Memorial Day is celebrated on September 4 and 17 every year.

The icon helps not to deviate from the right path of life, to preserve a righteous way of life, and it helps lonely believers to find true love. By sincerely praying before this image and asking for help and advice, you can solve any, the most difficult problems in family life and relationships between spouses. In addition, the icon helps seriously ill believers to heal as quickly as possible. Memorial Day is celebrated on April 3 and 16.

There are usually queues of deaf and hard of hearing people to this icon. The name day of the icon is December 9 and 22.

All sinful people pray to this icon, and relatives of gamers, drug addicts and alcoholics also turn with hope. This icon appeals to the education of mercy and kindness, as well as to a sense of joy from every day. The saying on the image reads: “To all who ask by faith it will be given!”.

Those who want to be healed from the most serious ailments offer their prayers to this icon. Name days are celebrated on January 21 or 3.

From time immemorial in mi-well-you-one-hundred-tea-shih stra-da-ny at the birth of children, when death is so close, women shchi-we come-be-ha-yut with especially-ben-but-ho-ho-whose mo-lit-howl to Spa-si-te-lu and Pre-chi-stand His Ma-te-ri. In blessed families and in our time, you can see iko-well Bo-go-ma-te-ri, na-zy-va-e- Muyu "Help in childbirth." and all pregnant women who want to give birth to healthy babies without any problems pray to the unusually blessed icon of the Mother of God.

This truly miraculous icon is prayed for the prevention of wars and schisms, for protection from various heresies, for protection from the invasion of foreigners and strangers, for protection from spiritual and bodily blindness. Days of honor 23 and 5 July.

This image of the Mother of God is designed to protect believers from cholera and complete loss of vision. The name day of this miraculous image of the Virgin is celebrated on September 16 or 29.

This icon, better than any other, can protect from the evil eye, damage and unkind thoughts of passing people. It is customary to place this icon in the left corner of the hallway so that every person entering the house can be seen at a glance. This icon feels envy and curses like no other, therefore, where there is this image, they do not take root. The best location for such an icon is opposite the front door.

Before this image, sailors who have crashed a ship, as well as in the presence of blindness, weakness of the legs, deafness, problems with their hands, as well as those who unwittingly became hostages of terrorists, pray. The day of veneration of the icon is celebrated on November 9 or 22.

This icon is prayed for if there is a suspicion of fetal pathology so that the birth is successful and the child is born healthy. The name day of the icon is celebrated on March 9 and 22.

This icon is prayed by those who work in professions that are associated with immersion in water. Name days are celebrated on December 20 or 2.

It is customary for this icon to offer prayers in the name of deliverance from drought, disease and general hunger. The name day of this Holy image is celebrated on October 15 and 28.

This uplifting icon is prayed for in case of terrible despondency, grief and impotence. Also, a clouded state of mind will become a reason for praying to this icon. The name day of this icon is celebrated on March 7 and 20.

"Passionate" Icon of the Mother of God

This icon is able to give a miracle of healing from cholera, vision problems, muscle weakness, and protect from the impending "big fire". Name days are celebrated on August 13 and 26.

This icon is worshiped in the healing of the blind and those possessed by demons, with epilepsy, with muscle weakness, with the healing of young children, with paralysis of the lower and upper limbs. You can also pray to this icon when attacking foreigners. This icon celebrates the name day on June 26 and 9.

To this image, believing parishioners pray for the elimination of drought and craving for vices, including atheism. The memorial day is celebrated on August 8 and 21.

This icon is prayed for the return of lost or stolen valuables, for the justification of the obviously innocent and the release of hostages from captivity. Celebrate the day of this icon on December 26 or 8.

This icon belongs to St. Seraphim of Sarov and gives seriously ill people quick relief from suffering and strengthening their faith in the Lord. The name day of this masterpiece of icon painting is celebrated on July 28 and 10, as well as on July 19 and 1.

This icon is prayed to moderate the ardor of sinful passions, to interrupt the series of harmful addictions. Orthodox believers celebrate a memorable day for the icon on January 25 and 7.

Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God

This icon has long been held in high esteem by believers because it patronizes happy families and the health of young children. On top of that, this icon can help with long and difficult births. This image of the Mother of God is kept in the Epiphany Cathedral of the city of Kostroma, and it appeared in 1613 and fell into the hands of the Tsar of the Russian State, Mikhail Fedorovich.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "Healer"

This icon speaks for itself. Seriously ill Christians usually turn to her for help. The icon celebrates its birthday on September 18 or 1.

Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God

Those who are possessed by demons, as well as blind or visually impaired people come to pray to this icon. Name days are celebrated on September 1 and 14.

Icon of the Mother of God "Three Hands"

This icon can very easily heal diseases of the hands and feet, as well as severe mental and spiritual suffering. The date of the celebration of the name day of the icon is June 28 or 11.

Above were the most revered icons of the Mother of God. Photos with names will help you quickly find a particular image and find out its meaning.

Icon "Holy Trinity"

The most famous version of the image of the icon "Holy Trinity" belongs to the brush of the famous master of icon art Andrei Rublev. There are also images painted by the hands of other equally famous icon painters. The icon shows the faces of the members of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), soaring in the sky. This icon must be present in every home, since its effect is universal. At the moment, the main copy is located within the walls of the Trinity Church in the city of Kaluga.

Icons of other saints are also venerated. Their name and meaning, of course, should be known.

Icon of the Holy Great Martyr Pantileimon

The image of the Great Martyr is known for its miraculous healing properties. Parishioners who put candles next to this icon and asked for healing receive the real Grace of the Lord. At the moment, the most important copy of the Pantileimon icon is in the church of John the Baptist.

Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow

This saint is one of the most revered religions in the world. The main monastery, where to this day her relics are located, is located in the capital of our country on the Taganskoye Highway. The monastery, in which the relics of Matrona lie, is purely feminine. Every day, crowds of believers come to the monastery in order to turn to Matronushka with a prayer for help or with gratitude. In the vicinity of Moscow, namely in Kaluga, there is also an icon of the Matrona, and it is located in the temple of wives - Myrrhbearers.

Peter and Fevronia

In the same temple there is an icon of the Holy couple Peter and Fevronia, to whom they turn for help in love and family life.

Unfortunately, all the icons are Orthodox, their photos and names cannot be described within the framework of one article, because there are a huge number of them. But still, the main shrines still managed to be consecrated.

Orthodox icons

The icon is a completely unique phenomenon in medieval culture. There are hundreds of them in their temples, try to find which one you need. This is where the questions arise: which icons to pray? To whom to pray? Which saint? Let's try to figure out which icon is for what.

KAZAN MOTHER OF GOD - the most revered icon in Russia, for several centuries it has been revered as the Patroness and Intercessor of the Russian land and the Russian people. All the main events in life take place with her, starting with baptism. The icon gives a blessing for marriage, it is also an assistant in work. They bless the young people who are getting married with it, they ask the icon for family well-being and happiness, in addition, the icon is hung by the cribs. An icon that stops the fire and helps those with vision problems. The image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God helps in various troubles, misfortunes, illnesses

MOTHER OF GOD OF VLADIMIR - one of the most revered, since it crowned kings and elected high hierarchs. Before her, they pray for the softening of evil hearts, the healing of weakness, the humility of the warring, the healing of the possessed. She especially protects mothers and their children, gives pregnant women easy childbirth and healthy babies, relieves infertility and diseases of the reproductive organs. The image of the mother intercessor in all troubles and sorrows.

Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God of the DESPERATES ONE HOPE -Despite the fact that this icon is little known, one of the believers (and this is not forbidden by the church) compiled an akathist to it. They pray before the icon in various sorrows and when a person is discouraged. Those whose faith has weakened ask the Mother of God to restore their former mood and send down spiritual vigor. They pray to the icon for deliverance from enemies, for admonishing those who quarrel (especially neighbors), for the eradication of envy. She is an assistant in the treatment of modern diseases - alcoholism, smoking, gambling and computer addiction.

MOTHER OF GOD OF POCHAYEVSKAYA - The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered shrines of the Russian Church. When turning to the Mother of God "Pochaevskaya", they pray for protection from internecine hostility, from enemy invasion, for healing from blindness, both bodily and spiritual, for release from captivity, they pray for the granting of health and miracles of help in need.

Quick Hearer	Iverskaya	Fadeless color	Recovery of the dead

A quick listener - pray, when quick and urgent help is needed, for the healing of mental and bodily ailments, including paralysis, blindness, cancer, and also ask for the birth of healthy children and the release of prisoners.

IVERSKAYA MOTHER OF GOD - Homemaker. She is considered the patroness of all women, their helper and intercessor before the Lord. An icon with which the "crown of celibacy" is removed from both men and women. Before the icon, they also pray for the healing of bodily and spiritual ailments, for consolation in illness.

UNFADING COLOR -When referring to the icon of the Virgin "Fadeless Color" they pray for the preservation of a righteous life, the resolution of family troubles. Prayers to this icon help not to make a mistake in choosing spouses. The flower in the hands of the Virgin affirms the purity of the Mother of God and symbolizes the perpetuity of virginity.

Icon of the Virgin - seriously ill patients and their relatives apply. It helps to get rid of vices, from alcohol addiction. Repentant sinners who have turned away from God go to these icons. Women ask for a happy marriage and the health of children, helps with eye diseases, fever, headache. You can turn to the Blessed Mother with simple sincere words that come from the heart.

Icon of the Mother of God quench my sorrows - pray for deliverance from various diseases, both bodily and mental.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos MERCY - or “It is worthy to eat”, they pray for mental and bodily illnesses, at the end of any business, during epidemics, for happiness in marriage, in case of accidents ..

FEODOROVSKAYA Icon of the Mother of God - has long been revered by believers not only as miraculous, but also as especially patronizing family well-being, the birth and upbringing of children, helping in difficult births. Tradition connects her with the calling in 1613 to the kingdom of the founder of the dynasty, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Stored in the Epiphany Cathedral of the city of Kostroma.

JERUSALEM Icon of the Mother of God - pray in sorrow, sadness and despondency, for healing from blindness, eye diseases and paralysis, during a cholera epidemic, for deliverance from the loss of livestock, from a fire, during relaxation, and also during an attack by enemies ..

TIKHVINSKAYA- The icon is considered to be a child icon, it is also called a “guidebook”. She helps children in illnesses, calms the restless and disobedient, helps them in choosing friends, protects them from the bad influence of the street. It is believed that it strengthens the bond between parents and children, that is, children do not leave their parents in old age. It helps women during childbirth and during pregnancy.

Mother of God POCHAYEVSKAYA - pray for protection from internecine enmity, from enemy invasion, for healing from blindness, both bodily and spiritual, for release from captivity., pray for the granting of health and miracles of help in need.

KOZELSHANSKAYA icon of the Mother of God- pray for the healing of orthopedic diseases, especially helps the girls who resorted to her with a plea to arrange family happiness.

THREE-HANDED - in front of the miraculous image of the Mother of God, they pray for healing from the pains of the hands and feet or their injuries, from getting rid of the fire, as well as from illness, sorrow and sadness. .

Softening evil hearts

tenderness

Icon of the Mother of God LOOK FOR HUMILITY - they pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for the gift of humility and repentance both for themselves and for sinners who do not want to repent, for easing the fate of the deceased, for protection from false and crafty teachings. Prayers in front of the icon also help in solving housing issues.

Icon of the Mother of God BLESSED SKY - helps women get married, find happiness in marriage and motherhood. The icon is prayed for deliverance from drunkenness and other addictions. If you have a cherished desire, pray in front of the “Blessed Sky” icon, and it will come true. It is believed that the icon provides patronage to paratroopers (VDV) and helps them in their service.

Icon of the Mother of God SOFTENING EVIL HEARTS - in front of the icon they ask for a family truce or for there to be no enmity between neighbors, as well as for peace between entire states. In our culture, the image of the Mother of God, whose chest is pierced by arrows, is one of the most emotional and expressive in icon painting. It makes it possible to feel mercy and compassion, Before it they pray for the softening of the hearts of those who come to you with evil thoughts.

Mother of God Tenderness - the icon is an intercessor both in national disasters and in the lives of ordinary people. Mothers pray for a successful marriage of their daughters, for happiness and prosperity.

Smolensk

Barskaya

Zhirovitskaya

affectionate mother

Icon of the Mother of God of SMOLENSKAYA - called "Hodegetria-Smolenskaya" has been known in Russia since ancient times. "Hodegetria" means "Guide" in Greek. The icon for all Orthodox Christians is a guide to eternal salvation, the Mother of God of Smolensk helps everyone who turns to her with prayers for healing from incurable diseases, in search of family peace and in other difficult and insoluble situations, as the first intercessor for us before God.

BARSKY Icon of the Mother of God - they pray for good relations in the family, for children and health, she shows miracles of healing and God's mercy to all those who suffer, who resort to her in their sorrows and prayers.

Icon of the Holy Mother of God ZHIROVITSKY - they pray during persecution of Orthodoxy, in case of doubts, for deliverance from fires, in case of any bodily weakness, they also pray for the arrangement of a girl's fate, for a happy marriage.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary Affectionate Mother - pray for children, so that children will be a support in life.

unexpected joy

Three joys

The Holy Trinity

SEMI-SHOT

UNINTENDED JOY - they pray for the conversion of the lost, for the health and well-being of children, for the healing of deafness and ear diseases, for the preservation of marriage in love and harmony, they pray for the granting of spiritual insight.

Icon of the Mother of God of the THREE JOYS - They pray for the return of the lost, for salvation from enemies, for release from imprisonment, for healing and for the successful resolution of any matter. People coming to the icon noticed that after fervent prayer, joy comes to their house in a threefold amount, for which the icon got its modern name.

THE HOLY TRINITY - The symbol of the "Trinity" is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, or wisdom, reason, love. One of the three main icons that should be in every home. Before the icon they pray for the forgiveness of sins. It is considered confessional.

SEMI-SHOT - This is the strongest icon in protecting the house and any premises, as well as the person on whom it is located, from evil, envious people, from the evil eye, damage and curses. It reconciles the warring, brings peace, harmony, it is also taken on important matters. At home, she should be opposite the front door in order to see the eyes of the incoming person.

Healer.	Inexhaustible Chalice	indestructible wall	Mother of God Intercession

HEALER - pray for the healing of the soul and body, it protects from various misfortunes, troubles, sorrow, eternal condemnation, takes care of release from prison. Childbirth assistant.

INEXCEPTIONAL BOWL - they pray for all sinners, the icon calls to an inexhaustible source of spiritual joy and comfort, announces that the inexhaustible cup of heavenly help and mercy is prepared for those who ask with faith. It is for prosperity in the house, and also helps to heal from addictions, drunkenness, drug addiction, gambling.

UNDESTROYABLE WALL- In front of the icon for every need: the sick - healing, the grieving - consolation, the lost - admonition, protect babies, educate and teach the young, encourage and instruct husbands and wives, support and warm the old, deliver from all misfortunes. For more than ten centuries, this miraculous icon remained intact. That's probably why it's named like that.

MOTHER OF GOD POKROVA - pray for deliverance from troubles, for the protection of the country from enemies ..

BLESSED MATRON - A very strong saint of modern times. She is approached for any difficult issue. She is our most "first helper" and intercessor, intercessor for us before the Lord. The relics are in the Intercession Convent on Taganka, where countless people come every day and turn to her for help.

NICHOLAS PLEASANT THE WONDER WORKER - This is the most revered saint in the world. He protects from poverty and need: when his icon is in the house, he makes sure that there is prosperity in the house, saves from the need for anything, patronizes women, children, the poor, innocently convicted and animals. In addition, he is the patron saint of all travelers, drivers, sailors, pilots and just people on the road.

HOLY GREAT MARTYR PANTELEIMON - they pray for healing from serious ailments, the patron saint of warriors is, since warriors, who receive wounds more often than others, need a healer most of all.

SERGIUS OF RADONEZH - The founder of the Sergiev - Trinity Lavra in the 14th century. He is the patron saint of all students. The icon is taken with them when passing exams and tests. It is very good that the icon is always in the pocket of a handbag or briefcase every day when the child goes to school.

GUARDIAN ANGEL - pray: for help with headaches; about his patronage, from insomnia, in sorrow, about happiness in marriage, about driving away evil spirits, about getting rid of harm from wizards and sorcerers. About the intercession of widows and orphans, in despair, about deliverance from sudden or sudden death, about casting out demons. Those going to sleep pray to him for deliverance from prodigal dreams. The task of the guardian angel is to contribute to the salvation of the ward, intercede for them during their earthly life, pray to God for them, do not leave them, finally, after death, and lead the souls of those who have ended earthly life into eternity.

Savior Almighty - often just "Savior" or "Savior" - this is the central image in the iconography of Christ, representing Him as the Heavenly King. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,” says the Lord, “who is and was and is to come, the Almighty.” The Chief Physician of souls and bodies, who knows everything, and to whom our prayer appeal should be directed first of all. According to the rules, this icon is placed at the head of the iconostasis.

Savior NOT MADE BY HANDS - pray for guidance on the true path, for the salvation of the soul, deliverance from bad thoughts and healing. According to church tradition, the first icon was the image of the Savior - the Savior Not Made by Hands.

Icon- not a portrait or a genre painting, but a prototype of an ideal humanity. Therefore, the icon gives only a symbolic image of it. Physical movement on the icon is reduced to a minimum or completely absent. But the movement of the spirit is conveyed by special means - the posture of the figure, hands, folds of clothing, color, and most importantly - the eyes. There is concentrated all the strength of moral achievement, all the strength of the spirit and its power over the body.

Clothes on icons- not a means to cover bodily nudity, clothing is a symbol. She is a fabric from the exploits of a saint. One of the important details is the folds. The nature of the location of the folds on the clothes of the saints testifies to the time of writing the icon. In the VIII-XIV centuries, folds were drawn frequent and small. They talk about strong spiritual experiences, about the lack of spiritual peace. In the 15th-16th centuries, folds were drawn straight, long, and sparse. Through them, as it were, all the elasticity of spiritual energy breaks through. They convey the fullness of ordered spiritual forces.

around the head The Savior, the Mother of God and the saints of God on the icons depict a radiance in the form of a circle, which is called a halo. A halo is an image of the radiance of light and Divine glory, which also transforms a person who has united with God.

There are no shadows on the icons. This is also due to the peculiarities of the world outlook and the tasks that the icon painter faced. The heavenly world is the realm of spirit, light, it is ethereal, there are no shadows. The icon shows things that are created and produced by Light, and not illuminated by light.

Symbolism of gestures

HAND pressed to the chest - heartfelt empathy.
HANDraised up - a call to repentance.
HANDstretched forward with an open palm - a sign of obedience and humility.
TWO HANDS raised up - a prayer for peace.
HANDS raised forward - a prayer for help, a gesture of request.
HANDS, pressed to the cheeks - a sign of sadness, grief.

The icons of All Saints depicted in the photo are of great importance - this is the Army of the Lord. All Saints' Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Trinity.

The main meaning of this holiday is the glorification of all Saints. Before such images, believers have an amazing opportunity to pray to all the Saints at the same time.

It happens that a person is called by a rare name, and it is very difficult to find his patron saint in every temple. Feeling the desire to turn to his Saint, a believing Christian can find such an image in the temple and pray.

Icons of All Saints - photo, description and meaning

It is no coincidence that the Cathedral of All Saints is celebrated after the Trinity. After all, the day of the birth of the Church is considered the day of the Holy Trinity, and it began to grow, blossomed and gave its fruits in the person of its Saints - martyrs, righteous people, saints, ecumenical teachers, reverend martyrs, holy martyrs, unmercenaries, holy fools and many others.

There is a huge variety of images of cathedral images, which have some differences and were written in different periods of time.

The icon presented above was painted by an icon painter in the 18th century, where the indivisible Holy Trinity is depicted at the very top. The Most Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove raised above them.

A little lower is the Intercessor Mother of all Christians, the Lady Mother of God, next to which is the highest of all the prophets, the Baptist John. Also on the image are archangels, great martyrs, saints, saints, martyrs and martyrs, apostles and prophets who serve the Most Holy Trinity in the name of people living on earth.

It is impossible to depict all the Saints of the universal church at the same time in one image. On this icon in the center is the Head of the Church - our Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior is depicted in a circle against the background of the starry sky as the Creator of the Universe. The two circles of blue and light blue around Him signify His divine glory, separating the Lord from the Saints.

The blue background of this image means the heavenly world, where the Saints are. In the top row are 8 Archangels, which differ from the Angels in their large size. With this symbolic device, the icon painter emphasizes that the Archangels in the heavenly hierarchy occupy a higher place than the Angels.

In the lower part there are many Saints, but they are divided into separate groups. They are depicted according to the order of holiness. Separately prophets, separately apostles and separately martyrs. So the icon painter was able to designate the Saints without depicting each one separately. The saints pray for us to God, bowing to the Lord, asking for help for us living on earth. This is the main meaning of the icon.

How does prayer help in front of the icon of the Cathedral of All Saints

In the Orthodox faith, the image of the Cathedral of All Saints has great power, helps in deeply hopeless cases. It helps a praying person gain willpower, strengthen faith in the face of enemies in difficult life experiences. Without an icon of the Saint, whose name a person bears, you can pray in front of this image - absolutely all the Saints are depicted here.

Prayer in front of this icon, uttered with great faith, has great power. Believers pray and ask the Saints for healing from ailments, help in overcoming difficulties in the family circle, resolving conflicts and making important decisions.

The faces of the saints located on the icon of All Saints, with their names and photos

Knowing how certain Saints looked and were portrayed, one can recognize them on any image. In the lower half of such icons there are many Saints, who are divided into groups among themselves. In the bottom row are the Old Testament prophets, and next to it you can see the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

In addition to the prophets and apostles, there are also martyrs and martyrs in the lower rows. Among the martyrs, you can recognize the Great Martyr Catherine.

The icon painter could depict in the guise of a saint the details that were characteristic of him. By such details, you can find out the name of the saint, if it is not inscribed on the icon. Among the saints you can recognize Basil the Great, as well as John Chrysostom.

Prayers in front of the icon of the Cathedral of All Saints

Saints appear to people as heavenly patrons, protectors who bring people closer to God. Personal prayer is conducive to receiving God's help. However, first you should turn to the words of the Orthodox prayer, which can be said both in church and at home.

Troparion to the Cathedral of All Saints

Even in the whole world Thy martyr, / as with scarlet and viss, / adorned with blood, Thy Church, / the same cries out to Thee, Christ God: / to Thy people, send Thy bounties, / grant peace to Thy habitation, / / ​​and to our souls.

Kontakion to the Cathedral of All Saints

Like the beginnings of nature, to the Planter of the creature, / the universe brings God-bearing martyrs to the Lord. / Through those prayers in the depths of the world, Thy Church, / / ​​Thy dwelling place, the Mother of God of Many Mercy.

Prayer

To you, all holy, as a guiding lamp, with your deeds illuminating the path of the heavenly sunrise, I, a sinful one, humbly bow the knee of my heart and cry from the depths of my soul: implore the Lover of God for me, may he not let me still wander through the crossroads of sin, but may my mind and heart be enlightened with the light of His goodness, as if we illuminate and strengthen it, I will be able to pass the rest of the earthly life on the right path without stumble and by your intercession to the All-good Lord I will be little by little a partaker of being your spiritual meal in the heavenly chamber of the King of glory, Him and His Beginningless Father and Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit be glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion

The icon of All Saints teaches us that it is possible to live pleasing to God, reaching the Kingdom of Heaven, in any rank and in any place. The main thing is to strive for God and try to live righteously. “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be added to you” are the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which the believer must always remember.