The holy image more than once helped the Russian army to win decisive battles - this is one of the most revered shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church, which established a three-time celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
How the Holy Image ended up in Russia
According to legend, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Mother of God on the board of the table at which the Savior ate with the Most Pure Mother and righteous Joseph.
The Virgin Mary, seeing Her image, said: “From now on, all births will please Me.
© Sputnik/ Yuri Kaplun
The icon of the Mother of God remained in Jerusalem until 450, then it was transferred to Constantinople. At the beginning of the 12th century, Patriarch Luke Chrysoverg of Constantinople sent a special list (copy) of it to Kyiv as a gift to the Holy Prince Mstislav.
After arriving in Russia, since 1131, the icon was in the Bogorodichny Monastery, which was located in one of the northern suburbs of Kyiv - Vyshgorod. Rumors about her wonderful creations circulated throughout Russia.
How did the icon get its name?
Vyshgorod became the inheritance of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, son of Yuri Dolgoruky, in 1155. Deciding to move to his native Suzdal land, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky took the icon with him and fervently prayed before it on the way.
After a rest in Vladimir, the prince was about to continue moving, but having driven quite a bit from the city, his horses stopped. All attempts to force them to go further were unsuccessful. Even after changing horses, nothing has changed.
The surprised prince began to fervently pray to the Mother of God, and during the prayer, the Mother of God appeared to him, who ordered him to leave the miraculous icon in Vladimir and build a cathedral that would become her home. The prince placed the icon in Vladimir and since then the image has been called the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
Patroness of the Russian people
The icon was first brought to Moscow in 1395, when the conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) with his hordes invaded Russian lands, took the city of Yelets and headed for Moscow.
Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich, who ruled from 1389 to 1425, went out with an army to Kolomna and stopped on the banks of the Oka.
The Grand Duke prayed to the Hierarchs of Moscow and St. Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland and wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Cyprian, so that the coming Dormition Fast would be dedicated to fervent prayers for mercy and repentance.
© Sputnik/ Ivan Shagin
Clergy were sent to Vladimir, where the glorified miraculous icon was located. After the liturgy and prayer service on the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, the clergy received the icon and carried it to Moscow with a procession of the cross. Countless people on both sides of the road, on their knees, prayed: "Mother of God, save the Russian land!"
According to legend, at the very hour when the inhabitants of Moscow met the icon on the Kuchkov field, Tamerlane was dozing in his tent - in a dream he saw a great mountain, from the top of which saints with golden wands were walking towards him, and above them in a radiant radiance the Majestic Wife appeared , which ordered him to leave the borders of Russia.
Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision, to which those in the know replied that the radiant Wife is the Mother of God, the great Protector of Christians. Then Tamerlane ordered the regiments to turn back.
In memory of the miraculous deliverance of the Russian land from Tamerlane, on the Kuchkov field, where the icon was met, the Sretensky Monastery was built, and on September 8, a celebration was established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
One of the greatest shrines of Russia
The icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir has always taken part in important events of the Russian state and is considered one of the greatest shrines in Russia.
So, during the attack of the Tatars on Moscow in 1451, Metropolitan Jonah carried the icon in procession along the city walls. At night, the attackers heard a loud noise and decided that Prince Vasily Dmitrievich was coming to the aid of the besieged with his army, in the morning they lifted the siege and retreated from the city walls.
And in 1480, the battle of the Russian troops with the Tatar-Mongols was to take place - the opponents stood on different banks of the river and prepared for the battle, but it never took place.
This "great standing on the Ugra River" ended with the flight of the Tatar-Mongolians, into which the Mother of God turned them through her Vladimir icon, which was in front of the Russian army.
Once again, the enemy hordes approached Moscow in 1521, began to burn the settlements, but unexpectedly moved away from the city without causing significant harm to the capital. This event is also associated with the protection of the miraculous icon, in honor of which its third feast was established, which is celebrated on June 3.
© Sputnik/ Yuri Kaver
With the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, the people went to the Novodevichy Convent to see Boris Godunov in order to install him as king. With this icon, the troops of Minin and Pozharsky met, who in 1613 expelled the Polish invaders and so on.
The most important events of Russian church history also took place before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Including the election and installation of St. Jonah - Primate of the Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1917).
On the day of the celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia was enthroned on June 3, 1971.
Moving to a new home
The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was transferred for permanent storage to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral in 1480. In Vladimir, the exact copy of the icon, written by the Monk Andrei Rublev, remained.
© Sputnik/ Alexey Bushkin
Horse of the artist Andrei Rublev "Vladimir Mother of God" (1408)
In 1918, the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin was closed, and the miraculous image was transferred to the State Tretyakov Gallery. On September 8, 1999, the miraculous icon was transferred from the Tretyakov Gallery to the church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, connected to the museum by a small corridor.
Description of the Holy Image
According to art historians, the icon was painted in the 12th century, presumably in Constantinople. The icon belongs to the ancient type of images of the Virgin, which is called "Eleusa", that is, "Merciful, Tenderness".
These are the most tender icons of the Mother of God, on them the Blessed One clung to her Son, and He to Her. They seem to be conducting some kind of internal dialogue between themselves, and the one who prays becomes, as it were, a participant in this conversation between the Mother and the Divine Infant.
The icon is two-sided: on the front side - the image of the Mother of God with the Child, on the back - the throne and the instruments of the Passion of Christ. The background is light ocher, the manure is lilac, with marbling brown stains, the margins are dark ocher, the inscriptions (IC XC. NI KA) are red.
Lists were often written from the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, some of which received special names and are miraculous.
An exact copy of the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also located in the Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral. The gift of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia was delivered to Georgia in September 2009.
What helps
The Mother of God of Vladimir helps every believer who turns to Her with sincere prayer - She is an intercessor and protector, protects the house and helps in many everyday needs.
The Blessed Virgin Mary helps to find the true path, make the right decision, gives strength to overcome the difficult period of life, strengthens faith, protects from enmity, delivers from sinful thoughts and confusion.
The Mother of God also heals from physical ailments, especially often they pray to Her for the healing of diseases of the heart and eyes, which symbolizes insight not only bodily, but also spiritual.
The Mother of God also contributes to a happy marriage, for strong family ties, without quarrels and strife, are the key to a strong country.
Prayers
Prayer one
Oh, the All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, the Heavenly Queen, the Almighty Intercessor, our shameless Hope!
We thank Thee for all the good deeds that have been from You by the Russian people, from ancient times to the present day from Your miraculous icon of perishable. And now, favoring the Lady, look upon us sinful and unworthy Thy servants, show us Thy mercy and pray to Thy Son, Christ our God, that we be delivered from all evil and be saved to every city and village, and to our whole country from gladness, destruction , coward, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare. Ask an Orthodox Christian for prosperity and peaceful life, health, long life, good haste and salvation in everything. Preserve and make wise the pastors of the Church, who are worthy to shepherd the flock of Christ and the right to rule the word of truth; strengthen the Christ-loving All-Russian army, give the spirit of advice and reason to the military commander, the mayor and everyone who is in power; Send down Your holy blessing to all Orthodox Christians who worship Thee and pray before Your whole-bearing icon. Be our Intercessor and Intercessor before the Throne of the Most High, where you stand. To whom shall we resort, if not to Thee, O Lady? To whom shall we bring tears and sighs, if not to Thee, Most Holy Theotokos? Not imams for other help, not imams for other hope, except for You, Heavenly Queen. We flow under Your protection, with Your prayers send us peace, health, fruitful land, good air dissolution, deliver us from all troubles and sorrows, from all ailments and diseases, from sudden deaths and from all the embitterment of enemies visible and invisible.
Enlighten and teach us, O All-Merciful Intercessor, how sinlessly to pass the path of this earthly life; You are all our weakness, weigh and our sins, but you also weigh faith and see hope; grant us the correction of sinful lives and soften our evil hearts.
Strengthen the right faith in us, put in our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of humility, patience and love, prosperity in good deeds; deliver us from temptations, from pernicious soul-harming teachings, from unbelief, corruption and eternal death. We ask you, Most Pure Lady, and bowing down before your holy icon, we pray, have mercy on us and have mercy on us, on the terrible day of judgment, by your intercession and intercession, make us worthy to stand at the right hand of your Son, Christ our God, and all glory, honor is due to Him and worship, with His Father without beginning, and His Most Holy and Good and Consubstantial Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer two
To whom shall we cry, Lady? To whom shall we resort in our sorrow, if not to Thee, Queen of Heaven? Who will receive our weeping and sighing, if not You, immaculate, the hope of Christians and the refuge of us sinners? Who is more in mercy to You? Incline Your ear to us, Lady, Mother of our God, and do not despise those who demand Your help: hear our groaning, strengthen us sinners, enlighten and teach us, Queen of Heaven, and do not depart from us, Your servant, Lady, for our grumbling, but be our Mother and Intercessor, and entrust us to the merciful protection of Your Son: arrange for us, whatever your holy will will be, and lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life, let us cry for our sins, but we will always rejoice with You , now and ever and forever. Amen.
Material prepared on the basis of open sources
