Ancient icons of the Mother of God in Georgia. Georgian icon of the Mother of God

The miraculous Georgian Icon of the Mother of God... There is probably no one who, when visiting Raifa, would not venerate this image. Warm prayers of pilgrims from different parts of Russia and other countries of the world are offered to him. And for all people who come with faith and love, the Most Pure Lady opens her heart!

2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the return of the shrine to the Raifa Bogoroditsky Monastery.

In 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas conquered Georgia, seizing many shrines of the Georgian land for sale to Russian merchants visiting Persia. Among the many stolen things was a Georgian icon of the Mother of God, decorated with silver and gold. One Persian merchant offered it to the clerk of the merchant Yegor Lytkin, Stefan Lazarev, who was then in Persia on trade business. Stephen happily bought the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in 1625 and kept it for some time.

At this time, the Yaroslavl merchant Yegor Lytkin saw this icon in a night dream, and it was revealed to him that it was with his clerk Lazarev, and at the same time received an order to send the Georgian icon to the Krasnogorsk monastery founded in 1603 on Pinega in the Arkhangelsk diocese. Lytkin forgot about this revelation for some time. But when Stefan returned to his homeland in 1629 and showed him the icon, the merchant immediately remembered the vision. He immediately went with the Georgian icon to the Dvina region to the Montenegrin monastery, where he fulfilled the omen he had seen earlier.

In 1650, Patriarch Nikon, then the Metropolitan of Novgorod, researched the legends of miracles from this image of the Virgin Mary and established its celebration on August 22 (September 4, new style).

After 1661, when the main construction of the Raifa Monastery began, Kazan Metropolitan Lavrenty wished to give the Georgian icon of the Mother of God for the blessing of the Raifa hermitage being built. He sent one of the best icon painters to the village of Chernaya Gora, located 16 versts from the city of Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk province, to take an accurate copy of the miraculous icon. His choice was not accidental. Before his appointment to Kazan, he served in the north - in the Vazhsky monastery, not far from the Montenegrin region (Arkhangelsk region). At that time, this was where this miraculous icon was located. How far the fame of the Georgian icon spread was evident from the fact that during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich it was carried to different cities of Russia, for example, to Moscow, Ustyug, Vologda, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky and many others. Processions with her reached the Lena River in Siberia. A document from 1698 says that “Through the Georgian image, the Most Holy Theotokos even now works miracles and healings for those who come with faith.” In 1698, it was decided: every year this image should be brought to the city of Arkhangelsk “for the sake of the consecration of the city and the Christ-loving peoples who demand the mercy of God and Her Mother of God.” At the same time, with the blessing of Archbishop Afanasy of Kholmogory and Vazhsky, the caretaker of the Moscow printing house Fyodor Polikarpov compiled a canon in honor of the Georgian Mother of God.

Upon bringing the copy of the icon to Kazan, Metropolitan Lavrenty, accompanied by his superiors and countless people, personally conveyed the icon to the newly built Raifa Monastery. As ancient monastery legends tell, already during the transfer of the icon from Kazan to the Raifa Hermitage, things began to happen. miraculous healings the weak: sight was restored to the blind, purification came to the demoniac, and the lame received correction. Thus, from its very first appearance in the Raifa desert, this icon received the glory of being miraculous.

The board on which the holy icon is written is 9 inches high and 7 inches wide. Dark color icon. On the back, in the corners, on a silver frame that covers the entire board, the Evangelists are depicted, and in the middle there is an inscription: “Image Holy Mother of God Georgian" below: "On July 24, 1720, this image was built with the blessing of the great master, His Eminence Tikhon, Metropolitan of Kazan." The inscription refers to the decoration of the icon under Metropolitan Tikhon. The crowns on the Savior and the Mother of God, as well as the crowns, are studded with precious stones. In total, with pearls and other decorations, the robe, according to jewelers of that time, cost more than 10 thousand rubles. With the icon there was a silver ark weighing 7 pounds 90 spools. In 1876, the entire chasuble was rethreaded again in the Kazan Mother of God Monastery under the supervision of Abbess Anfinya.

When the Raifa monastery was closed during the godless Soviet regime, the icon was saved by scientists from Kazan University. Finding her among the rubbish on the floor of a ruined church and transferring her to the Church of the Holy Yaroslavl Wonderworkers at the Arskoye Cemetery in the city of Kazan, where she remained all the time until the revival of the monastery.

The return of the icon took place at the first service in the temporary church of the newly revived monastery - August 14, 1992 on the holiday Origins of the Honest Trees Life-giving Cross God's(according to legend, on the same day the first churches of the monastery were consecrated at its foundation). It was headed by Bishop Anastasy of Kazan and Mari, and many clergy gathered. The Right Reverend intended to solemnly transfer the icon from Kazan with a procession of the cross and to prepare properly for this. Therefore, he did not think of bringing her to the Raifa Monastery for the first Divine Liturgy. But just before the trip, I decided to take the shrine to the monastery. The icon was placed at the top of the iconostasis and, in order to avoid theft, it was tightly screwed with thick wire so that it was not easy to quickly remove it from there. But when Bishop Anastasy himself climbed the ladder to the top of the iconostasis, the icon, to everyone’s amazement, went freely and easily into his hands.

Immediately after the first Liturgy, a prayer service was served in the Raifa Monastery before the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. It was so arranged that the revival of this monastery was marked by the return of the miraculous image. The Mother of God did not want to leave her monastery for a single day and appeared there again.

The Georgian icon of the Mother of God is truly legendary: it remembers the raids of the pagan Cheremis on the newly born monastery, and the terrible fire of 1689, which destroyed all the monastery buildings, and the cruel persecution of the era of the revolution.

Initially, this image was in Georgia, but during the conquest of the country in 1622 by the Persian Shah Abbas, the icon, along with other valuables, was taken to Persia, where enterprising Persians organized trade in Orthodox shrines. 3 years after these events, a local resident brought the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God to the Russian clerk of the Yaroslavl merchant Grigory Lytkin, Stefan Lazarev, who was in Persia on trade matters and offered to buy it. Lazarev could not miss the opportunity to buy the Orthodox shrine and, despite the high cost of the icon, decorated with silver and gold, he purchased it.

At this time, the merchant Lytkin, in a sleepy revelation, learned about the acquisition of his clerk and received instructions from above to give the shrine to the Krasnogorsk monastery, which is on the Pinega River, near Arkhangelsk. Initially, the monastery was called Montenegrin because it was built on a mountainous, gloomy-looking area, surrounded by dense forests, known as the Black Mountain. The merchant soon forgot about this revelation, but when 4 years later his steward returned to his homeland and showed him the acquired icon, the pious merchant remembered the vision and immediately went on a trip to the Arkhangelsk province. He handed over the shrine to the monks of the Krasnogorsk monastery, where he built a church especially for it and supplied it with the necessary utensils and books.

The icon turned out to be miraculous. The monk of the monastery, the blind and deaf Pitirim, after praying in front of this image, gains sight and begins to hear. In 1658, Patriarch Nikon, when he was Metropolitan of Novgorod, researched the legends of miracles from the image of the Georgian Mother of God and established its celebration on August 22.

The fame of the Georgian icon reached the farthest reaches of the Russian land. During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, religious processions with miraculous images took place not only in the main cities of Russia - Moscow, Ustyug, Vologda, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, etc., but even reached the Lena River in Siberia. Evidence has been preserved that in 1698 it was decided to bring the holy icon to the city of Arkhangelsk every year “for the sake of the consecration of the city and the Christ-loving peoples who demand the mercy of God and Her Mother of God.” At the same time, the canon for the icon was written by the caretaker of the Moscow printing house, Feodor Polikarpov.

In the village of Klyucharevo, Korchevsky district, Tver diocese, the Georgian icon of the Mother of God miraculously helped get rid of a worm that had attacked the sown fields. During the religious procession, heavy rain fell with the icon, causing a worm to come out of the ground, and birds that flew out of nowhere in huge numbers pecked it off.

Original Georgian Icon of the Mother of God to this day, unfortunately, not preserved.

Ruins of the Krasnogorsk monastery on the Pinega River, Arkhangelsk region

In the 20s of the last century, with the closure of the Krasnogorsk monastery, the icon disappeared, only to appear briefly in 1946, when the monastery reopened. Then Bishop Leonty of Arkhangelsk reported to the Moscow Patriarchate that the icon took part in a religious procession in Arkhangelsk. There is information that until the end of the 50s it was in Tretyakov Gallery. However, a 1964 audit carried out in the gallery's funds did not find the image. Either he was kidnapped or sold abroad by the Soviet government. Facts of such sales of museum valuables took place in Soviet history.

In the State Tretyakov Gallery an accurate measurement list of the icon from 1707 is kept, made by Kirill Ulanov, an isographer of the Kremlin Armory, together with his son Ivan. The inscription on the bottom margin of the image reads: “This holy image of the Mother of God was written with the same measure and outline as in the Montenegrin monastery, called Georgian”. The icon contains 4 reliquaries.

Other copies were made from the icon, some of which were considered miraculous. Three of them are located in Moscow.

Holy Church Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki (Church of the Georgian Mother of God) (Nikitnikov Lane, 3)

In the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki there is a list of 1654, presumably made by Simon Ushakov, “a first-class isographer of the royal school.” That year, a pestilence epidemic was raging in Moscow, and just at that time the Georgian icon of the Mother of God was brought from the Krasnogorsk monastery to “renew the painting and apply a new robe.” The icon was placed in the Trinity Church in Nikitniki. The silversmith Gabriel Evdokimov ordered a list from it after he was healed after praying with this icon before his seriously ill son.

Another miraculous list previously belonged to the Alekseevsky Convent, located on the site of the current Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Alekseevsky Convent on the site of the current Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Its acquisition also dates back to 1654 and is associated with the same ulcer epidemic. A nun of the monastery, remembering the miraculous Georgian icon, which was in Moscow at that time, wanted to ask her for healing. And then that night she had a vision of an unknown monk who said: “Why are you sad that you cannot bring the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God to you? In your monastery, in a cave, there is exactly the same icon, find it - and you will see the mercy of God on yourself. Through this icon there will be healing not only for you, but also for many other people.” After a long search, the sister nuns saw in the church sacristy a cabinet built into the wall, similar to a cave, where the holy image was discovered. After a prayer service before him, the sick woman recovered, and soon the plague in Moscow subsided. By order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the amazing icon was decorated with a precious frame. The list is now at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki.

In memory of the deliverance from the plague in 1654, an additional celebration of the icon was established on August 15.

The third list was in the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God on Vorontsovo Field. The miracles of this icon earned her pious veneration both among the common people and among the highest persons. So the Empress Anna Ioannovna summoned the icon to St. Petersburg, where, by order of the Highest Order, it was decorated with an expensive frame with abundance precious stones. The icon was also revered by the Sovereign Emperor Alexander the First, who, while visiting Moscow, repeatedly prayed in front of it, and, once learning that the icon had been robbed, ordered a veteran soldier to be placed to guard the holy image.

During the persecutions of the early 20th century, the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God on Vorontsovo Field was destroyed, all the jewelry was removed from the icon, and the image itself was transferred to the Church of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul on the Yauza. Currently this holy image is located in the Church of St. Martin the Confessor, on the street. Solzhenitsyn, in the chapel of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God.

Church of St. Martin the Confessor in Moscow
(Alexandra Solzhenitsyn St., former Bolshaya Kommunisticheskaya, no. 15, metro station "Taganskaya" or "Marxistskaya")

In the temple

The image of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God in the Church of St. Martin the Confessor acquired a new robe on the patronal feast day of September 4, 2009

Another very revered list from the Georgian image is kept in Raifsky Bogoroditsky monastery Kazan diocese. Here, even before 1670, a cathedral church was built in the name of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, in which Metropolitan Lavrenty ordered one of the best Kazan icon painters to make an exact copy of the miraculous icon. As ancient monastery legends tell, already during the transfer of the icon from Kazan to the Raifa hermitage, miraculous healings began to occur: the blind regained their sight, the demoniac received purification, and the lame received correction.

In 1689, a huge disaster occurred at the Raifa monastery - a fire. Not all sacred objects and things were removed from temples and cells. Fortunately, the miraculous Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was saved. Having lost shelter, some of the monks went to other monasteries, and some remained to live in the ashes. Seeing such devotion to faith in God's Providence, Metropolitan Adrian of Kazan decided to restore the monastery, but to build it in stone - like the Moscow Resurrection Monastery (New Jerusalem).

Hodegetria. A special feature of the image of Jesus Christ is the right foot, with the bare sole turned outward. The iconography of the Georgian icon has analogues among other Georgian icon-painting monuments of the 10th-16th centuries and was especially widespread in Kakheti.

Popular rumor ascribes to the miraculous image of the Georgian Blessed Virgin Mary the special grace to heal from many incurable diseases, for example, from stomach diseases, body tumors, various eye and dental diseases, to free those possessed by unclean spirits, and also to help women suffering from infertility.

Georgia adopted Christianity as a state religion, one of the first in the world, along with. Therefore, the religious culture in the country is very developed. Most parents raise their children by instilling in them faith in Jesus Christ and the saints.

Georgians treat icons with respect. Both a simple peasant and a rich businessman have a “” in their house, where there is always an icon of the Georgian Mother of God. Among the Orthodox population, the archangels and saints are revered, Saint Barbara, Saint George the Victorious, etc., whose images are also placed in “ red corner"("angel's corner").

The Georgian Orthodox Church, like other churches, does not forbid giving icons for various holidays and special events - birthdays, . The main condition is that the icon must be consecrated, then you can pray in front of it. You need to give an icon with good intentions and a pure heart.

Icon of the Georgian Mother of God

The icon was originally located in Georgia. In 1622, the Persians attacked the state and, among other trophies, took away the shrine. Three years later, at one of the Persian bazaars, the clerk of the Yaroslavl merchant Grigory Lytkin bought it. At the same time, the merchant himself had a vision that a certain icon needed to be transferred to a temple near Arkhangelsk.

Four years later, when the clerk returned with the icon to Yaroslavl, Lytkin, seeing the holy face, remembered the dream and directed the image to the indicated place. The icon turned out to be miraculous. After being installed in the temple, she visited many cities, where she performed miracles and healed the sick. Its original has not survived to this day, but lists have survived, some of which are miraculous.

The Georgian Mother of God is depicted according to the Hodegetria type - the Mother of God holds the baby Jesus on her left hand, pointing in his direction with her right hand. The Divine Infant himself holds a scroll in his left hand and performs a blessing with his right hand. Picture of Jesus shows him right leg, with the bare foot turned outward. Images of saints occupy part of the recess - the ark, carved on front side icons.

The Georgian Mother of God helps to recover from illnesses, conceive and give birth to a child, and maintain peace in the family. The celebration of the icon takes place on September 4.

Barbara was born at the beginning of the 4th century in the family of a noble Phoenician merchant. Against her father's will, she believed in Christian doctrine and accepted martyrdom for it. Together with the resident Juliania, who sympathized with her, Varvara was beheaded by her own parent, who was later overtaken by retribution ( he was killed by a lightning strike).

In the 6th century, the relics of the great martyr were transferred to Constantinople, and in the 12th century - already to Kyiv. Currently, the relic is kept in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.

Believers pray to Saint Barbara for deliverance from imminent death and serious illnesses, so as not to end the journey of life without communion and confession. In the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr is set on December 4.

St. George the Victorious

The life of St. George is described by many chroniclers in various variations. The canonical source states that George suffered martyrdom during the Great Persecution under the Emperor Diocletian. The most common image of the saint is sitting on a horse and slaying a serpent ( dragon) spear. Many researchers interpret this as an allegory - the snake personifies paganism, and the horseman - the Christian religion.

St. George the Victorious, along with the Georgian Mother of God, is the most revered saint in Georgia. Local residents believe that he is related to Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, thanks to whom the state adopted Christianity. In 335, the Georgian king Mirian erected the first temple in honor of St. George. The structure was built on the burial site of St. Nina. Beginning in the 9th century, mass construction of churches in honor of the great martyr began.

In Orthodoxy, the day of remembrance is set on April 23. The following dates are also memorable:

November 10 - Wheeling of St. George;
November 3 - consecration of the Lydda Church of St. George the Victorious, built in the 4th century;
November 26 (St. George's Day) - consecration of the Church of St. George the Great Martyr, built in 1051 in Kyiv.

The tomb of the saint is located in the city of Lod ( Israel). Parts of the relics are kept in the Roman basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro, the reliquary temple of Sainte-Chapelle ( Paris), the monastery of Xenophon ( Greece, Holy Mount Athos).

Orthodox Christians have long revered not only Jesus Christ, but also the Mother of God. A reverent attitude towards her is embodied in seven hundred icons depicting the Queen of Heaven both alone and with the Divine Son. Even the very first temple in Rus', consecrated in 996, was named in honor of the Mother of God. Many hymns and prayers addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary fill the hearts of believers with love and hope, and for the second millennium more than one miraculous icon of the Mother of God has given people salvation, healing and happiness. Georgian is no exception. Its amazing properties will be discussed further.

The role of icons in Orthodoxy

From the point of view of the clergy of the Orthodox Church, the icon is a kind of connecting link between the earthly and divine worlds. The main idea of image worship is that honors and prayers are addressed not to the image, but to the essence that it represents.

Only a deeply religious person who has no doubt in the reality of the Lord and his incomprehensible nature can understand the icon. God rewarded his children with the ability to imagine, which allows them to imagine what is impossible to see every minute and hourly. But it is easier for us to turn to saints if their image is before our eyes, and with its symbols it reminds us of the importance of certain moments.

What are the icons of the Mother of God?

All images of the Virgin Mary, painted during the march of Christianity across the planet, can be divided into several types based on composition. One of the favorite icons of all Orthodox Christians is the icon of the Georgian Mother of God.

Hodegetria (Guide Book)

The icon we are considering belongs precisely to this type. A specially constructed image, in which the Mother of God points to the Son with one hand, speaks of the path that humanity is destined to take to purify its soul. Here the Virgin Mary appears before us as a guide to God. It is believed that the first icon was painted in this style.

Eleusa (Tenderness)

The images of the Mother of God embracing the Infant God and receiving his embrace represent a type of icon known as “tenderness.” The endless love reflected in such images can be seen, for example, on the Vladimir icon.

Agiosoritissa (Intercessor)

The icon of the Georgian Mother of God is very different from those that belong to the “Intercessor” type. In such images, the Mother of God appears alone. She is depicted at full height, slightly turned to the right. A scroll may be depicted in the hand.

Oranta (Omen)

The fourth type of icon depicting the Virgin Mary is the “Sign”. Here the Heavenly Queen, holding the Divine Child in her heart (depicted in a circle in the middle of the Mother’s chest) and raising her hands to heaven, symbolizes prayer for all humanity.

Pantanassa (All Queen)

On icons of this type, the throne on which the Mother of God sits, holding little Jesus in her arms, denotes the glory of the Mother of God, spreading both on earth and in heaven.

Peculiarities of writing the Georgian icon of the Mother of God

When we have the waist-length icon of the Georgian Mother of God before our eyes, we can determine the characteristic features of its writing. All the images located in the ark of the icon (the recess in the center of the board) occupy most of it and are built like a triangle, the longer side of which falls on the tilt of the head of the Mother of God towards the Infant God. The Baby raises his right hand high, blessing the Mother and all people. The scroll that the Son of God holds in his left hand symbolizes Old Testament, which will be supplemented by the Savior. The right foot of Christ is located under the left, and its bare sole is visible.

The Mother of God, depicted frontally, slightly turned her head towards the seated Son and leaned towards Him, supporting Him with her left hand. The Child's face is also turned to the Mother, whose right hand, pointing to Jesus, marks the path to Salvation for believers. A special feature This icon is characterized by the way of depicting the maforia, falling from the head of the Mother of God so that its folds leave a triangular section of the chiton in the field of view on the chest of blue color and symmetrical cape lapels of a different color.

Those who regularly go to church have seen icons of the Georgian Mother of God mostly in large sizes. Temple images make it possible to examine them in detail.

When and by whom was the icon captured?

Abbas Mirza, better known in world history, ascended the Iranian throne at the end of the 16th century. There is a legend that on the day when the great despot was born, the monastery of St. George collapsed in Georgia due to a strong earthquake, which symbolized the enormous losses that the country would suffer in the future from the actions of the ruler of Persia.

Abbas, seeing the strengthening of ties between Georgia and Russia as a threat to the Persian kingdom, organized a destructive campaign against the mountainous country in 1622. He plundered it and seized many valuables and shrines for further sale to foreign merchants. An icon of the Georgian Mother of God also came to him.

Three years later, the clerk of a Russian Yaroslavl merchant, Stefan Lazarev, saw her at a Persian bazaar. Of course, a true Christian could not ignore the miraculous image and purchased the icon, despite its high price. The shrine immediately manifested itself when the owner of the clerk, Yegor (in some sources - George, Gregory) Lytkin, received a divine instruction in a dream to transfer the icon to one of the monasteries of the Arkhangelsk province. Not knowing about the icon, the merchant did not attach any significance to the dream and remembered it only in 1629, when the clerk returned and showed Yegor the image he had bought from the Persians.

The fate of the creations of Georgian icon painters in Rus'

As ordered in a dream, Lytkin sent the icon to the Krasnogorsk monastery, which stood in a mountainous forest area and was previously called Chernogorsk (formed in 1603). The Georgian image of the Mother of God immediately showed its miraculous nature, healing the monk Pitirim from deafness and blindness. For further incomprehensible phenomena, the icon was awarded its own day of veneration - September 4, by royal decree and the blessing of Patriarch Nikon in 1650.

A miraculous work of Georgian icon painters for a long time traveled around the country, even visiting Siberian cities. And everywhere the Mother of God healed true believers, as evidenced by church documents of those years.

Unfortunately, the original icon was lost when the Krasnogorsk Monastery was closed in the 1920s. After its opening in 1946, the icon was used in the procession of the Cross, about which the Bishop of Arkhangelsk reported to the Moscow Patriarch, but since then the image has disappeared and has not been found anywhere else.

The very first list of icons

Parishioners who are well aware of the history of Christianity and Orthodox shrines always know which icon to turn to with this or that request, which temple to visit. Icons of the Georgian Mother of God today are kept in the form of lists in various churches in our country. Many of them, like the original, are miraculous.

The first copy of the image of the Virgin Mary from Georgia was painted in 1654 in Moscow by order of the artisan Gabriel Evdokimov, who thus showed his gratitude for the healing of his seriously ill son. This list was transferred to the church on Glinishchi, which is now known as the Church of the Holy Trinity (Nikitnikov Lane). The icon turned out to be miraculous and helped residents of the capital avoid terrible disease when Moscow was covered by a plague epidemic.

What other lists are known from the original Georgian image?

The Georgian Raifa icon of the Mother of God is incredibly glorious. It appeared in the Kazan diocese in 1661. Then Metropolitan Lawrence ordered an icon from the famous icon painter. A separate church was built for the image in the Raifa Mother of God hermitage, and after bringing the shrine from the artist, it began to work real miracles, bringing healing to the blind, lame and mentally ill.

Another very revered Georgian icon of the Mother of God in Moscow is located in a special chapel of the Church of Martin the Confessor, which is located on Taganka. Previously, this list was kept on Vorontsovo Field in the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for it, at the behest of Queen Paraskeva Feodorovna, a precious icon case was created at the beginning of the 18th century.

In Moscow there is the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, the main chapel of which was consecrated in 1991; it also has an icon of the Georgian Mother of God, the history of which is very interesting. Previously, it was owned by schema-abbess Tamar, known in the world as Princess Marjanishvili. She gave the image to family friend Yakov Nemstsveridze, to whom the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream with a request to donate the icon to the church in Ostankino. Yakov intended to take the image to the Georgian Orthodox Church, but all three times something prevented him, meanwhile the paint began to peel off from the icon. Then Yakov heeded the advice he heard in the vision and appeared at the Ostankino Church, where he was met by a woman who also had a vision of the icon’s impending arrival in the church. During the restoration, the colors restored themselves, which was one of the miracles of the beautiful image. An akathist to the Georgian icon of the Mother of God is read here regularly, and parishioners, who greatly revere the shrine, perform heartfelt prayers at it.

Another copy of the image of the Mother of God from the Georgian original appeared in the 17th century in the Alekseevsky Convent, which was located on Prechistensky Boulevard. One of the sick nuns wanted to turn to the image that was in the temple at the Barbarian Gate, but no one could bring it. Then the monk, who appeared to her in a dream, said that somewhere in the depths of the temple a copy of the Georgian icon was kept. After a short search, a sacristy with an image was discovered in one of the walls, which immediately healed the nun. The icon was enclosed in a precious robe by order of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich with blessing. In the 19th century, the temple was moved to and the list of icons found in the monastery is venerated in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on Sokolnicheskaya Square.

Operating churches dedicated to the miraculous icon

Churches bearing the name of the Georgian shrine can be found in many cities of our country and even abroad. Raifa Cathedral is the most famous. It was built at the monastery of the Mother of God in 1842 specifically in honor of the wonderful icon. Parishioners note the extraordinary beauty of the temple, the gracious atmosphere and the unique energy coming from the ancient icons. The Georgian icon of the Mother of God in the Raifa Monastery is very famous, and the cathedral is visited by many tourists. Therefore, if you want to be almost alone with the shrine, it is recommended to come there early in the morning.

Another active church of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God is located in the village of Yakshino, Moscow region. The temple is very beautiful, it was built in the 18th century, but under Soviet rule it was blown up. Restoration began in the 90s, and services resumed in 2004. Before the revolution, the church housed a Georgian Mother of God, and today there is such an icon there too.

There are many temples, chapels, chapels dedicated to the miraculous image in Chuvashia, the Republic of Tatarstan, Tver, Ryazan, Kaluga and other regions of the Russian Federation.

Where else were churches dedicated to the Georgian icon of the Mother of God

In the Tver region, since 1714, there was a Gorbasyevo (Gorbasyevo village) church, built in the name of the icon we are describing. They say that the temple was built by a rich merchant from Georgia who got lost in the surrounding forests. Prayers to the Mother of God helped him get to the village, and thanks to this miracle the church appeared. In 1860, it was decided to replace its old wooden building with a stone one. The temple ceased to function in the 30s of the last century.

There is an ancient church of the icon of the Georgian Mother of God in the village of Vasilyevskoye, Shuisky district. True, now the temple complex, which includes the church, is in a neglected state, and the ancient icons that made up the iconostasis are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum.

What do they pray to the icon for?

It is not for nothing that the Gospel says that people receive from God “according to their faith.” It has long been noticed that among the thousands of parishioners and pilgrims from whose lips prayer flows to the icon of the Georgian Mother of God, not everyone gains the happiness of healing, but only those whose souls are truly pure and ready for Mercy.

It is believed that a beautiful image can bring recovery to those who suffer from illnesses gastrointestinal tract, various tumors, ailments affecting the eyes, teeth and ears, from obsession evil spirits. They rush with special reverence to the image of women who have been diagnosed with infertility.

A prayer said by a person on his birthday, which coincides with or is close to the day of honoring a certain image, is considered very powerful. The Georgian icon of the Mother of God helps and has already helped many; what believers pray for has already been written. At the end there is a story about how this is usually done.

What to say in prayer

Prayer can sound in different ways, the most important thing is that the words come from the heart. With a request to grant the ability to conceive, they mention that the Queen of Heaven, who listens to the prayers of her earthly children, possesses miraculous powers, heals from ailments and the dominance of demons, eases sorrows, relieves grievances, saves from misfortunes and cleanses from sins. They ask the Virgin Mary to give relief to barren couples from infertility, to intercede for them before Her Divine Son and to pray for those who worship her, hope in her and tirelessly sing Her Glory.

Some highlight the role of Jesus, the intercession of the Mother of God before whom can heal or deliver from troubles. The person asking says that he himself may not be worthy of being heard by the Lord, but His Mother, who never turns away from a simple person, can convey even the quietest but sincere prayer to the Son. They ask that God, through the Virgin Mary, help the person praying to live in piety and the light of the Lord’s commandments.

Evidence of the gratitude of many people for the miracles bestowed through a unique image are the crosses with which icons of the Mother of God are hung in churches. Whatever and wherever a Christian prays to the Most Pure Virgin, his unshakable faith and pure soul will certainly lead to a real miracle.

Georgian icon of the Mother of God

The gracious power of the miraculous face of the Mother of God is highly revered in Orthodox circles. The power of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God allows one to heal various physical and mental ailments, and also gives long-awaited children to infertile women.

Since ancient times, the Orthodox people have revered the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and the intercessor of every believer. Christians pray in front of many icons, and the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God is no exception. The holy face has important for Orthodox people. Christians from all over the world resort to her gracious help in order to personally experience the strength and great power of the Mother of God.

History of the icon

The original Georgian icon of the Mother of God appeared to the world in Georgia. But the Persian Empire, led by the ruler Abass, subjugated the lands of Georgia to its power and took away all valuable things, including the icon. The holy face was captured in 1622, it was sold by Persian traders and passed from hand to hand.

The Holy Face of the Mother of God was found in 1625 by a Russian merchant. Stefan Lazarev. He had to shell out a huge fortune in order to redirect the icon to an Orthodox church, where the persecution of the icon would finally end, where it would be greeted with ardent love in the heart. He ordered to place the shrine in the Krasnogorsk Mother of God Monastery, located in the Arkhangelsk region.

Soon, the icon received enormous fame for its miraculous healings. Monk Pitirim, who had completely lost his sight and hearing, after long and sincere prayers before the face of the Mother of God, was completely healed and began to see and hear again.

Soon all of Rus' learned about the miraculous healing abilities of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Orthodox people from all over the country came to pray before the shrine and receive healing. The icon was carried throughout the country so that people who were unable to visit the Krasnogorsk Monastery themselves could pray and see the sacred icon with their own eyes and feel the grace-filled help.

Where is the miraculous image located?

Unfortunately, the original copy of the icon of the Georgian Mother of God has not survived. But there are several lists identical to the ancient icon. They can be found in many churches in Moscow, for example, in the Alekseevsky Convent, as well as in Kazan. Along with icons, throughout Russia there are great amount temples and monasteries named and built in honor of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God.

Description of the icon

The icon of the Georgian Mother of God has its own characteristic features in writing. According to the iconography, the shrine belongs to the “Hodegetria” type and is very close to the types of icons that depict the silent dialogue of the Virgin Mary and the Infant God. The image is very reminiscent of the Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God.

In the center of the icon are written holy images that occupy almost the entire space. The Mother of God is depicted from the waist up, her head tilted towards the baby, who sits on her left arm. The sacred baby is depicted with his right hand raised high, thereby giving blessings to the Mother and all people. In her left hand, the Son of God holds a scroll, which is a symbol of the Old Testament.

What does the Georgian image help with?

Revered lists that tell us about the gracious help of the Mother of God are recorded in church chronicles and legends. Currently, the icon of the Georgian Mother of God does not cease to glorify its name with miracles. Before the icon they pray for healing from the most serious illnesses:

The miraculous image of the Mother of God will help cope with various epidemics, ulcers and all stomach diseases.
The miraculous icon helps the deaf to regain hearing and sight to the blind.
The Blessed Virgin helps with her power in the fight against cancer, and also delivers from evil spirits.

But not everyone who prays before the Georgian icon receives healing, but only those whose prayers and requests were sincere and from the bottom of their hearts.

Date of veneration of the Georgian icon

In 1650, Metropolitan Nikon set the date for the celebration of the miraculous Georgian Icon of the Mother of God - August 22. Since then, every year on this day a festive service is held in honor of the shrine.

Prayer before the miraculous icon

“We bow before you, oh, our Great Intercessor, Mother of God, Most Holy Theotokos! Queen of Heaven, hear our prayers and do not leave us without Your attention! We believe and glorify Your name! Before Your image we pray and ask for healing! May you reward us for our sins and give us Your blessing! May we stand before the Lord for all our unclean deeds! May you give us strength, heal our soul and body! Deliver us from torment and from earthly diseases! May there be peace on our land and in our country! Only before Your image do we indulge in prayers and only You can help us! May we achieve Your support and Your blessings! In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit! And forever and ever! Amen!"

Only the caring hand of the Lord will cover you in moments of suffering and severe tests fate. Do not hesitate to contact the Creator for any advice. After all, His love knows no bounds and He listens to every request coming from the heart. That’s why he called upon the guardian angels and all the saints to help people. We wish you peace in your soul. be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

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Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Georgia they pray for deliverance from pestilence, epidemics, plague, for healing from deafness and ear diseases, blindness or other eye diseases.

Prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos before Her Georgian Icon

Accept, O All-merciful Most Pure Lady, Lady Theotokos, these honorable gifts from us, Thy unworthy servants, to Thy whole-bearing image, sending up the singing with tenderness, as You are the One who exists and listens to our prayers, granting with faith to those who ask for each request: you alleviate the sorrows of those who mourn. , you grant health to the weak, you heal the weakened and sick, and you drive away demons from demons, you deliver the offended from insults, and save the raped, you forgive sinners, you cleanse lepers, and you have mercy on little children, and you free the barren from infertility. Again, O Lady the Lady, you free us from bonds and prisons, and heal all kinds of diverse passions, and heal eye diseases, and deliver us from deadly ulcers: all things are possible through Your intercession to Your Son, Christ our God. O All-Singing Mother, Most Pure Mother of God! Do not cease to pray for us, Thy unworthy servants, who glorify Thee and honor and worship Thy most pure image, and who have irrevocable hope and unquestionable faith in Thee, the Ever-Virgin, Most Glorious and Immaculate, glorifying, and honoring, and singing Thee forever and ever. Amen.

To You, God-chosen Youth, Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, we fall down and cry: hear our voices of prayer and do not turn Your face away from us, unworthy. Accept, O All-Blessed One, from Thy unworthy servants, who honor Thy all-honorable name and with faith who worship Thee before Thy miraculous image, our warm prayer offered now, lift up Thy Son, Christ our God, to the Throne, that He may be merciful to our iniquities and not repay us according to our deeds, but may He add to His generosity. Because we are not worthy, because of our sins, to receive mercy from Him, if not You, Lady, beseech Him for us, for you can ask Him for everything you can, for motherly you have boldness towards Him. For this reason, we run to You, as our all-powerful and all-good Intercessor, fervently praying: ask the Only Begotten Son of God, Christ our God, who was born of You, for all of us to remain firmly in the Holy Fathers Orthodox faith until the end of our days and to walk steadily in all the commandments of the Lord, Yes, having lived the rest of our life in all piety and purity, we will be honored with a peaceful Christian death and a good answer at the terrible Judgment of Your Son and our God, and thus we will achieve, under the roof of Your help, an eternal life in the Kingdom of the Father of lights, who is together with His Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, to glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Lady Theotokos! Accept our unworthy prayer, and save us from the slander of evil people and from sudden death, and grant us repentance before the end. Have mercy on our prayer, and grant joy instead of sorrow. And deliver us, Lady, from all misfortune and adversity, sorrow and illness and all evil. And we, Thy sinful servants, are made worthy to be at the right hand at the second coming of Thy Son, Christ our God, and heirs of the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven, and eternal life with all the saints throughout the endless ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer four, May in the Moscow Georgian Church, on Vorontsovo Field

O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, Queen of Heaven and earth! Listen to the much-painful sighing of our souls, look down from Thy holy height upon us, who with faith and love worship Thy most pure and miraculous image. Because we are immersed in sins and overwhelmed by sorrows, looking at Your image, as if You were alive and living with us, we offer our humble prayers. The imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation, except You, O Mother of all who grieve and are burdened! Help us the weak, assuage our sorrows, guide us astray on the right path, heal our painful hearts and save the hopeless, grant us the rest of our lives in peace and repentance, grant us a Christian death, and at the terrible judgment of Your Son, the merciful Representative will appear to us, May we always sing, magnify and glorify Thee, as the Good Intercessor of the Christian race, who has pleased God with all, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer sixth, May in the St. Nicholas Golden Cross Church in the city of Vologda

Even though by Divine permission at the hands of the infidels, Your honorable icon, O Lady, was subjected to desecration and a barbarian was pierced by a spear, yet in our Orthodox country it is lovingly glorified and reverently revered by everyone, for this reason for You the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk, the weakened strengthen , consolation and consolation for the sorrowful. For this sake, we pray to Thee, Merciful Mother, to the end add Thy mercy to us, as the Good One.

Georgian icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her prayer

Description of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God:

Initially, this image was in Georgia, but during the conquest of the country in 1622 by the Persian Shah Abbas, the icon, along with other valuables, was taken to Persia, where enterprising Persians organized trade in Orthodox shrines. Three years after these events, a local resident brought the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God to the Russian clerk of the Yaroslavl merchant Grigory Lytkin, Stefan Lazarev, who was in Persia on trade matters and offered to buy it. Lazarev could not miss the opportunity to buy the Orthodox shrine and, despite the high cost of the icon, decorated with silver and gold, he purchased it.

At this time, the merchant Lytkin, in a sleepy revelation, learned about the acquisition of his clerk and received instructions from above to give the shrine to the Krasnogorsk monastery in the Arkhangelsk diocese. Initially, this monastery, built on a mountain covered with dense (black) forests, was called Montenegrin. The merchant soon forgot about this revelation, but when four years later his steward returned to his homeland and showed the acquired icon, the pious merchant remembered the vision and immediately went on a trip to the Arkhangelsk province, where he handed over the shrine to the monks of the Krasnogorsk monastery.

The Georgian icon of the Mother of God soon became famous for the miracles of healing performed near it. Thus, after his prayers at the miraculous image, the monk Pitirim completely regained his lost sight and hearing. Already in 1650, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', having examined the recorded healings from prayers before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, established the day of its celebration - August 22.

The fame of the miraculous Georgian Icon of the Mother of God quickly spread throughout Rus'. The chronicle of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich testifies that the miraculous image was worn in many Russian provinces, even on the Lena River in Siberia. The charter of 1698 says: “Through the image of the Georgian, the Most Holy Theotokos, both before and now, performs many miracles and healings for those who come with faith.” Currently, several lists (copies) of the ancient image are revered in Moscow. Unfortunately, the original of the miraculous Georgian icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary has not survived.

Before the Georgian icon of the Most Holy Theotokos they pray for deliverance from pestilence, epidemics, plague, for healing from deafness and ear diseases, blindness or other eye diseases.

Prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Georgian”

Accept, O All-Powerful Most Pure Lady Theotokos, these honorable gifts from us, Thy unworthy servants, to Thy whole-bearing image the singing of those who send up with tenderness, as to You who exist and listen to our prayers and give with faith to those who ask for each request and fulfillment: to those who mourn you alleviate sorrows, you grant health to the weak, you heal the paralytic and sick and drive away demons from demons, you deliver the offended from insults, and save the raped, you forgive sinners, you cleanse lepers and kindness to little children, and you relieve the barren from infertility. Also, O Lady the Lady, you free from bonds and prisons and heal all kinds of diverse passions and heal eye diseases and deliver from deadly ulcers: everything is possible through your intercession to your Son, Christ our God. O All-Singing Mother, Most Pure Mother of God! Do not cease to pray for us, Your unworthy servants, who glorify You and reverence, and worship Your most pure image and have irrevocable hope and undoubted faith, to You, the Ever-Virgin, Most Glorious and Immaculate, glorifying and honoring and singing Thee forever and ever. Amen.

To You, God-chosen Youth, Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth, we fall down crying: hear our voices of prayer and do not turn Your face away from us unworthy. Accept, O All-Blessed One, from Your unworthy servants, who honor Your honorable name, and with faith who worship You before Your miraculous image, our warm prayer now offered: lift up Your Son, Christ our God, to the throne, may He be merciful to our iniquities and not repay according to our deeds, but may He add to His generosity. We know, as we have not known before us: you can ask Him for everything, or motherly have boldness towards Him. For this reason, we resort to You, as our all-powerful and all-good Intercessor, earnestly praying: ask for the Only Begotten Son of God, Christ our God, who was born of You, for all of us to remain firmly in the Holy Fathers Orthodox faith, until the end of our days, and to walk steadily in all the commandments of the Lord, yes Having lived the rest of our lives in all piety and purity, we will be honored with a peaceful Christian death and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Your Son and our God. And thus we will achieve, under the roof of Your help, the eternal life in the Kingdom of the Father of Lights, to Him, together with His Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, befits glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Thy greatness and mercy, O Mother of God, whoever confesses; and whoever will sing of Your glorious miracle; You have brought joy to the Russian Church's faithful children, Most Pure One, but you have disgraced the godless barbarians who despised Your shrine: for you have preserved for us Your wonderful Icon, with which our ailments are healed and our spiritual sorrows are healed. Oh, All-Merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God, do not deprive us of Your protection even now, but through Your prayers always preserve our country and people in the world and contribute to the restoration of the Raifa monastery. For the Holy Mother of the Most Holy God, Lady, Mary the Mother of God, pray with all the saints of Thy souls to rest in the heavenly villages of the souls of Thy servant, the new martyrs and confessors of Raifa:

Archimandrite Theodosius (Luzgina)

ub. Abbot Sergius (Guskova)

ub. Hieromonk Anthony (Chirkov)

ub. Hieromonk Joseph (Gavrilov)

ub. Hieromonk Varlaam (Pokhilyuk)

ub. Hieromonk Job (Protopopov)

Hieromonk Mitrofan (Kirillov)

Hierodeacon Jerome (Sorokin)

Monk Savvaty (Agafonov)

Monk Gelasius (Terekhin)

monk Nestor (Nikitin)

Deacon Alexander Sebeldin

ub. novice Pyotr Tupitsyn

novice Peter Rantsev

ub. Vasily Gavrilova

ub. Stepan Abramov.

O Wonderful and Most Wonderful Queen Theotokos, Mother of Christ our God! Hear us, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, falling at this hour and diligently crying: deliver us from troubles, Lady, and intercede, do not despise our tears and sighs, and deliver us from all sorrow and misfortune, from evil and cruel slander; Are you not imams who are warm Representatives and Intercessors for Your Son, Christ our God? Pray to him, that he may save you for our souls, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, Queen of Heaven and earth! Listen to the much-painful sighing of our souls, look down from Thy holy height upon us, who with faith and love worship Thy most pure and miraculous image. Because we are immersed in sins and overwhelmed by sorrows, looking at Your image, as if You were alive and living with us, we offer our humble prayers. The imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation, except You, O Mother of all who grieve and are burdened! Help us the weak, assuage our sorrows, guide us astray on the right path, heal our painful hearts and save the hopeless, grant us the rest of our lives in peace and repentance, grant us a Christian death, and at the Last Judgment of Your Son the merciful Representative will appear to us, May we always sing, magnify and glorify Thee, as the Good Intercessor of the Christian race, who has pleased God with all, forever and ever. Amen.

O Most Heavenly Queen, Mother of God Mary, Divine Light Receiver, Receptacle of God's Word, prophetic mirror, apostolic sermon, crowned with the martyr's suffering, praise to the saint, bright hymn to the saints and helper, and rejoicing to all the saints, wonderful praise to the Universal Church, invincible power to the Orthodox Tsar, bishop bright crown, and divine protection and helper of all Orthodox Christianity, deliverance from all evils, resolution of sins, mentor to eternal life and intercessor before Christ for us! Grant, O Lady of God, intercession and help, Thy indescribable and wondrous miracles to those who worship, and Thy honorable icons of signs, the last generation shown for salvation and intercession. Fill our hungry hearts with heavenly food, and fill us with spiritual joy, and grant humility to our thoughts, plant Your fear in our hearts, and establish unfeigned love in our souls, and instruct us in every way of the Divine commandments, to walk according to the commandments of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Georgian”

Today the Krasnogorsk monastery is brightly flaunted, and with it the Raifa desert rejoices, like the dawn of the sun, rising from the east, having received, O Lady, your miraculous icon, with which you disperse the darkness of temptations and troubles from those crying out truly: deliver our monastery and the entire Christian country from all the slander of the enemy and save our souls, as the Merciful Intercessor of the Christian race.

Troparion, tone 5

The Orthodox people rejoice when they see the Lady Virgin Mary, Your wonderful and miraculous icon, and always accept spiritual and physical healing by Your mercy. In the same way, we, worshiping them, earnestly cry out to You: have mercy, O Good Mother, on Your humble servants and deliver us from all evil and slander of the enemy, praying to Your Son the Lord Jesus, so that, having been saved here, we will receive Heavenly residence through His love for mankind and His grace.

To You, the Most Chosen of all generations, the Mother of God, we offer thanksgiving singing, with the coming of Your honorable icon, Your servants, Mother of God, are illuminated, but, as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call You: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.

Kontakion, tone 6

We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, and honor Your holy image, from which you exude healing to all who flow to You with faith.

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of the icon called “Georgian”:

Chosen from all generations, to the Mother of God and the Queen before Her most pure image, with tenderness we offer songs of praise: But You, who have indescribable mercy for the Christian race, deliver from troubles and sorrows all of us who call You: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.

The Archangels and Angels reverently serve You, and all the Heavenly Powers, with silent voices, sing to You, the Virgin Mother of God, as having given birth to the heavenly armies of the King: but we are earth-born, reverently standing before Your miraculous face with mortal lips, crying out to Tisce: Rejoice, from all generations for the redemption of our race chosen; Rejoice, full of the Holy Spirit of gifts. Rejoice, thou who hast exalted the Cherubim and Seraphim; Rejoice, you who served the sacrament of salvation of the human race. Rejoice, holy receptacle of the Word of God; Rejoice, you who bore the indescribable Word of the Father in your wombs. Rejoice, true fulfillment of prophetic verbs; Rejoice, having redeemed the guilt of the forefathers of our race through Your birth. Rejoice, intercession given to the Christian race from God; Rejoice, salvation of the human race is the beginning. Rejoice, ladder of Divine condescension; Rejoice, you build a bridge from earth to heaven for the earth-born. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Seeing the Most Pure One from the heights of Her heavenly dwelling, where she abides in glory with Her Son, the bitterness against Christian shrines in the Georgian country, by God's permission in those days, came from the Persian king Abbas, who devastated the Georgian country and desecrated Her Christian churches, and keeping the holy icon from such reproach, I will return the Russian country to my husband and reverently Stefan, you have helped me with good providence, O Lady. Having now acquired Thy holiness, this faithful servant, with tenderness of heart, cry out to God: Alleluia.

Understand at least the reverent husband George, the bewildered mystery of Your revelation, Lady, about a certain priceless bead, acquired by the steward of his estate in the country of Persia, in consultation with Patriarch Philaret. We, in wonder and reverence, cry out to Her at the mysterious admonition of the Most Blessed One, given from above by a faithful servant: Rejoice, thou who revealest the hidden secrets of God’s grace to the faithful; Rejoice, you who praise God through the lips of the Orthodox. Rejoice, unfaithful Hagarites, who despised Your shrine, disgracing; Rejoice, thou who illumine the meanings of the faithful with the glory of Thy miracles. Rejoice, you who teach us the veneration of holy icons; Rejoice, you who affirm the faith of Christ in our country. Rejoice, you who sanctify the monastery of the Red Mountain monks with Your holy image; Rejoice, thou who marked the day of the bringing of Thy venerable icon by healing the monk. Rejoice, priceless beads, Thy holy icon, like an advertisement, which has given us; Rejoice, priceless beads, who gave birth to Christ for our salvation. Rejoice, having visited our country in Your honest image; Rejoice, you who have enriched the peaceful abode of monks with inalienable wealth. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

The power of the Most High overshadows those who flow with faith to Thy sovereign protection, Lady, and reverently honor Thy miraculous icon, Mother of God: for she has been given grace from God to heal every ailment and every disease in people, and we also cry out to God with gratitude: Alleluia.

Having a warm providence for the people of the winter midnight, Thou didst accept the Red Mountain under Thy roof, O Mother of God, and Thou didst mercifully bestow Thy honorable image on the monastery of that monks: so that one can see the currents of miracles, poured out in abundance on those who pray to Thee with faith, in tenderness, they cry out to Thee, the Lady : Rejoice, thou who overshadows the humble abode of the monks of the Red Mountains with Thy sovereign protection; Rejoice, glorifying the Red Mountain with miracles from Your holy icon. Rejoice, you who revealed the likeness of blessed Athos at winter midnight; Rejoice, you who wonderfully pointed out the Red Mountain to the monastic life. Rejoice, Thou who bestowed Thy celibate icon as a shield and fence for that place; Rejoice, you who have created a quiet abode for the monks who settled on this holy mountain. Rejoice, you who organize the life of the monastic rite for the salvation of souls; Rejoice, you who promote salvation for all who want to achieve salvation. Rejoice, covering the Red Mountain and those who dwell on it with Your blessed omophorion; Rejoice, you who do not abandon those who flow to Your protection and intercession. Rejoice, strengthening the weak on the path of virtue; Rejoice, you who guide those who are lost on the true path. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Having a storm inside with doubtful thoughts, the blind man Pitirim, when he was illuminated by the radiance of light, like the sun, was confused and overcome with fear, thinking about this, as if about a demonic induction: for many years he was blind, with prayer create the sign of the cross, turn to the temple and see the wonderful Your icon, Lady, shining with radiant rays in the temple, in his mind, as if his eyes were opened and his ears were opened, he offered thanksgiving to God, wondrous in deeds, singing: Alleluia.

Having heard the blessed Tsar of all Russia Alexy, as if from Thy holy icon, the Lady, even on the Red Mountain, the healing of many different ailments is abundantly given, he gave a command to the abbot of the monastery to honor the city and the weight of his great power with due honor: let the afflicted accept the medicine of bodily ailments and spiritual and tender hearts cry out to You, Lady: Rejoice, consecrated temple of Christ our God; Rejoice, receptacle of His ineffable glory. Rejoice, King of the reigning animated city; Rejoice, chamber and palace of heaven. Rejoice, praise to the Orthodox Church; Rejoice, Russian powers, fortress and affirmation. Rejoice, blessed protection of our cities and villages; Rejoice, all Christians who flow to You, unashamed hope. Rejoice, worthily honored from all generations; Rejoice, thou who deliverest us all from troubles and sorrows by the coming of Thy honorable image. Rejoice, you who guide those who are on a journey to seek the mountain city; Rejoice, our Guide to the eternal abode. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

More than a godlike star, Thy icon appeared, O Mother of God, according to Thy holy will, brought from the east at midnight, and, like a heavenly gift, the monks of the Red-Hustled One accepted it, placed it in the cathedral church of the monastery, and in joy gave a belt of good things to the giver God: Alleluia.

Seeing the silversmith Gabriel, weeping green before Your miraculous image, Lady, as if you had mercy then, You raised up his son lying on his sick bed and made him healthy, have mercy on me too, O Blessed Virgin Mary, and resurrect my soul, killed by sins, I call: Rejoice, Mother of the King of the belly and the Conqueror of death; Rejoice, thou who hast bestowed upon us the favor of Thy Son, Christ our God. Rejoice, illuminating the Russian country with the bright rays of miracles from Your holy icon; Rejoice, you who pour forth rich gifts of healings and mercies to those who ask You before Your wonderful icon. Rejoice, our prayers, offered to You with faith and love, graciously accepted; Rejoice, you who quickly heal the bodily ailments of those who faithfully worship You. Rejoice, you who transform our sorrow into joy; Rejoice, you who deliver us from tears and sorrows. Rejoice, consolation to parents who grieve for their children; Rejoice, children of their grace-filled protection and salvation. Rejoice, protection for us in life and after death; Rejoice, our salvation is in the righteous judgment of God. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

The preacher who did the merchant George his will, you advertised to him, the Lady: steward of your estate Stefan, who is in Persia, buy you a priceless bead, and when he brings it to you, you send it to the Dvina region, to the Chermnaya Mountain. Having now become aware of this Thy Georgy, O Most Pure One, there is special favor towards that place, I will rise up to sing to the God born of Thee: Alleluia.

The glory of God has shone on the holy Mountain Reder from Your most wonderful icon, the Mother of God, before the one who stands before us, with tenderness we pray to You, hear us, crying out to You earnestly: Rejoice, Who overshadowed the Midnight Mountain with the coming of Your miraculous image; Rejoice, you who showed an endless source of miracles on her. Rejoice, having shown Your mercy and love to the monastery of monks; Rejoice, you who showed Your good providence for her. Rejoice, healer of our bodily ailments; Rejoice, you who console us in our spiritual sorrows. Rejoice, O pious Teacher; Rejoice, Leader of the monastic life. Rejoice, you who are kind and accepting of vows for the salvation of souls; Rejoice, you who contribute to our good intentions and undertakings. Rejoice, thou who driveth away evil thoughts from us from the enemy’s intimidation; Rejoice, thou who destroyest the wiles of the enemy, like a spider. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Although to give a blessing to the newly built monastery of monks, the name of Raifa, Archpastor Lawrence of Kazan, Your face, O Lady, from Your miraculous Krasnogorsk image was identically copied, solemnly with prayer singing, and brought into the Raifa monastery. Having been a witness of the accomplishments of Thy holy One, O Lady, icon of signs and wonders, joyfully cry out to God: Alleluia.

We see the new font of Siloam, O Most Pure Mother of God, Thy temple, which is also in Raifa: for every ailment and every illness of soul and body is healed with faith and love by those who flow to You and reverently honor and kiss Your holy image. For this reason, having a new ineffable treasure of Your mercies, we joyfully cry out to You, Most Pure One: Rejoice, font, in which our spiritual ailments are healed; Rejoice, thou who hast brought forth the water of life to those who thirst. Rejoice, you who give sight to the bodily blind; Rejoice, you who open the ears of the deaf. Rejoice, strengthening those who are weak in the body; Rejoice, you who rise up those who lie on the bed of sickness. Rejoice, saving those who swim on the waters from storms and drowning; Rejoice, you who lie in the depths of the sea of life and guide you to the quiet haven of salvation. Rejoice, weapon, with which the demonic regiments are afraid; Rejoice, shield, with which the abodes of monks are covered. Rejoice, quiet joy of the desert dwellers; Rejoice, quiet refuge for those overwhelmed in this world. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

It is strange to hear and inconvenient to understand with evil unbelief, clouded by evil, how signs and wonders come from Thy holy icons, O Lady: but we warmly believe the words, written by You to the first evangelist of the Gospel mysteries. holy icon said: the grace born of Me and Mine with this image may it be convenient to understand and righteously trust, as with it Your holy icon, “Georgian”, Your grace and power abides: for this reason, with reverent fear, what is coming, we honor She is honored, as You yourself, inherent in us, joyfully sing to God: Alleluia.

All ever-present and abiding with the Heavenly Powers, you do not abandon us earthly beings, O Mother of God, with warm intercession before your Son and Thy God: more motherly than imash boldness towards Him. For this reason, standing before Your most pure image, with tears of repentance, we cry out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, faithful Guide, guiding us to the good of the heavenly fatherland; Rejoice, Mother of the King of heaven and earth, opening the gates of heaven to us. Rejoice, Housebuilder, who arranges our life towards heaven; Rejoice, you who show us the eternal good of Your Son. Rejoice, you who save us here from sorrows and troubles; Rejoice, thou who deliverest us from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna after death. Rejoice, Thou who art most merciful to all who flow with faith and love to Thee; Rejoice, our prayers, offered to You in front of Your miraculous image, ascending to the throne of Your Son and our God. Rejoice, our good Helper; Rejoice, our unshameable hope and sure salvation. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Every nature of the Arkhangelsk and Angels, Most High, Cherub and Seraphim, Most Holy Virgin, You gave birth to God in flesh, the King of the Heavenly Powers, Who bore the whole world in your hands, and You nourished every nature of the Nourisher with milk: also, truly, the Mother of God and Intercessor of the Christian race. leading, with boldness we cry out to God: Alleluia.

The vets of multi-proclamation do not know with which words of praise it is appropriate to magnify Thee, Mother of God, according to her heritage, is perplexed, for every tongue is worthy of singing to Thee, Theotokos: otherwise, Good Being, accept graciously, even if the weak meanings are composed, but from a pure heart brought to Thee in praise of the maize singing : Rejoice, most immaculate Youth, chosen by eternal counsel for the salvation of our race; Rejoice, Woman, even as a seed crush the head of the ancient serpent. Rejoice, Most Blessed One among women; Rejoice, having found grace from God. Rejoice, you who humbly accepted the Archangel's broadcast about the incarnation of the One from the Holy Trinity; Rejoice, meek servant of the Lord. Rejoice, vessel sanctified by the Spirit of God; Rejoice, overshadowed by the power of the Most High. Rejoice, you who gave birth to the Savior of our souls; Rejoice, you who have reconciled our fallen race with the justice of God. Rejoice, We go, closed by Thy Nativity to the world; Rejoice, having freed me from the captivity of hell through Your Nativity. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Wanting to save many people from troubles and sorrows, you everywhere show, O Mother of God, to our family an inexhaustible source of mercy from your “Georgian” icon. You preserved the Krasnogorsk monastery undamaged from the burning of the fire in those days, having extinguished the fiery power that was raging around it, and in the reigning city of Moscow and in the desert of Raif, streams of grace flow from Your icon to all who worship You with faith, and in other cities and villages of ours who honor Give you something useful. Moreover, glorifying God, who has given us such grace in You, we cry out to Him: Alleluia.

You are a strong wall, the Virgin Mary, the monastery of Krasnogorsk and the desert of Raifa, an indestructible fence, and to the monastic rank adornment and glory. For this reason, praying, we cry out to You, Most Pure One: cover with faith those who worship You before Your miraculous image from troubles and sorrows, crying out to You with love: Rejoice, strong Guardian from the misfortunes and troubles that come upon us; Rejoice, vigilant Guardian of the monastic monasteries. Rejoice, from the ferocious flame, in those days, the Krasnogorsk monastery, through the warm prayer of the monks, marvelously preserved; Rejoice, you who sent down the goodness of the air and the saving rain in good time. Rejoice, life of the monastic rite is ornament and kindness; Rejoice, you who save us in the storm of temptations and troubles. Rejoice, you who sanctify our thoughts; Rejoice, purifier of our hearts. Rejoice, you who extinguish the soul-destroying flame of our passions; Rejoice, dispelling the darkness of satanic temptations. Rejoice, you who bring down God’s blessing upon our life; Rejoice, guiding our mental desire to the heavenly abode. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Singing of praise is brought to Thee, Lady, by the people of the God-saved city of Arkhangelsk, when their city alone in the summer is sanctified by the coming of Your miraculous image, and from the lamps and censers coming to meet it, they joyfully cry out to God: Alleluia.

With the luminous rays of miracles, Your icon, O Lady, shines unwaveringly on the holy Red Mountain and graciously illuminates our Russian Orthodox country, driving away every dark action of the enemy by the power of God, urging us before You, God-chosen Youth, to sing songs of praise: Rejoice, unquenchable on the path of our salvation lamp of faith and piety; Rejoice, ray of the never-setting sun. Rejoice, unflickering star in our land of Orthodoxy; Rejoice, you who illuminate the path of virtue. Rejoice, dawn, revealing the sun of righteousness; Rejoice, light, driving away the darkness of ignorance. Rejoice, burning bush, who revealed God; Rejoice, fiery throne of the Almighty. Rejoice, treasure of purity; Rejoice, flower of unfading glory. Rejoice, most sanctified Divine village; Rejoice, for through You you have given joy to all who call upon You, Mother of God. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

You have shown Your grace, an inexhaustible source of Thy never-fading, inexhaustible source, O Mother of God, Thy miraculous icon, from whom all those who mourn and are burdened with sins of many accept salvation and healing at all times and joyfully sing about You to the all-good God: Alleluia.

Singing Your glorious miracles, Mother of God, from Your holy icons endlessly given to us, and placing all our hope in You, the Intercessor, we cry out to You with tenderness: Rejoice, shameless hope of Christians in the future world; Rejoice, you who continue to save those who continue to do the commandments of Your Son. Rejoice, you who keep us healthy in this life; Rejoice, you who do not leave us in the terrible hour of death. Rejoice, Thou who arrangest the Christian death of Thy faithful servant; Rejoice, at the righteous judgment of Your Son, you made Your faithful servants worthy to hear His longed voice. Rejoice, for all who want to be saved and come into the mind of truth, the Good Hodegetria; Rejoice, all of you, in the contrition of the hearts of repentant sinners, there is undoubted salvation. Rejoice, through Your Nativity you have opened the doors of heaven to the world; Rejoice, you who united the earthly with the heavenly for eternal joy. Rejoice, ever sung by Angels; Rejoice, and deservedly honored by the earthly ones. Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Oh, all-sung Mother, Most Holy Lady, Virgin Theotokos, do not reject this little prayer that we humbly offer to You now before Your miraculous image, despising the abyss of our sins: deliver us all from the troubles and sorrows in this life and the future eternal torment of those who unhypocritically cry out for You To God: Alleluia.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)