Kazan Icon of the Mother of God information. Prayer to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
History of the holiday. What miracles did the icon perform and why are young people blessed in this image? What you need to pray to Our Lady of Kazan.
The miraculous Appearance of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God occurred in 1579 on July 21. This happened some time after the young Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan and established a diocese there.
How the holy image was found
The Orthodox faith had difficulty taking root in a city where only Muslims had originally lived. And when a huge fire began in 1579, destroying half of the Kazan Kremlin and part of the city, Muslim residents began to talk about the wrath of the “Russian god” and that he brings misfortune. And since they were the majority, the position of the Orthodox became increasingly precarious.
During this difficult period for Christians, to strengthen their faith, the Lord showed His mercy in the form of the miraculous discovery of the icon of the Mother of God, which later received the name Kazan. Here is how it was.
Among the fire victims who began to rebuild their houses was the archer Daniil Onuchin. He had a wife and daughter Matrona, nine years old. One day, in a dream, the Mother of God came to the girl and ordered her icon, hidden there by the righteous during the reign of the Muslim religion, to be dug out of the ground. Matrona told her parents what she saw in her dream, but they did not attach any importance to it.
The Mother of God appeared to the girl three times, until her own mother (who eventually believed the child) went with Matrona on a search. An icon was discovered in the place indicated in the dream. The miracle was immediately reported to the clergy. Archbishop Jeremiah transferred the holy image first to the Church of St. Nicholas, located next to the place of discovery, and then went with the shrine in a procession to the Annunciation Cathedral.
Miracles of the Kazan Mother of God Icon
The image showed its great power during the procession to the Annunciation Cathedral. Two blind men, Nikita and Joseph, who were being led through the crowd by their guides, suddenly regained their sight. The people were so amazed by what happened that many (whose faith had been shaken) found it again.
The priests compiled a description of the Appearance of the Icon and the healing of the blind, and then sent the manuscript to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Moscow. He ordered to build a temple in honor of this icon on the site of the find and to found convent, where Matrona and her mother took monastic vows.
The image of the Kazan Mother of God performed another great miracle during the Time of Troubles, when the people’s militia moved to Moscow with this icon.
The army opposed the impostors who captured the Kremlin and Archbishop Arseny of Suzdal. As soon as the defenders set off on the road, at night divine light entered Arseny’s cell and Sergius of Radonezh appeared. He said that the prayers were heard - the Mother of God herself presented them to the judgment of God and Russia would be saved from the besiegers. The day after the prediction, the militia occupied Kitai-Gorod, and two days later they entered the Kremlin and freed Arseny.
Who does the Kazan Mother of God help?
For a long time, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was famous as one of the most revered among the people. According to tradition, a blessing is given to her (and the image of St. Nicholas the Pleasant) before the wedding of the newlyweds. It is believed that the Mother of God will protect the marital union from poverty and give it prosperity, as well as guide the young on the right path.
Since the image, from the moment of its appearance, began to heal, people still turn to it with prayers for deliverance from ailments, in particular for the granting of “the sight of the blind eyes.” The icon also helps to endure difficult times and consoles in sorrows.
In order to receive intercession, you can go to the temple and, after lighting candles, say a prayer. You can ask for mercy from the Kazan Mother of God at home. You need to cross yourself and, after praying, ask for the fulfillment of what you want. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
20.07.2015 07:00
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most powerful in Orthodox culture. It's connected...
The prototype of the icon was found back in 1579, it is unknown who exactly and when it was painted. There was a huge fire in the city of Kazan, entire streets were on fire, and most of the wooden buildings were destroyed. According to a legend that has survived to this day, immediately after a terrible fire, the little daughter of the merchant Onuchin appeared in a dream and pointed out the place where the miraculous image, untouched by the fire, lay. The merchant sorted out the rubble of his burnt house and found under it an icon written on a cypress board.
The icon was not only beautiful, but also differed from other famous icons of the Mother of God. On the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the infant Christ is depicted left side from his mother, and him right hand raised in a blessing gesture.
The icon of the Kazan Mother of God had mysterious healing powers. Many people applied themselves to the image in the hope of healing. There is evidence that the icon restored vision, relieved headaches and other ailments. It was installed in the Annunciation Church in Kazan. Crowds of people came to see and pray at the image.
The news of the miracle icon spread far beyond the city and reached the king. A copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was made and sent to Ivan the Terrible. She made a stunning impression on everyone royal family. Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a convent on the site of the holy image.
The role of the icon in the history of Russia
In addition to miracles of healing, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan played an important role in the history of the Russian state. At the beginning of the 17th century, misfortunes befell Russia, the throne was left without a ruler. The Poles took advantage of the turmoil and captured Moscow, and installed their prince Vladislav as king. The prince did not want to change his Catholic faith to the Orthodox and honestly rule the Russian people. As a result, Patriarch Hermogenes called on the people to rise up, overthrow the Poles and place an Orthodox king on the throne.
In 1612, a copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to Moscow by Kazan militias; it was in the chambers of Prince D.I. Pozharsky. Before battles, the warriors prayed to the image and asked the Mother of God for help.
After the victory over the Poles, Pozharsky assigned the icon to the Church of the Entry on Lubyanka. In gratitude for victory and salvation in the battles, the prince erected the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, where the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary was transferred.
The prototype of the Kazan Mother of God is associated with the triumph of Russian troops in the battle of Poltava in 1709, as well as the victory in the war with Napoleon. It is noteworthy that Peter the Great before Battle of Poltava with his army he prayed in front of the Kazan icon Mother of God.
Great Catherine the Second ordered a precious crown to be made and personally crowned the holy image with it.
In 1812, during the First Patriotic War, leaving Moscow to the French, Field Marshal Kutuzov took the icon from the cathedral and took it out on his chest under his overcoat. After the victory, the icon returned to its place.
The third copy of the image of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to St. Petersburg by order of Paul I in 1708. First, she was placed in a wooden chapel on the St. Petersburg side, and then transported to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Nevsky Prospekt. The icon remained here until 1811, then it was moved to the newly built Kazan Cathedral, where it remains today.
The holy image also played a huge role during the Great Patriotic War. According to historical records, the icon was secretly delivered to besieged Leningrad. She was carried through the streets of the city, and he survived. Also, during the war, the icon was taken to Moscow, and in Stalingrad a prayer service was served in front of it. It is believed that the Mother of God is the protector of Russia and helps the country to withstand its enemies.
Miracles of Moscow
It is interesting that in the first days of the icon’s stay in Moscow, many miracles and healings occurred. The story of Savva Fomin has reached our time. This Kazan townsman, who lived in Moscow, decided to commit a terrible crime. He called on the devil and promised to give him his immortal soul. But after the crime was committed, Savva was struck by a serious illness, and over time he wanted to repent of his crime. Preparing for death, he confessed to the priest, after which the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to arrive on July 8 at the Kazan Cathedral. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich heard about this and ordered the sick Savva to be taken to the cathedral on a carpet. During the service, Savva began severe pain, he began to appeal to the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of God appeared to him and ordered him to enter her church. To the amazement of the parishioners, Savva stood up and entered the Kazan Cathedral on his own feet. He fell to his knees in front of the icon and promised to devote his life to serving God. Subsequently, he gave away all his property and became a monk at the Chudov Monastery.
The mystery of finding the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God
Currently, many copies of the miraculous icon have been painted, but the location of the original sacred image still remains a mystery.
There are several versions about the disappearance and secret storage of the icon. The original was lost in early XIX century. At that time, there were rumors about the theft of an icon from the Bogoroditsky Monastery. Allegedly, along with the Mother of God, an image of the Savior and valuable church utensils were also stolen. A reward of 300 rubles was offered for the capture of the thieves or information about the location of the icon.
The thief was caught after some time Nizhny Novgorod. He turned out to be a seasoned thief - a repeat offender with 43 years of hard labor behind him, a certain Chaikin. His “specialty” was church robberies. During interrogations, he changed his testimony several times, first he claimed that he burned the icon, then he began to say that he chopped it with an ax. However, neither the court nor the people believed him, since even such an inveterate criminal could not have been unaware of the value of the relic. But until 1917, Chaikin claimed that he had destroyed the icon of the Virgin Mary.
The clergy thought that the icon had fallen into the hands of the Old Believers. The fact is that the Old Believers believed that having found the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, they would receive freedom of religion. In essence, this is practically what happened: in 1905, a law on religious tolerance was issued and the Old Believers were restored to their rights. People began to say that this was a bad sign and troubles awaited Russia. After the bloody events of 1917, the trace of the icon was lost forever.
According to the second version, only a copy of the icon was stolen, and the original was in the chambers of the mother abbess of the monastery at the time of the crime.
The historian Khafizov conducted his own investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the holy image. He believes that the icon was taken from Russia in 1920 during Civil War and sold at an underground auction to an English collector. After which the icon passed into the hands of new owners several times and was eventually purchased by the Blue Army organization and transferred to the Vatican, from where it returned to Russia in 2004.
There is another version: the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God was not destroyed and was never taken out of the country. The face is securely hidden in a secret place.
Interesting fact: even modern lists from the icon have great power and there are many eyewitnesses who claim that they experienced its miraculous power.
How to contact an icon
You can consult the icon both in the church (temple) and at home. For appeals and prayers you need an image; you can purchase an icon in any church shop. Light a candle in front of the icon and concentrate. The most important condition is sincerity; prayer must come from your heart. Most often, they pray to the Mother of God for the health of children and loved ones, asking for help and intercession in family and everyday matters. It is customary to bless young people with this icon for lasting and happy marriage.
In troubled times, they pray to the Mother of God for intercession, the success of soldiers in battles and the liberation of the country from enemy forces.
There is a wonderful maternal custom - to place the icon of the Kazan Mother of God at the head of the crib, thereby protecting the child from adversity and serious illnesses.
There are special appeals for reading in front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God:
- prayer;
- kontakion;
- troparion
The celebration of the image in Russia takes place two days a year: July 21 and November 4. Summer holiday dedicated to the appearance of a miraculous face, and in the fall to the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612. Currently, divine services are held every day in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, and the gaze of parishioners turns to the holy image.
Orthodox Christians have long been Hard times for Russia they asked for help and support from this image Holy Mother of God, because for centuries the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has been the patron of the Russian land, which is confirmed by historical facts.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is honored twice a year: in the summer - on July 21 - in memory of the appearance of the icon in Kazan, and on November 4 - in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow and all of Rus' from Polish invaders.
history of the holiday
The appearance of the icon of the Mother of God in Kazan occurred 438 years ago - it was found in 1579 in the ashes of a terrible fire that destroyed part of the city of Kazan.
After a fire that claimed the lives of more than a quarter of the city’s residents, a nine-year-old girl named Matrona dreamed of the Mother of God, pointed to a completely burned house and ordered her to retrieve Her icon buried in the ground.
The next morning Matrona told her parents about the dream, but they did not pay attention to the girl’s words. The Mother of God appeared three times and indicated the place where she was hidden. miraculous icon.
Finally, Matrona and her mother began to dig in the indicated place and found the Holy Icon untouched by fire. This miracle happened on July 21 (July 8, old style), and since then Orthodox Christians have celebrated this day every year.
How the shrine fell under the ruins remains a mystery to this day - it is assumed that it was buried by secret confessors of Christianity during Tatar rule.
The clergy, led by Archbishop Jeremiah, arrived at the place of the miraculous discovery, and the Holy Image was solemnly transferred to the parish church of St. Nicholas of Tula.
A copy of the icon, a statement of the circumstances of its discovery and a description of the miracles were sent to Moscow. Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God at the site of the apparition, where the Holy Icon was subsequently placed, and to found a convent. Matrona and her mother, who contributed to the acquisition of the shrine, took monastic vows in this monastery.
© photo: Sputnik / Sergey Pyatkov
In the St. Nicholas Church, where the first prayer service was held before the Kazan Icon, the priest at that time was the future Patriarch Ermogen, Saint of Moscow.
Fifteen years later, in 1594, already being Metropolitan of Kazan, he compiled a legend about the sacred events of which he was an eyewitness and participant: “The Tale and Miracles of the Most Pure Mother of God of Her honest, glorious appearance in Kazan.”
The story describes with great factual accuracy many cases of healing that took place from the miraculous icon through the prayers of believers.
Miraculous image
The fact that the icon was miraculous became clear immediately after its appearance, since already during the procession of the cross two Kazan blind men were healed. These miracles were the first in a long list of cases of grace-filled help.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God healed various ailments. So, in the city of Laishevo there lived a man named Kozma, who suffered from dementia. Relatives advised him to go to the Kazan Monastery to the Most Pure Mother of God and ask for healing. When Kozma came to his senses, he immediately began to pray to the Mother of God for healing. He served a prayer service and, by the grace of God and the help of the Mother of God, received healing, and went home happy, fervently glorifying either God or the Most Pure Mother of God.
They say that one boyar’s son, whose name was Ivashka, nicknamed Kuzminsky, his wife fell ill. Her legs hurt so much that she couldn't even move them. And every day she became worse and worse, and no one could help the unfortunate woman.
Having learned about the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the woman asked to take it to her. Seeing the image, the unfortunate woman began to pray to the Mother of God with tears, asking Her for mercy. And the miracle happened, during the prayer service, the woman was immediately healed and went home herself, overwhelmed with joy and thanking God and the Most Pure Mother of God for her miraculous healing.
There are known cases when sincere prayer in front of the Kazan image of the Virgin Mary helped to overcome the most difficult obstacles in life and find a way out of endless illnesses and problems.
© photo: Sputnik / Alexey Nasyrov
One of the parishioners of the Bogoroditsky convent in Kazan suffered from birth defect hearts. By the age of 50, a woman was waiting complex operation, for which there was not enough money, and no guarantee that she would survive after surgical intervention, no one gave.
On the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a parishioner prayed in tears before the icon. At night, the Virgin Mary appeared to her and blessed her, saying that all her troubles were over. Imagine the surprise of the doctors when the examination revealed that there was no need for surgery. The woman quickly recovered and a short time I completely got rid of my illness.
The Mother of God showed many miracles through her miraculous Kazan image. One day a woman came to the temple with a blind child. The mother held the baby in her arms and prayed for a long time with tears in front of the Holy and miraculous image of the Mother of God for the enlightenment of her child.
© photo: Sputnik / Maxim Bogodvid
And suddenly, everyone who prayed in front of the image of the Mother of God, together with the archbishop, looked at the baby and saw how he touched his mother’s face with his hands.
Then the archbishop ordered an apple to be brought to the child, which the baby immediately began to grab. It was then that everyone made sure that the child had received his sight, and immediately gave glory to God and the Most Pure Mother of God, who was working wondrous miracles.
What do they pray for?
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is considered miraculous, and prayers to it can be fateful. People believe that during any disaster, grief or misfortune, the Kazan Mother of God can cover a person asking for help from all troubles with her invisible veil and save him.
In front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God they pray for the healing of eye and other diseases, protection of the house from disaster and fire, deliverance from enemy invasions, blessing of the newlyweds, the birth of children, and family well-being.
Prayers
First prayer
Oh, Most Pure Lady Theotokos, Queen of heaven and earth, the highest angel and archangel and the most honest, pure Virgin Mary of all creation, the Good Helper of the world, and affirmation for all people, and deliverance for all needs! You are our intercessor and representative, you are protection for the offended, joy for the grieving, refuge for the orphans, guardian for widows, glory for virgins, joy for those who cry, visitation for the sick, healing for the weak, salvation for sinners. Have mercy on us, Mother of God, and fulfill our request, for everything is possible through Your intercession: for glory befits You now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Second prayer
O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! With fear, faith and love, falling before Thy honorable icon, we pray to Thee: do not turn Thy face away from those who come running to You, beseech, Merciful Mother, Thy Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He may preserve our country in peace, and may He establish His holy Church May he preserve the unshakable from unbelief, heresies and schism. There are no imams of any other help, no imams of other hope, except You, Most Pure Virgin: You are the All-Powerful Helper and Intercessor of Christians. Deliver all who pray to You with faith from the falls of sin, from slander. evil people, from all temptations, sorrows, troubles and from vain death; Grant us the spirit of contrition, humility of heart, purity of thoughts, correction of sinful lives and the remission of sins, so that we all praise Thy greatness with gratitude, let us be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom and there with all the saints we will glorify the Most Honorable and Magnificent Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.
For several centuries, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has been revered as the Patroness and Intercessor of the Russian land and the Russian people. Believers turn to her to ask for help and protection for their homes and their families. It is with this icon that during the sacrament of weddings the newlyweds are most often blessed for a strong and happy marriage. The image of the Kazan Mother of God is often placed next to the crib of children, because they believe and know that the Most Pure One will not leave the child, but will graciously watch over him.
This icon became famous for its numerous miraculous healings. Prayer before her has more than once helped people get back on their feet and regain their sight, not only physically, but also spiritually. Lost souls kneeling before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God regained faith and returned to a pious life, for the Mother of God responds to the call of everyone who thirsts for Her help and forgiveness with all their heart and soul.
Orthodox Christians celebrate the great feast of the Kazan Mother of God icon twice a year - July 21 and November 4, and these holidays never suffered, as happens with others church holidays. These days, having offered a prayer to the Mother of God, the sinner will be on the path to salvation. Through this icon, the Mother of God becomes a Healer and Helper.
The history of the appearance of this icon is entwined with inexplicable secrets and riddles. Thousands of pilgrims go to her for help with deep faith in their hearts - prayer in front of this face heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, puts the crippled on their feet, protects the family hearth, protects children. The miraculous icon blesses young couples for a strong and happy marriage.
On June 28, 1579, a terrible fire occurred near the Church of St. Nicholas of Tula, which wiped out part of the city and half of Kazan.
Kremlin. The Islamists rubbed their hands, spreading rumors that God was punishing Christians in this way. But in the end, this fire foreshadowed the complete collapse of Islam and the strengthening of the position of Orthodoxy in the future east of the Russian state.
Soon the fire victims began to rebuild the city brick by brick. One of these fire victims was Daniil Onuchin, who was also rebuilding his house after the fire. One day his daughter Matrona spoke about prophetic dream, in which the Mother of God appeared to her and pointed to the place where Her icon was hidden. But no one attached any importance to the girl’s words, and the Mother of God appeared in her dreams three more times, and then Matrona and her mother willfully dug up the holy icon.
Right here on this sacred place Archbishop Jeremiah arrived and solemnly moved the icon to the nearest church named after St. Nicholas. After the prayer service with the Procession of the Cross, the icon was moved to the Annunciation Cathedral, which was built by Ivan the Terrible in Kazan. During this procession, two blind men Joseph and Nikita were miraculously healed of their illness. And on the spot where the miraculous icon was found, the Mother of God nunnery was built, where Matrona became the first nun.
In the fall of 1612, during the struggle against the boyar government of Prince Vladislav, the Kazan Icon firmly united the entire people. After such facts, the icon rightfully began to be considered the intercessor of the Russian land. Peter the Great himself prayed before the icon in 1709 before the Battle of Poltava, and during the French attack in 1812, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God blessed the Russian military, including the notorious Prince Mikhail Kutuzov.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is small in size; it depicts the Mother of God bowing her head to the Infant Christ. Of all the icons of the Mother of God revered in the Orthodox Church, the Kazan Icon is the most famous and respected.
Is inEpiphany Cathedral, Moscow.
Events from the history of the icon
Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
1579 was a difficult year for Kazan. There was terrible heat and drought, which caused a fire. Half the city burned down, many residents lost their homes. Among them was the family of a nine-year-old girl, Matrona. Her father and mother tried to improve life in their new home. One day Matrona saw a dream in which the Mother of God told her to take an icon out of the ground and indicated the place where it lay, exactly where their burnt house stood. The parents did not listen to their daughter at first, but when the vision repeated, they still went to the fire. Where indicated, they found the image of the Mother of God. The news of this miracle spread throughout the city. The governors and the archbishop came to Matrona’s house. He was the first to take the icon out of the ground and move it to Cathedral Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is a simple priest named Hermogenes. A few years later he became Patriarch of All Rus'.
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icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov |
No one knows how the icon of the Mother of God ended up in the ground. It is believed that it is a copy of an icon painted by the Apostle Luke. Either a Russian prisoner or a Muslim who converted to Christianity but was forced to hide could have brought her to Kazan and buried her.
After the image was found, the incident was reported to Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. He issued a decree to build a temple at the site where the icon was found and to found a women’s monastery.
The Kazan-Bogoroditsky convent was built under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. His first nun was the same Matrona who found the shrine. After tonsure, she received the name Mavra and a few years later became the abbess of the monastery.
At the request of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan wrote a book<Повесть и чудеса Пречистыя Богородицы, честнаго и славнаго Ея явления образа, иже в Казани>. (Edition: Works of His Holiness Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. With the appendix of the rite of installation as Patriarch. - Publication of the Church Commission for the commemoration of the anniversary events of 1612, 1613 and 1812. - M.: Printing A. I. Snegireva, 19 12. S. 1-16.). It tells that miracles from the icon began to occur immediately after it was taken out of the ground. On the way to the temple, Joseph, who was participating in the procession, received his sight, who had not seen anything for three years. The blind Nikita also regained his sight.
The fame of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God grew. Lists were made from the image and sent to different dioceses. In 1904, the original face was stolen from the Kazan temple. It is currently unknown where he is.
Particularly revered copies of the revealed Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Several especially revered images of the Mother of God are widely known<Казанская>- lists from the revealed icon.
Two of them are in Kazan, a city where two religions peacefully coexist: Christianity and Islam. The miraculous copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is in the church in the name of the Holy Princes Theodore, David and Constantine, Yaroslavl miracle workers. Despite its modest size, the temple is one of the most revered places in Orthodox Kazan. In the minds of believers this is one of the most sacred places ancient city, the Church of the Yaroslavl Wonderworkers is the only one in the city that did not close in Soviet years(in this regard, from 1938 to 1946 the temple had the status of a cathedral). In the city's Holy Cross Cathedral (formerly the Kazan-Bogoroditsky Monastery) there is another Kazan image of the Mother of God, which returned from the Vatican to Russia in 2004 -<на место своего обретения>.
The miraculous Kazan image of the Mother of God, kept in Moscow, is also especially revered. Before the construction of the Kazan Cathedral on Moscow's Red Square in 1636, Moscow<Казанская>was in the parish church of the Pozharskys - the Church of the Entry on Lubyanka, then in 1630, at the expense of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, with the assistance of the treasury, they began to build the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square. After the destruction of the cathedral in 1936 and to the present day, this miraculous list is kept in the Elokhovsky Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.
One of the main shrines of St. Petersburg and its Patroness is the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, brought by Peter I from Moscow. Her miracle-working became widely known when the icon was still in the modest Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the St. Petersburg side. The icon traveled around St. Petersburg in the first half of the 18th and 20th centuries. In 2001, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God returned to the Kazan Cathedral of the city, where it is also located currently. The revered copy of the St. Petersburg image is located in the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Currently, it is difficult to restore all reliable historical facts associated with miraculous images of the Mother of God<Казанская>, however in church history Some versions have been established.
Events from history<московского>image of the Kazan Mother of God
In 1598, the heir of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ivanovich, dies, and the ruling dynasty of Russia is interrupted. From this moment on, for Russia it comes<темная полоса> - Time of Troubles. The state is torn apart by a political, economic, governmental and social crisis.
There are opposing groups operating in the country, led by selfish interests, adding to the general chaos of a band of robbers and marauders - slaves and servants expelled from estates due to the impossibility of feeding them. Since 1607, various interventions on the territory of Russia began, entire regions were ruined.
By 1610, many Russian cities were under Polish rule, Moscow boyars swore allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav, and in September of this year Polish troops entered the capital. However, the robberies and violence of Polish-Lithuanian detachments committed in Russian cities and inter-religious contradictions between Catholicism and Orthodoxy cause a number of Russian cities to refuse to swear allegiance to Vladislav.
In 1611, the first militia tries to put an end to the Polish intervention in Moscow, but they fail. Russia, while continuing to fight the Poles, is simultaneously trying to repel the Tatars, who are ravaging the Ryazan region, and the Swedes, who are capturing the northern cities. It seems that Orthodox Rus' stands on the brink of death.
Nizhny Novgorod at that time was one of the key strategic points in the eastern and southeastern regions of Russia. In the conditions of the weakening of the central government, the rule of the interventionists, this city becomes the initiator of a nationwide patriotic movement, Nizhny Novgorod residents joined the liberation struggle against the interventionists several years before the formation of the second militia.
Patriarch Hermogenes (the same one who was present at the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God in Kazan), who was in the dungeon of the Chudov Monastery during the Polish intervention, calls on everyone to rise up in defense of the faith and the Fatherland. He secretly sends an appeal to Nizhny Novgorod:<Пишите в Казань митрополиту Ефрему, пусть пошлет в полки к боярам и к казацкому войску учительную грамоту, чтобы они крепко стояли за веру, унимали грабеж, сохраняли братство и, как обещались положить души свои за Дом Пречистой и за чудотворцев, и за веру, так бы и совершили. Да и во все города пишите, :везде говорите моим именем>.
After receiving the letter of the fearless old man, a new upsurge of the patriotic movement arose in Nizhny Novgorod. The militia assembled by Kuzma Minin is headed by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The Kazan squads that joined him bring with them a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and hand it over to Prince Dmitry with the faith that the Most Holy Theotokos will take the militia under Her protection.
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Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov |
On Sunday, October 25, Russian squads solemnly, with a procession of the cross, go to the Kremlin, carrying the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. At Lobnoye Place, the religious procession meets Archbishop Arseny, who has emerged from the Kremlin, carrying the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he preserved in captivity. Shocked by the accomplished meeting of two miraculous icons of the Mother of God, the people pray with tears to the Heavenly Intercessor. In 1613, the rightful Tsar Mikhail Romanov is elected, and Russia begins to revive.
Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gives the order to establish a second annual holiday in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, setting it for October 22, the day of the liberation of Moscow from foreign invaders (July 8 is the day of the appearance of the icon in Kazan). And in 1649, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the local Moscow (and Kazan) holiday in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God became all-Russian. The reason for this decree was the birth of the heir, Tsarevich Dmitry Alekseevich, during the all-night service on October 22. This joyful event for the tsar was attributed by him to the mercy of the Mother of God, and from that time Alexei Mikhailovich began to look at the Moscow icon of the Mother of God<Казанская>not only as the deliverer of Russia from the invasion of foreigners, but also as the Patroness of the Romanov dynasty. This view was adopted by subsequent kings from the House of Romanov.
According to the Nikon Chronicle, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky placed the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in his parish Church of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Lubyanka. Later, through the efforts of the prince, the Kazan Cathedral was erected on Red Square, where in 1636 the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was transferred. After the destruction of the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, the revered copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to the Epiphany Cathedral of Yelokhov, where it is currently located.
Events from history<питерского>image of the Kazan Mother of God
Story<петербургского>The Kazan image of the Mother of God is closely connected with the name of Peter I. Peter’s innovations had a hard time taking root in Rus', and they did not gain much approval from the ministers of the Church. The exception, perhaps, were two great saints: Saint Demetrius of Rostov and Saint Mitrophan of Voronezh, who warmly supported the idea of educating Russian people in the West, but openly showed their negative attitude towards European customs and the spread of Western values.
The Tsar developed a special relationship with Mitrofan of Voronezh. With his moral authority, mercy, and prayer, the bishop contributed to the transformations of Peter I, the need for which he well understood. Saint Mitrofan of Voronezh has these words addressed to Peter:<Возьми икону Казанской Божией Матери - и она поможет тебе победить злого врага. Потом ты перенесешь эту икону в new capital. You wanted to consecrate the palace here - I will do this if you remove the idols from it. But you won't need it. You will live in other palaces in the North, and you will build a new capital, a great city in honor of St. Peter. God bless you for this. The Kazan icon will become the cover of the city and all your people. As long as the icon is in the capital and Orthodox Christians pray in front of it, no enemy will set foot in the city.”
(based on an article by Archpriest Vasily Shvets
<Казанская Божья Матерь - благословение России и Петербургу>)
Fulfilling the prophecy of Mitrofan of Voronezh, in 1703 Peter I began the construction of St. Petersburg, and in 1709 on the eve Battle of Poltava repeatedly prayed for victory over the enemy in front of the miraculous Kazan image of the Mother of God, the so-called<Каплуновской>. Before the battle, the icon was carried throughout the army and the kneeling soldiers were blessed with it. After the victory, the icon was returned to the village of Kaplunovka, Kharkov region, where it was found in 1689.
In 1710, by order of Emperor Peter I, the copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg and placed in the center of the new capital on the St. Petersburg side near the old Gostiny Dvor in a wooden chapel.
The first copy of the Kazan Icon was brought to Moscow to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1579 (shortly after the icon was found). Most likely, in the royal chambers in Moscow there are other, equally ancient or more recent lists of the Kazan icon as very revered in the royal family. One of these copies royal family I could take it with me when moving to a new capital. Most opinions are inclined to believe that a votive icon was brought to St. Petersburg, commissioned by the Dowager Empress Paraskovia Feodorovna, wife of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, brother of Peter I.
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Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov |
For the defeat of Napoleon's army M.I. Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree, becoming the first full Knight of St. George in the history of the order ( awarded with orders all four degrees). The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg became a temple - a monument to Russian glory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The altar iconostasis is made of silver, captured by the Don Cossacks from the French. And in front of the cathedral itself there are sculptural images of the commanders Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly. Not by chance great commander and warrior - M.I. Kutuzov, who led the Russian army to victory, bequeathed to be buried in the Kazan Cathedral, in a temple consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he revered so much all his life.
In the twenties of the 20th century, the Kazan Cathedral came under the subordination of renovationist structures; the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to the church at the Smolensk cemetery on Vasilyevsky Island. After the closure of the Smolensk Church in August 1940, the miraculous icon was taken to the Prince Vladimir Cathedral and remained there until 2001. In July 2001, the shrine returned to its original vaults of the Kazan Cathedral.
Events from history<ватиканского>image of the Kazan Mother of God
WITH<ватиканским>This is how the story of the return of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God from the Vatican to Russia in 2004, widely sensational in the media, is connected. This miraculous image It was kept in the chambers of the Pope for 11 years and was handed over to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II by Cardinal Walter Kasper, by order of Pope John Paul II. While on a visit to Kazan in July 2005, Patriarch Alexy II, having performed the liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin, transferred the image to the Kazan diocese.
Trying to trace the path<ватиканского>Kazan image of the Mother of God in his work<Казанская икона Божией Матери>done by Vladimir Brovko. According to the author, the first time this icon appears among other valuable works of art put up for sale by the Bolsheviks was in 1920 (according to some sources - in 1919). This year the deal did not take place, and where was the icon next years, unknown. By indirect signs, she was taken out of Russia in 1928.
In 1953, collector Frederick Mitchell-Hedges acquired it in England and began actively advertising it for commercial purposes. In catalogs of Russian icons, this image is called<Казанская Богородица замка Фарлей>, named after the castle in which the collector lived.
The first official examination of the Kazan image of the Virgin Mary is being undertaken by Cyril Bunt, an iconographer from Great Britain. He conducted his examination and related research for at least 9 years.<За более чем восемь лет исследования этой иконы я много раз пытался опровергнуть ее возраст, ее ценность и ее идентичность, так как в этом состоит работа хорошего исследователя предметов искусства. Но мои исследования только больше и больше подтверждали невозможность опровергнуть подлинность этой иконы. Эта икона в своей целостности является величественным произведением искусства>. More than once the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was subjected to examination. Because of its dark face, the icon acquired the name in England<Черной Казанской Богородицы>.
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Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov |
By coincidence, it was never sold and was kept for several years in America in the safe of business manager Anna Mitchell-Hedges. In 1970, it was decided to put the icon up for auction, where private individuals could buy it. The rector of the Russian Catholic Center of Our Lady of Fatima in San Francisco, Father Karl Patzelt, created a company to raise funds that would help preserve the shrine for all Christians. As a result, the image was purchased for three million US dollars and placed in the church in the city of Fatima. In 1993, the icon was handed over to the Pope, and a few years later it returned to Russia.
This happened after a delegation consisting of residents of Kazan and the mayor of the city arrived in the Vatican. They were received by Pope John Paul II, who admitted after a conversation that the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is the spiritual property of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 2004, the holy image was delivered to Russia. Receiving it from the hands of the delegates of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II said:<Сегодня Россия встречает один из чтимых списков Казанской иконы Божией Матери. Этот образ совершил долгий и нелегкий путь по многим странам и городам. Перед ним молились православные верующие, католики, христиане других исповеданий. Долгое время его бережно сохраняли в Ватикане, и это возгревало во многих верующих-католиках любовь к Пречистой Деве Марии, к России и Русской Церкви, к ее культуре и ее духовному наследию. По воле Божией спустя годы этот честный образ возвращается домой>.
The examination was carried out by specialists from the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Church Scientific Center<Православная энциклопедия>in the presence of Vatican representatives, she showed that the icon kept by the Pope was painted in the 18th century in Moscow or not far from it.
About the role of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the Great Patriotic War
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Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov |
In 1941, Patriarch of Antioch Alexander III called on all Christians to pray for help to Russia.
Metropolitan Elijah of the Lebanese Mountains went into seclusion for three days. He prayed, and the Mother of God appeared to him in a vision. She sent a message to Russian people: <Должны быть открыты во всей стране храмы, монастыри, духовные академии и семинарии. Священники должны быть возвращены с фронтов и из тюрем, должны начать служить. Пусть вынесут чудотворную Казанскую икону и обнесут ее крестным ходом вокруг Ленинграда, тогда ни один враг не ступит на святую его землю. Перед Казанскою иконою нужно совершить молебен в Москве; затем она должна быть в Сталинграде, сдавать который врагу нельзя. Казанская икона должна идти с войсками до границ России>.
Metropolitan Elijah conveyed these words to Joseph Stalin. The commander-in-chief made a promise and actually carried out the order exactly. IN besieged Leningrad residents made a religious procession with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. This is how it is described on the website of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral:<Стали трамваи, прекратилась подача электрического света, керосина не было. В предутренней тьме, озаряемой вспышками орудийных выстрелов, чрез глубокие сугробы неубранного снега спешили священники, певчие, служащие и прихожане собора со всех концов города: Певчие пели в пальто с поднятыми воротниками, закутанные в платки, в валенках, а мужчины даже в скуфьях. Так же стояли и молились прихожане>.
Divine services in the church where the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was kept were held twice a day - morning and evening, despite the fact that people suffered and died from hunger. Together with them, Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad shared all the hardships of the blockade. He supported the parishioners with prayer and words.<Наш град находится в особенно трудных условиях, но мы твердо верим, что его хранит и сохранит покров Матери Божией и небесное предстательство его покровителя св. Александра Невского>, <Не падайте духом. Бодрите других. Наш долг быть твердыми: мы - русские, мы - православные христиане>, - said the Metropolitan and prayed for victory.
In 1943, Metropolitan Alexy and three clergy of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral were awarded medals<За оборону Ленинграда>. This was the first time in the history of Soviet Russia when state awards received by representatives of the clergy.
Leningrad was defended. After a prayer service was served in Moscow, the miraculous Kazan image of the Mother of God was taken to Stalingrad. Prayers and memorial services were served before him. Where the icon was, the enemy did not pass. After Stalingrad, the holy image moved around the country along with our troops, who went on the offensive and liberated one city after another.
In October 1947, Stalin invited Metropolitan Elijah of the Lebanese Mountains to Moscow. On the advice of Patriarch Alexy, he was given a gift of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a cross and a panagia, decorated precious stones. By order of the government, the Metropolitan was awarded a prize for helping the country, but the Bishop refused it, saying that the monk did not need money. He asked to transfer funds to help orphans, and added to them a large sum money collected by the Antiochian Church.
The visit of Metropolitan Elijah of the Lebanese Mountains to Russia actually took place. But whether he had a vision of the Mother of God at the beginning of the war, whether he conveyed instructions to Stalin, it is impossible to say with certainty on this matter. Doubts about this are expressed not only by historians, but also by church ministers, for example, Deacon Andrei Kuraev in the article<Война: чудо и сказки>. One thing is undeniable - for Russian Orthodox Christians, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was and remains the intercessor and guardian of peace.