The Icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most revered and beloved images in the history of Russian Orthodox icon painting. The history of the appearance of the icon dates back to the 12th century. During this time there were many internecine wars. And when the enemy attacked Veliky Novgorod in 1170, the pious townspeople brought the “Sign” icon to the city walls that protected the city. All the people prayed for the intercession of the Mother of God, and when the enemy’s arrow hit the image, and tears flowed from this place, people believed that the Mother of God was praying with them.

The defenders of Novgorod were inspired by this sign and defeated the enemies. In honor of the Heavenly Intercessor, the Orthodox Church has preserved the custom of celebrating the veneration of the “Sign” icon on December 10th.

Miraculous Lists of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign"

In addition to the main icon "The Sign", lists from it went around Russia, which also became famous for many miracles. They began to be named either according to their location, or according to the place of manifestation of great signs.

• Alabatskaya - with the help of this image, the sick Ephraim was healed, and when transferring the miraculous image to the temple, she became famous for numerous healings.
• Kursk-Root, acquired in the old days by a hunter at the roots of trees, from under which a healing spring subsequently gushed. This icon became famous for many miracles in Russia, cases of healing from blindness are especially known, and after the revolution also abroad.
• Tsarskoye Selo - by order of the ruling Empress Elizabeth at that time, the list was decorated with a gold salary with many precious stones, because by praying before the image, people were healed of terrible diseases (plague, cholera, typhoid).
• "The Word became flesh." This list is named after the Amur fortress Albazin, he helped fight off enemies. Then, transferred to the city of Blagoveshchensk, the icon did not allow the enemies to win until they retreated.
• Seraphim-Ponetaevskaya - this list of icons was named after the convent, where many miraculous healings were performed through fervent prayers to this icon.

The meaning of the icon "The Sign" of the icon of the Mother of God

The meaning of the icon is very great. First of all, in this image, the Most Holy Theotokos warns against internecine warfare and, in general, any bloodshed. Unfortunately, people still cannot heed the call of the Queen of Heaven. Orthodox families acquire the "Sign" icon as a protector. They pray before her for protection from disasters of a global scale - epidemics, loss of livestock, fires.

Icon "Sign" - what helps

And today, like several centuries ago, Orthodox Christians come to the image with prayers and petitions:

• To reconcile the warring, to end internecine wars and all sorts of wars in general.
• Heal diseases such as blindness, get rid of severe epidemics, pandemics.
• During various natural disasters, fires, tornadoes.
• Protects from treachery, thieves, robbers.
• Removes you from envious people and those who hate you.

Sincere prayer before the image of the "Sign" always bears fruit. It brings peace and joy to families, calms violent characters, reconciles those who quarreled. Often the Mother of God, through her icon, sent warnings to warring people, but, unfortunately, we do not always heed such signs. It is easier for people to live without regard for their conscience and without thinking about God.

In the series, the icon "The Sign" occupies one of the main places - so many times she helped Orthodox Christians, for which they thank her and honor her as the great Intercessor of the Russian people. And even abroad, the Kursk-Root list helped those who were far from their homeland, fleeing the Red Terror.

History remembers many cases when the images and relics of saints worked miracles, helped to overcome serious illnesses and other life difficulties. That is why Orthodox people pay considerable attention to religious attributes. One of these is the icon "The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos". How does it help and how to properly address the image?

Description

This icon dates from the 12th century. The author is not exactly known. The Mother of God is depicted in a traditional maphorion with her hands raised in prayer (the icon-painting type of Orant). On her chest is a baby - Jesus Christ. The Mother of God is standing. The original image is double sided. The reverse contains images of the righteous Anna and Joachim, who are in prayer before Jesus Christ. It was originally decorated with a golden riza with precious stones.

Four centuries after its creation, the "Sign" icon was restored. The master was presumably Archbishop Macarius (future Metropolitan of Moscow). Then only fragments of the clothes of the Virgin were preserved from ancient painting. The reverse side remained unchanged. Currently, the image is in the St. Sophia Cathedral (Novgorod).

Story

According to sources, in 1170 Suzdal troops led by Andrei Bogolyubsky laid siege to Veliky Novgorod. The forces were unequal. And the townspeople turned in prayer to the Lord for salvation. On the third night of the siege, a voice from heaven commanded Archbishop John to take the image of the Mother of God from the church on Ilyinskaya Street and take it to the city walls. During the procession, the opponents began to shell the fortress. One of the arrows hit the icon. Tears flowed from the eyes of the Mother of God. After that, the enemies were suddenly seized with an inexplicable horror. Quarreling among themselves, they rushed away from the city walls. Taking advantage of this confusion, the Novgorodians began to pursue the Suzdalians and won.

This historical incident is described in detail in a well-known icon-painting plot. And the Novgorodians themselves remember and revere the icon, which depicts the savior-Virgin Mary ("The Sign"). The meaning is also reinforced by other miracles that the holy image showed at different times.

celebration

In the 12th century, after military events, a celebration was established in honor of the icon (December 10, according to a new style), which is still celebrated in the Russian Church today. There is a service on this day. The clergy read prayers and canons, ask the Mother of God for intercession and affirmation in the faith.

Wonders

For two centuries, the image was in the "native" wooden church on Ilyinskaya Street. However, in the middle of the 14th century there was a fire in it. And the icon showed another miracle. The fire died down just near the prayer service, where the holy face hung. After that, a new, stone temple was built next to the ashes, which received the status of the Icon and found a new home.

In the 16th century, after the restoration of the image, another, larger-scale fire broke out in Novgorod. The fire spread to several streets. No efforts of the townspeople could pacify the formidable elements. Then Metropolitan Macarius turned with a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos and, with her well-known image in her hands, made a procession along the banks of the Volkhov. Suddenly a strong wind blew towards the river - the fire stopped.

In 1611 the Swedes attacked Novgorod. They brutally killed the townspeople and ravaged houses and temples, carrying out sacred dishes and desecrating icons. There is a known case when several strangers approached the same temple on Ilyinskaya Street. At that time there was a service in it. As soon as they stepped on the threshold, the Swedes were thrown back by an invisible force. Their further attempts to penetrate the temple were unsuccessful. Having learned about this, the enemies no longer approached the temple, and the Novgorodians, on the contrary, could escape in it.

During the October Revolution (1917), the icon was transferred to the Novgorod Museum, during the Great Patriotic War it was evacuated, and after that it was returned to the museum-reserve. And finally, in 1991, the Novgorod diocese defended the saving icon. Accompanied by an amazing celestial phenomenon - a rainbow around the dome of the temple - the icon "The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos" was transferred. How does the holy face help individual people and what requests can be made to it?

Meaning and prayers

It is known that in 1352, hundreds of people were miraculously healed during a plague epidemic. And later, cases of cure for severe mental illness and blindness were recorded. This, according to the confessors, was favored by the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which it still helps today.

Also, people who want peace in a family or country, want to find missing relatives come to the image. However, the clergy are convinced that whatever the believer asks for, with sincerity and purity of thoughts, the Most Holy Theotokos will certainly help. Its significance since the birth of Christianity on earth has been enormous. The Gospel describes many cases when she helped needy and sick people, converting them to faith.

Also significant is the question of how to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos. There are quite a few lines written specifically to address it. So, there is also a petition to the “Sign” icon. However, according to all the same confessors, no matter what text a person addresses to the image, his inner faith will always come first.

miraculous lists

The history of icon painting knows several lists or copies made on the basis of the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign". They are located in Russia and outside it. Their names correspond to the location of the images: Abalakskaya, Kursk, Vologda, Pavlovskaya, Solovetskaya, Tsarskoye Selo, etc. All of them have holy power and demonstrate miracles, like the original icon “The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos”. How does the image help Christians? First of all, gain faith.

To this end, in the fall of 2009, an "Orthodox expedition" took place - a flight of the icon on a spaceship around the Earth. During the project, 176 turns were made. Permission and blessing for such a procession was received from the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill himself.

The most ancient image of the Mother of God "The Sign" in Russia is the Novgorod icon, painted in the second quarter - the middle of the XII century. But the name "Sign" begins to be associated with it, oddly enough, only at the end of the 15th century, especially clearly - from the 16th century, and finally fixed in the 17th. The feast of the icon was celebrated on November 27, apparently, even before its miracle to the people of Novgorod, which happened on February 25, 1169 (1170). In the Novgorod First Chronicle it is reported that the Novgorodians defeated the Suzdalians "by the power of the Cross and the Holy Mother of God", that is, any name is not yet associated with the icon. The chronicler calls the icon simply “the Holy Mother of God”, without a specific epithet. The word "sign" then, as usual, was used in the same sense as in V.I. Dahl: “A sign is a sign, a sign, a sign; brand, tamga, seal; natural phenomenon or miracle for signification, proof; an omen of something."

The etymology of the word "sign" is directly related to the verb "to know". Indo-European ĝen - "to know" is identical to ĝen - "to give birth, be born" and comes from this latter. It is the concepts of “to be born” and “to know” that make up the meaning of the word “sign”.

Consider the symbolic and theological meanings of the iconography of the image. At the same time, let's not forget about the conventions of the language of the icon and the difference between the image and the depicted. I.K. Yazykova writes: “At the moment of contemplation of the icon, the holy of holies, the inner Mary, in whose bowels the God-man is conceived by the Holy Spirit, is revealed to the praying one.” Let's emphasize this "as if". With this reservation, one of the meanings of the circle in which Emmanuel is depicted should be understood and perceived as symbol revelations. But anyway revelations- Divine sign. And although the most intimate is revealed to us, nevertheless, this is only the first step in the conversation of the icon with us, when a sign is a “foreshadowing of something.” On the second step, the Mother of God, knowing Savior before Christmas, still in the womb, gives birth- on the icon, as if eternally sends - the Divine Infant into the world for the salvation of the human race.

The hands of the Mother of God are raised to the sky, they are wide open towards the One who is higher than the whole universe, and at the same time they bless those who pray. This is a very ancient prayer gesture: according to Tertullian, the hands of the Christians of his time were raised and extended, "imitating the passion of the Lord." The prayerfully raised hands of the Virgin also mean intercession for people before God. The inscription on one of the Byzantine seals of the early 13th century reads: “Stretching out Your hands and bringing Your intercession to the whole universe, give me Your cover, O Most Pure One, for what I have to do.” With hands raised to heaven, Moses also prayed during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites: “And when Moses raised his hands, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed; but the hands of Moses were heavy, and then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hor supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were lifted up until the sun went down” (Ex. 17:11-12). Here the significance of the entire psychophysical side of prayer is clearly confirmed: it is not enough to pronounce words in the heart, the posture of the prayer and his gestures play an important role. Let us also pay attention to the theme of light and grace that accompanies this gesture. The name "Aaron" is translated as "mountain of light", "Or" - "light". And the hands of Moses himself were “raised until the sun went down,” that is, the hands supported by the “lights” stretched out to the Light and received the grace of God. In the same way, during the liturgy, the priest stretches out his hands in front of the altar, exclaiming: "Woe to our hearts." Therefore, we can talk about the canonicity of this gesture, which has been used in the liturgy since ancient times, about a kind of connection through this gesture of the Old and New Testaments.

The same is embedded in the iconography of the Mother of God icon "The Sign". And here we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New. The Infant of God in the pictorial relation is conditional, but eternally is born into the world to save him. Therefore, He is often placed in a mandorla, through the circles of which Divine energies seem to emanate into the world (again, the theme of light and grace, reflected even in the color of Emmanuel's clothes). Mandorla in this case acts as sign movements - movements of the Child and light. And when, during the siege of Novgorod, the arrow of the Suzdalians hit the icon and the icon turned away from the attackers, the Suzdalians thereby lost their light and grace, and the Novgorodians, on the contrary, received this grace for decisive action and victory over the enemy. Recall that the Greek ενέργεια is translated as an active force, and a sign, according to V.I. Yes, there is a sign. But in Greek a sign - σημειον - is a wonderful sign, not an ordinary one. In the Novgorod Festive Menaion (c. the second quarter of the 14th century), this word is used in relation to the miraculous icon precisely in the meaning of “foreshadowing”, “miracle”. Another purpose of the mandorla in this case is to emphasize the Christocentrism of the icon: both with concentric circles around the God-child - “Light has come into the world” (John 3: 19), and with its high hierarchical status in the system of icon-painting symbols. The arms of the Divine Infant outstretched from the medallion Great Panagia(from the Greek Παναγία - All-Holy) indicate the penetration of eternity into time, and therefore the abolition of time, which is typical for the Orthodox worldview.

So, the first meaning of the “Sign” icon is revelation. At the same time, there is another meaning in it: Christians, for their part, get to know Birth and coming into the world of the Savior, know Him and testify of Him as recognized. That is, birth (γέννησις), in fact, takes place in the name of creation (γένεσις), in order to return creation to the Divine plan: so that man becomes a created god by grace. In other words, without separation and confusion, the dual unity of “God and me” arises - the unity that S.L. Franc. Recall that the word "God" in theology indicates the property, the nature, and the word "God" - the Personality. As a supertemporal or timeless act, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: “Behold, the Virgin in the womb will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Is. 7: 14; Matt. 1: 23). In the 15th century, this text of Isaiah is given not only on the icons of the prophetic tier of the iconostasis, as in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, but also serves as the basis for free literary transcriptions, in which the word "sign" is used in relation to prophecy.

The religious experience of prayerful communion with an icon allows one to discover in oneself a new state filled with Divine energies. The Greek term ένθεος is suitable for its designation - lit. "filled with divinity" This state is indicated by the words of Christ: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). We are clothed in Christ, and Christ dwells in us. In this case, on a personal level, a real relationship is established between the Prototype and a person through the medium of an icon, and on a public level, the icon becomes a national shrine. Thus, the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” became the sacred guardian of Veliky Novgorod. This icon was considered in Byzantium and in Russia also the patroness of the Church, which explains the frequent use of its iconography on the seals of monasteries, dioceses and metropolises, in lunettes above the entrance to the temple, in the conchs of apses. There are grounds for establishing a connection between the image of the Mother of God "The Sign" and the icon of the Annunciation. If in the bowels of Mary “the God-man is conceived by the Holy Spirit”, as I.K. Yazykov, then this is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy about Emmanuel: the good news has passed into the stage of its fulfillment. Therefore, E.S. Smirnova is absolutely right, considering the images on the reverse side of the icon as images of Joachim and Anna, and not the Apostle Peter and the martyr Natalia, as V.N. Lazarev with followers. The theme of the Incarnation is central to the icon "The Sign" (therefore, this iconography is canonical for the center of the prophetic tier of the iconostasis). Both sides of the famous Novgorod image, with increasing content, testify precisely to the Incarnation. Otherwise, the theological connection between the obverse and reverse of this icon is lost, which comes into conflict with the practice of church life. Such a connection was present in the vast majority of external Orthodox images.

A special rite in honor of the Mother of God, called the "Order of the Ascension of the Panagia", is directly connected with the "Sign" icon. But we know that the Panagia is also called the encolpion - a small image of the Virgin, worn by the bishop on his chest over the vestments, and the prosphora, from which a particle was removed at the liturgy in memory of the Most Pure. During the meal, prosphora was necessarily placed on a special dish - panagiar - with the image of Our Lady of the Sign, often surrounded by prophets. On the Byzantine panagiars of the 12th-13th centuries one can see the inscription: “Christ is Bread. The Virgin gives the body to God the Word. The inscription was applied not only for the sake of decoration; its meaning was to mysteriously connect the rank Panagia and the meaning of holy bread - the body of Christ, received by Him from His Mother. so chin Panagia brings us back to the topic of the Incarnation.

The pedigree of the iconography of the "Sign" goes back to the image of Oranta, which in Russia was also called the "Indestructible Wall", because "it was considered the intercessor of" all cities, suburbs and villages "in the fight against the eternal enemies - the steppe nomads". Is it correct to assume that Oranta was depicted as an intercessor, starting with the murals of the catacombs? In them one can see many images similar in iconography: this is how, for example, the souls of the dead were originally depicted, who prayed for the still living Christians.

Oranta was and is a symbol of the Heavenly Church. She became such in full measure and consciously from the moment when she was identified with the personality of the Mother of God. Already in the catacombs, “under the image of a praying wife, the ancient Christians sometimes used to depict none other than the Blessed Virgin Mary,” accompanying the frescoes with the inscriptions “Maria” and “Mara”. Nevertheless, “in these orants we have not a portrait, individual type of the Mother of God, but a conventional image of Her, adopted for every sedate Christian woman.” However, in the “Ascension” brand of the Monza ampulla (the iconography of the stamps dates back to the 4th-6th centuries), we see Oranta already, undoubtedly, in the person of the Mother of God, we see Her as the personification of the apostolic Church.

Since the 9th century, they began to write the Most Pure in the conch of the apse. As I.K. Yazykov, since then, “the theme of intercession has taken on a broader aspect: the prayer of the Mother of God links together the Kingdom of Heaven, represented in the upper part of the temple, with the “world of the valley” - under Her feet. The Mother of God Oranta, as it were, opens up to meet Christ, Who descends through Her to the earth, incarnates in a human form and sanctifies human flesh with Her Divine presence, turning it into a temple - hence the Mother of God Oranta is interpreted as the personification of the Christian temple, as well as the entire New Testament Church.

Serbian painters in the 14th century painted a fresco similar to the Novgorod icon “The Sign”, where the Mother of God, depicted full-length, is dressed not in the usual tunic, but in a chiton with claves. Similar examples can be seen in some of the frescoes of Oranta in the catacombs. The Mother of God in this case was understood as the Church itself and as a messenger. If earlier the intercession of the Most Pure implied a movement from the bottom to the top, then here it is understood as apostolic and directed from the top to the bottom.

Protographers of the image of Our Lady of the Sign have also been known since the 4th century (the catacombs of St. Agnes in Rome) and, judging by the absence of a halo in the Divine Infant, were created before the First Ecumenical Council, that is, before 325. And in the 5th-6th centuries they were already written on icons and in the wall paintings of temples, minted on coins, reproduced on the seals of Byzantine emperors, which indicates their Constantinople origin. This iconography has been especially widespread since the 11th-12th centuries and becomes popular throughout the Orthodox ecumene. Nevertheless, many art historians consider the appearance of this recension to be only the middle of the 11th century, referring to the surviving images of coins (nomisma of empresses Zoya and Theodora, 1042) and sphragistics (seals of Empress Evdokia Makremvolitissa, wife of Constantine X in 1059-1067). and Roman IV in 1068-1071). Apparently, the confusion here is due to the fuzzy classification of the names of iconographic types, since the tradition of fixing the stable names of one or another type of the Theotokos icons takes shape only by the time of the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and possibly later - already in post-Byzantine times.

According to I.K. Linguistically, the iconography of Oranta is an abbreviated and truncated version of the image of Our Lady of the Sign. Such an opinion cannot but arouse objections. Since the version of Oranta is older than the “Sign”, the first cannot be an “abbreviated version” of the second: only what is already there can be truncated. Here we are dealing not with the reduction of the iconography of the image, but with its construction. Therefore, the “Sign” scheme is even more complicated than the Oranta scheme, and not only externally, but also internally. “This is the most theologically rich iconographic type,” I.K. herself is convinced. Yazykov.

Using the example of the Cypriot frescoes, we have already verified the undoubted connection of the images of the image of the “Sign” with the image of Our Lady Blachernitissa, which only confirms the understanding of the word “sign” as a miracle, because the events of 910 that took place in Blachernae Church have been celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church for more than eight hundred years as the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. Apparently, it is natural that the icon is called "The Sign" only in Russia and nowhere else. In other countries, it is known under other names, mainly taken from akathists.

In the art of the Byzantine circle, several terms were used for this iconography, which are often used by art historians: “Platitera” (from “Πλαντυτέρα τόν ουρανόν” - “Wide of heaven”, from the liturgy of Basil the Great), “Episkepsis” (“Επίσκεψις” - “Patroness , Intercessor"), "Megali Panagia" ("Μεγάλη Παναγία" - "Great All-Holy") ". Let's add here "Pantonassa" ("παντο" - "everything" + "νάσσα" from "ναίω" - "to live, inhabit; be; inhabit").

It should also be noted a certain iconographic connection between the image of the Mother of God "The Sign" and the icon Our Lady Nicopeia(victorious). During the restoration of the Blachernae Church (1030-1031) during the reign of Emperor Roman III Argyra, the builders discovered an icon immured in the wall, which was hidden from the iconoclasts, most likely in the 8th century under Emperor Constantine Copronymus. The found image was described by the witness of the events, John Skylitsa. Its text was understood for quite a long time as a description of a recension identical to that of the Novgorod icon “The Sign”, however, modern researchers have made a more accurate translation, from which it follows that the Mother of God holds a mandorla with the Divine Infant in Her hands. This is how Nicopeia, known since pre-iconoclastic times, was found. A similar Sinai icon of the 7th century has survived to this day. The role of this edition, according to Academician N.P. Kondakov and V.N. Lazarev, resonates with the role that the Novgorod shrine is called upon to play - the icon of Our Lady of the Sign.

Note how accurately our ancestors gave the name to the image! The miracle is inextricably linked with this icon. Especially for Novgorodians. Miraculously, they received help from her during the siege of the city by the Suzdal people. In 1356, the fire that broke out in the church subsided after a prayer service in front of this icon. In 1611, the Swedes were thrown out of the Znamensky Cathedral, trying to rob it. Relatively recently, many of those present witnessed a heavenly phenomenon: on August 15, 1991, when the icon was transferred from the museum, where it had been stored for a long time, to the Novgorod diocese, a rainbow surrounded the golden dome of St. Sophia Cathedral with a ring, and then began to rise and dissolved in a clear, without a single cloud, sky.

In conclusion, we recall that the word "miracle" is derived from the verb "chuti" - that is, "to hear, feel." God, considering human nature, for the salvation of His people, speaks to them with the help of signs. As long as we “feel” the omnipresence of God and the universal protection of the Mother of God, we can hope for Her intercession and help in sorrows. And through Her image of the “Sign” the luminous grace of God will continue to descend upon us.

Icon of the Mother of God "SIGN" Kursk-Root

The Kursk Icon of the Sign of the Mother of God is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church.

The icon of the Mother of God, called the "Sign" depicts the Most Holy Theotokos, sitting and raising her hands in prayer; on her chest, against the background of a round shield (or sphere), is the blessing Divine Infant - Spas-Emmanuel. Such an image of the Mother of God is one of Her very first icon-painting images.

Icons of the Mother of God, known as the “Sign” appeared in Russia in the 11th-12th centuries, and became so called after a miraculous sign from the Novgorod icon that happened in 1170.

Another, similar icon, appeared near the city of Kursk in 1295, is called Kursk-Root .

During the invasion of Russia by Batu Khan, the city of Kursk was so devastated that it was overgrown with forest, in which residents of the neighboring town of Rylsk often hunted. Once, on September 8, 1295, on the day of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, one hunter saw an icon facing the earth at the root of a tree. He raised the image, and it turned out that it was the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "SIGN". At the same moment, in the place where she lay, a source of spring water gushed out of the ground.

When Prince Rylsky Vasily Shemyaka was informed about the appearance of the icon, he ordered to bring it to the city. The people met the icon of the Mother of God with triumph, but the prince himself did not take part in this meeting, for which he was immediately punished with blindness. When, after repentance, he received insight, in gratitude for the healing he erected a temple in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, where, after the completion of construction, the miraculous icon was placed. Then a holiday was established on the day of her appearance. The icon of the Mother of God from the place of appearance at the root of the tree began to be called Root.

But the icon of the Mother of God did not stay in the temple for long: miraculously, it disappeared and was discovered in the place where it was found by the hunter. The inhabitants of Rylsk repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon of the Mother of God each time disappeared from the temple, and it was again found at the site of the appearance at the root of the tree. Then everyone understood that the Mother of God favored the place where Her image appeared, and a chapel was built on this place.

In 1383, the Tatars who attacked the Kursk region captured a priest who served at the chapel, set fire to the chapel, cut the icon in half, threw one half into the fire and the other half aside. The priest was taken to the Crimea, where he spent several years in captivity, doing hard work. Once the Moscow ambassadors, passing by the Tatar camp, heard Russian hymns to the Most Holy Theotokos. Having learned about the captive priest, the ambassadors bought him out of slavery, and he returned to the place near Kursk, where a chapel with a miraculous icon once stood.

At the site of the burnt chapel, the priest found one half, and after searching for the other, he found it aside in the grass. With faith he put the two halves together, and they miraculously grew together. From that time on, the icon of the Mother of God remained in its place in the newly built chapel, and miracles did not stop from it all the time. Subsequently, a monastery was built on the site of the chapel - the Root Hermitage. It is known that the Monk Seraphim of Sarov was healed in childhood before this image.

In 1898, attackers tried to destroy the Russian shrine. The explosion from the planted bomb was so strong that the temple collapsed, but the icon of the Mother of God remained unharmed. To everyone's amazement, even the glass on the icon case remained intact. In memory of the miraculous preservation of the icon during the explosion, another day was established for the celebration of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” - March 8 (March 21 in a new style).

After the October Revolution, on April 12, 1918, the icon was stolen from the Znamensky Cathedral in broad daylight. Searches have not yielded results. The shrine was discovered a few days later, at about 10 am. One woman, returning home, passed by a well (according to legend, dug in his youth by the Monk Theodosius of the Caves himself). Here, on the stump of the well, she saw a bundle wrapped in a sack. There was an icon in it, but it was already without magnificent robes, apparently, planted by the thieves.

In the 20th century, the Kursk Root Icon, having shared the fate of Russia, became a companion of Russian people abroad. At the end of October 1919, the miraculous image left the Kursk region. From the Athos Compound, the icon was transferred to Constantinople, then to the Greek city of Thessaloniki, then to the ancient capital of Serbia, the city of Nis, to the suburb of Belgrade - Zemun. Thus began the way of the cross of the icon outside the Fatherland. The icon is currently located in the USA. The shrine visits parishes in the United States and other countries where Russian people live. She is truly considered the Hodegetria of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Memory March 8 celebrated in memory of the salvation of the icon from the atheist revolutionaries who tried to blow up the icon in the Kursk Cathedral in 1898, June 11 and 8 September- on the day of acquisition, November 27- on the day of the celebration of the icon "The Sign", 9th Friday after Easter.

Description of the icon

On the upper part of the icon there is an image of the Lord of Hosts with His Holy Spirit emanating from the depths, on the other sides there are images of Old Testament prophets in various clothes, according to the difference in origin and rank, with scrolls in their hands.

The faces of the prophets are turned to the image of the Mother of God, who has Emmanuel in her bowels. On the right side of the icon is depicted the king and the prophet Solomon; in his right hand is a scroll with the saying: “Wisdom has made a house for herself,” and the prophet Daniel follows him down; in his left hand he has a scroll with the saying: "I saw a stone mountain." Behind this is the prophet Jeremiah with a scroll in his left hand, on which the saying: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord." Below - the prophet Elijah with a scroll in both hands, on which the saying: "Jealous jealousy for the Lord." On the left side above, the king and prophet David with a scroll in his left hand, on which the saying: "Rise, Lord, into Thy rest." Below - the prophet Moses with a scroll in both hands, on it is the saying: "I saw the bush of fires ...". Behind him is the prophet Isaiah with a scroll in his right hand with the saying: "Behold the virgin in the womb will receive." Behind this is the prophet Gideon with a scroll in his left hand, on which the saying: "It descends like rain on a fleece." The lower part of the icon depicts the prophet Habakkuk with a scroll in both hands, containing the saying: "God will come from the south."

The image of these prophets is directly related to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called the "Sign". The icon depicts the conception of the Son of God, Emmanuel, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and this is the greatest miracle, according to the prophecy of St. Isaiah, was a sign to the royal house of David that it would not cease until the incarnation of the Son of God. But the same miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God was also foretold by other Old Testament prophets; therefore, the images of these prophets with scrolls, which contain their prophetic sayings, are also placed on the icon of the “Sign” of the Most Holy Theotokos as their common consensual evidence of the truth of the miraculous sign given by God through the prophet Isaiah.

Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Sign” of Kursk-Root, they pray for deliverance from internecine warfare, during disasters and invasions of enemies, for healing from blindness and eye diseases, cholera, for the protection and blessing of our compatriots who are forced to wander around the world, for the pacification of the warring.

The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ and the Intercessor of all people on Earth, is one of the most revered images in Orthodoxy. There are many icons on which the Mother of God is depicted in various positions, and each of them has its own special meaning for the believer. The holy face more than once saved entire cities from the attacks of enemies, and gave healing to the suffering and sick. The most revered in the Orthodox world is the “Sign” icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which helps in various troubles.

In any Orthodox church, you can find various images of the Virgin Mary, which have their own sacred meaning. The Mother of God can be either with a baby in her arms, or simply bowed in prayer for earthly sinners. There are several types of icons of the Virgin, which are especially revered by believers. These include:

• Oranta;
• tenderness;
• Hodegetria;
• Virgin without a child.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "The Sign"

The most common image of the Immaculate Mary with Jesus Christ is considered to be the “Oranta” type. The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Sign" also belongs to it. This image has been known to the Orthodox world for more than nine centuries.

Oranta personifies the Mother of God, who spread her raised arms to the sides, to her full height or to the waist. The palms of the Virgin are open and directed towards the worshipers. In the chest area of ​​the Intercessor hangs a kind of medallion, where you can see the face of Jesus Christ.

The name of the icon "The Sign" came from Ancient Novgorod, when it was this image of the Mother of God and her son that saved the city from enemies. It happened in 1170, when Veliky Novgorod was under siege by enemy princes. From night to night, Archbishop Ilya fervently prayed to the Creator for the salvation of the city, and one day in a dream he heard a voice that called him to make a procession with the icon of the Mother of God, which was in the city church of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

The next morning, all the inhabitants of the city, led by the archbishop, fulfilled the will of God and walked around the walls of Novgorod with the indicated image. During this, the enemy began to fire at the people making the procession, but not a single arrow hit the worshipers and only one hit the face of the Virgin. At that moment, tears flowed from her eyes, and the enemy in a panic left their positions and left the inhabitants of Novgorod and the city itself alone.

In honor of what happened, the archbishop established a feast of veneration for the icon-savior, which was called the "Sign" and its date was December 10. This holy face has worked miracles more than once and saved people and entire cities. On the day of veneration of the icon, thousands of believers go to her and ask her for such things:

• protection from enemies, thieves and natural disasters;
• reconciliation of the warring;
• healing from blindness and cholera.

Image of the Queen of Heaven "Feodorovskoye"

Often found in iconography is the image of the Intercessor with the Son, who is firmly pressed against Her cheek. This type of icons belongs to the type of "Tenderness" and the most revered images among them are the image of the Feodorovskaya and Kasperovskaya Mother of God.

The image of the Queen of Heaven "Feodorovskoye" has been known in Orthodoxy since the 12th century, and it is this holy image that is considered the patron saint of the royal Romanov dynasty. Some experts are sure that the image got its name when Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich ascended the throne in 1613. Others are sure that the “name” of the icon was in honor of St. Theodore Stratelates, who found it. The Great Martyr discovered a painting on a pine tree in the city of Gorodets, and later the Gorodetsk Monastery appeared there.

An interesting fact of the discovered shrine is that, having been in several fires, it remained intact and did not even lose the brightness of its colors. The Theodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God darkened only when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated.

The icon has always been and is under the close attention of believers, every day hundreds of people flock to it. The list of what the Feodorovskaya Mother of God icon helps with is very large. People ask the holy image:

• family happiness;
• successful marriage;
• the appearance of a child;
• easy childbirth.

The Queen of Heaven Feodorovskaya is venerated on March 27 and August 29. You can bow before the holy image in the Epiphany Cathedral of Kostroma. And during the days of the celebration, the icon visits Kiev and Astrakhan.

"Our Lady of Kasperovskaya"

In the Assumption Cathedral in Odessa, there is the second of the revered images of "Tenderness" icon "The Mother of God Kasperovskaya". One of the unusual properties of this holy image is that it is painted on canvas, which is glued to an ordinary board, and the Orthodox venerate it as miraculous.

The artist depicted the Immaculate Mary with a child who gently presses her cheek against her, and a sensitive mother looks at her child with love and joy. It is known that the image itself appeared in Russia in the middle of the 16th century, and after 2 centuries it was acquired by Juliana Kasperova, by whose name the icon got its name.

The wealthy lady was a believer and often prayed before the face of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. And one fine day, she discovered that the silhouettes, dark from time to time, brightened and sparkled with new bright colors, as if they had just been painted.

After that, the fame of the miraculous icon went around the neighborhood. Once, one of the minor noblewomen, who suffered from paralysis of the nerve of the left hand, saw in a dream the Mother of God, who showed her the house where she would be healed. The next morning, the sick woman set off and, having prayed before the Kaspersky icon, she recovered. And her hand, which had not functioned for a long time, gained mobility and sensitivity.

At the miraculous image, people who suffered from paralysis, lameness, dementia and obsession were healed. After many miraculous recoveries of those who came to bow to Kasperova's house, the woman gave the image to the local church. During the hostilities, the icon protected Odessa from enemies and encroachers.

Nowadays, the Protectress Kasperovskaya is also asked for health and quick healing from illnesses. Most of the time, this image of the Virgin is in the Ukrainian cities of Odessa and Kherson, and the rest of the time it is carried around the world. The memory of the holy image is venerated on July 12 and October 14, as well as on Wednesday of the Week.

Igor Icon of the Mother of God

The Igor Icon of the Mother of God is also revered by the Orthodox Church. It received its name from the name of the Kiev prince Igor, who, after the popular unrest, took the veil as a monk, but still fell victim to the people's wrath. It happened during the time when the former nobleman prayed before the icon of the Virgin Mary and asked for remission of his sins.

The inhabitants of the city did not stop mocking the body of the already deceased prince even after he expired. After some time, the remains of the slain fell into Chernihiv, and he was canonized as a saint. The icon, before which he constantly prayed in his cell, began to bear his name.

The original image of the Igor Mother of God did not survive to this day and was presumably lost during the Second World War.

The Day of Remembrance of the holy image, which at one time even adorned one of the entrances of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, is celebrated on June 18. On this day, those who are at a crossroads or in confusion ask the Virgin Mary for help.

"Hodegetria" in Orthodoxy

In Orthodoxy, the image of the Virgin and her son is also revered, which is also called "Hodegetria", which in Greek sounds like "Guide". This icon of the brush of St. Luke is credited with healing properties and help in desperate situations. Currently, there are many images of this list and they are widely revered in Orthodoxy. The most common are such "Hodegetria":

• Georgian;
• Iverskaya;
• Tikhvinskaya.

Usually in such paintings the Virgin Mary is depicted, on the left hand of which the already grown up Jesus sits. The boy stretches out his right hand to the Mother and, as it were, blesses her and all the living, and in his left hand he holds a scroll, personifying the Holy Scripture. With her free right hand, the Mother of God respectfully points to Her Son.

The first "Hodegetria" was painted as early as the 5th century and was called the Blachernae icon, which has not survived to this day. According to one version, the image got its name from the Odigon monastery in Constantinople, where it was kept for a long time. It is believed that the original "Guidebook" was cut into pieces by the Turks, who coveted a salary of precious stones and gold.

Georgian Mother of God

One of the most revered icons of this list in the Orthodox world is the Georgian Mother of God. The significance of the icon-hodegetria and what it helps in is very great. The history of this image is multifaceted and originates in sunny Georgia. Then the icon was stolen by the Persians and passed from one owner to another. Merchant Stefan Lazarev helped her return to the Orthodox world.

The man did not spare money in order to buy the Christian shrine from the Muslims and sent it to one of the monasteries of the Arkhangelsk region. Being in the Krasnogorodsk Bogoroditsky Monastery, the icon began to work miracles. It all started with the healing of a blind and deaf monk who knelt before the holy image for days on end. After some time, the monk began to hear and see.

On the day of veneration of the holy image (August 22), which has not survived to this day, but has many lists of miracles, believing people go to the temple and ask the Mother of God to heal them from:

• blindness;
• deafness;
• diseases of the stomach;
• cancer.

Sometimes the Georgian "Hodegetria" is also called the Iberian icon of the Mother of God with the Son. The image is made in all the traditions of icons of this type and at the present time it can be worshiped on the holy Mount Athos. Iconana, which is located in the Iberian Monastery, dates back to the 9th century and also works wonders.

"Seven-shooter" Defender

The icon of the Mother of God "Seven Arrows" has special protective properties, the meaning of which and prayer to it helps to avoid the attacks of enemies. It belongs to the type where the Queen of Heaven is depicted alone. Usually, in the holy image, the Virgin Mary is visible waist-deep with her arms folded across her chest. She defends herself against seven arrows or swords that hit her in the chest.

The meaning of the ancient image is very symbolic and personifies all the pain of a mother at the loss of a child. Usually, "Seven-strelnaya" is asked for protection from enemies and pacification of warring neighbors. Sometimes this image is also called "Softener of evil hearts." It is customary to place a similar image of the Mother of God in houses and apartments, it is believed that it will protect from enemies and give peace to those living in the house.

"Firelike" Intercessor

The icon of the Mother of God “Firelike”, which appeared in Russia in 845, has not reached our time either. A copy of this image is kept in the State Historical Museum of Moscow and was painted in 1812. The unusualness of this image is that on it the Mother of God is dressed in all red, and Her eyes detachedly contemplate this world, while her thoughts are turned with prayers to the Lord. It is noteworthy that the complexion of the Virgin Mary is also rendered in red tones.

This type of icons shows people deep sorrow and the Immaculate Mary herself, as it were, is stained with the blood of the crucified Jesus Christ. Believers ask "Firelike" for healing from illnesses, help and protection from various life troubles. February 23 is considered the day of remembrance of this holy image.

Appeal to Mother Matrona

However, not only the Most Holy Theotokos is asked by people for help and protection. The suffering often turn to the Matrona of Moscow, who has long been canonized as Orthodox saints. The woman lived and preached in Moscow, for which she is called "Moscow".

The icon of the Matrona, its meaning and what it helps in, is very symbolic for every person. In Orthodoxy, the saint is a model of self-denial and help to people. Mother Matrona is usually approached by those who want to avoid deception or to improve their personal lives. The saint is venerated on April 19 and November 9.

When turning to any of the saints for help, it is worth remembering that words should come from the heart, and in no case should a request harm anyone around. Faith in miracles allows them to happen much more often.