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Feast of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria. Reference. Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God: the day of celebration, prayers, temple of the icon
August 10 Russian Orthodox Church marks the day Smolensk icon Mother of God "Hodegetria". People prayed before it during wars, and there are more than thirty miraculous lists from this image alone.
The type of this icon is called “Pointing the Way” (“Hodegetria”): the Mother of God and Christ look directly at the viewer, and the Mother of God herself seems to point with her hand at her son, as the only way for mankind to salvation. It is believed that the first "Hodegetria" was written during the life of the Mother of God by the Evangelist Luke.
On August 9, 2016, the Orthodox Youth Cross Procession arrived in Smolensk, the procession “Our common path is Hodegetria”, which began its procession in Vitebsk of the Republic of Belarus. Already 14 times the participants of the procession come to Smolensk for celebrations dedicated to the main shrine of Smolensk - the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria.
The procession was attended by residents of the cities of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova. The crusaders brought to Smolensk revered images of their lands - Saints John of Kronstadt, Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Alexander Nevsky and others. The curator of the Odigitrievsky procession is the head of the brotherhood in the name of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt of the city of Vitebsk, the head of the Department of the Vitebsk diocese for work with youth, Archpriest Alexander Kovalev.
The first temple visited by the participants of the procession was, according to tradition, the temple of the XII century in honor of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul. Then the participants of the international procession continued their way to the Smolensk Holy Dormition Cathedral, where they offered up their prayers at the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria of Smolensk.
St. Demetrius of Rostov suggests that the image was painted at the request of the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus. From Antioch, the shrine was transferred to Jerusalem, and from there in the 5th century. Empress Eudokia, wife of the Byzantine emperor Theodosius, sent her to Constantinople. When Blachernae Church was built near the imperial palace near the Golden Horn Bay, the icon, along with other relics associated with the Mother of God, was placed there.
In 1046, Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh, giving his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod, son of Yaroslav the Wise, blessed her with this icon, and then she passed to his son, Vladimir Monomakh, who at the beginning of the 12th century. brought it to Smolensk, where he founded the cathedral church in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God, where the shrine was placed. So she sent "Smolenskaya". The inhabitants of the city believed that it was to her that they owed their salvation from the invasion of Batu in 1239.
And when at the beginning of the XV century. the last Prince of Smolensk Yuri brought it as a gift to Grand Duke Vasily, the eldest son of Dmitry Donskoy, and the icon was transferred to the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Smolensk was taken by the Lithuanians and for 110 years became the center of the Smolensk Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk, headed by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession, and two copies of it remained in Moscow. One was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - "measure in measure" - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was set up on the Maiden's Field, where Muscovites released the holy icon to Smolensk "with many tears". In 1602, an exact list was written from the miraculous icon (in 1666, together with the ancient icon, a new list was taken to Moscow for renewal), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gates, under a specially arranged tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 a stone one.
The new list took on the grace-filled power ancient image, and when the Russian troops left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them to protect it from the enemy. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, this image was worn around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers to a great feat. ancient image Smolenskaya Hodegetria, temporarily taken to the Assumption Cathedral, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, along with Iverskaya and Vladimir icons The Mother of God was carried around the White City, Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin walls, and then sent to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovo Palace. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl. Play at the casino only on the site - http://frankcasino1.su
So reverently our ancestors kept these icons-sisters, and the Mother of God, through Her images, guarded our Motherland. After the victory over the enemy, the Hodegetria icon, together with the glorified list, was returned to Smolensk.
The celebration in honor of this miraculous image on July 28 was established in 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.
The ancient image of the Smolensk Mother of God was kept in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk even after it was closed in 1929: in August 1941, after the capture of the city by the Germans, their quartermaster services informed the command that “a very ancient icon attributed by legend to the Evangelist Luke (...) is in its original position and undamaged. But when Smolensk was liberated two years later, the icon was no longer there. Nothing is known about her fate so far.
Its place in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk after 1945 was taken by a list of the beginning of the 17th century, which once stood above the Dnieper Gates of the city, and in 1812 was located at the location of the Russian army. Before this image, thanksgiving prayers served after each victory, in front of him Kutuzov with the whole army prayed to the Mother of God for the help and salvation of Russia.
In general, the lists of the Smolensk icon Holy Mother of God, from ancient times, revered in Russia as a miraculous, there are a great many throughout the country - only at least 30 are known to be especially revered.
Miraculous icon of the Holy Mother of God, called "Hodegetria" Smolenskaya, has been known in Russia since ancient times. Hodegetria, translated from Greek means "guidebook". There are several versions of the origin of this name, but the fact that the Most Holy Theotokos for all Orthodox Christians is a guide to eternal salvation is an undeniable truth.
According to Church tradition, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria", was painted during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos at the request of the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus, for whom he wrote an essay on the earthly life of Christ, known as the Gospel of Luke. When Theophilus died, the icon was returned to Jerusalem, and in the 5th century, the blessed Empress Evdokia, the wife of Arcadius, handed Hodegetria to Constantinople to the emperor’s sister, Empress Pulcheria, who placed the holy icon in the Blachernae Church.
The image came to Russia in 1046. The Greek Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh (1042-1054), passing off his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise, blessed her on her journey with this icon. After the death of Prince Vsevolod, the icon passed to his son Vladimir Monomakh, who transferred it at the beginning of the 12th century to Smolensk Cathedral Church in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since that time, the icon has received the name Hodegetria Smolenskaya.
Assumption Cathedral (Smolensk)
HISTORY OF THE SMOLENSK ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
In 1238 Batu Khan's army approached Smolensk. In that rati was a giant warrior, who, according to legend, alone was worth almost a whole rati. All Smolensk people came out to pray in front of the image of the Smolensk Hodegetria the Guide. The Tatars had already come very close to the city, by today's standards there were no more than 30 kilometers left, when a sexton in the Pechersky Monastery outside the city saw in a vision the Mother of God, who ordered him to bring a warrior named Mercury to Her. Entering the Caves Church, Mercury saw with his own eyes the Mother of God, sitting on a golden throne with the Child in her arms and surrounded by angels. The Mother of God said that Mercury must save Her own inheritance from desecration, which once again indicated Her special protection over the Smolensk land. She also told him about the ambulance martyrdom him, and that she herself will not leave him, but will be with him to the end.
Following the command of the Mother of God, the selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury raised all the townspeople, preparing them for a siege, and he himself penetrated the camp of Batu at night and killed many enemies, including their strongest warrior. Then, in an unequal battle with the invaders, he laid down his head on the battlefield. His remains were buried in the Smolensk Cathedral. Soon Mercury was ranked among the locally venerated saints (November 24), the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was also declared locally venerated, and the legend “The Tale of Mercury of Smolensk” was composed about his feat, which dates back to about the 15th - 16th centuries. Moreover, the legend says that after the burial, Mercury appeared to the same sexton and ordered the shield and spear that belonged to him during his lifetime to be hung in his resting place.
Sandals of the Holy Martyr Mercury - one of the shrines of the Smolensk Cathedral
In 1395 Smolensk principality fell under the protectorate of Lithuania. In 1398, in order to avoid bloodshed in Moscow and soften the acute relations between the Polish-Lithuanian rulers and Moscow, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt Sophia was married to the son of the Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). The Smolensk Hodegetria became her dowry and was now transferred to Moscow and installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the altar.
Annunciation Cathedral (Moscow Kremlin)
In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk, headed by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a procession of the cross. On June 28, according to the old style, at the monastery of Savva the Sanctified on the Maiden's Field in Moscow, with a large gathering of people, the icon was solemnly escorted to the bend of the Moskva River, from where the path to Smolensk began. A prayer service was served. Half a century later, in 1514, Smolensk was returned to Russia (the assault on the city by Russian troops began on July 29 - the day after the celebration of the Smolensk Icon).
In 1524 in memory of this event Grand Duke Vasily III founded the Mother of God-Smolensky Monastery, which we know more as Novodevichy Convent. The monastery was consecrated and began to operate in 1525. From this period, the all-Russian glorification of the icon began, officially established by the Church.
Novodevichy Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery on Devichye Pole in Moscow
However, the Muscovites were not left without a shrine - two copies of the miraculous icon remained in Moscow. One was placed in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, and the other - "measure in measure" - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. In 1602, an exact list was written from the miraculous icon (in 1666, together with the ancient icon, a new list was taken to Moscow for renewal), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gates, under a specially arranged tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 a stone one.
The miraculous image of Smolensk again showed its intercession during Patriotic War 1812. On August 5, 1812, when the Russian troops left Smolensk, the icon was taken to Moscow, and on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, this image was carried around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers to a great feat.
Prayer before the Battle of Borodino
On August 26, on the day of the battle in Borodino, three images of the Mother of God - the ancient image of the Hodegetria of Smolensk, along with the Iberian and Vladimir icons of the Mother of God, were surrounded in a procession around the capital, and then sent to the sick and wounded soldiers in the Lefortovo Palace, so that they could bow to the shrines, thank before them the Mother of God for intercession and ask for recovery. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was transported to Yaroslavl.
After the victory over the enemy, on November 5, 1812, by order of Kutuzov, the Hodegetria icon, along with the glorified list, was returned to Smolensk to the native Assumption Cathedral.
In 1929, the Assumption Cathedral was closed, but, like many other temples and churches of that period, it was not subject to desecration and ruin. Intelligence, which can be considered reliable, about the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God- the prototype of other, subsequent lists break off in 1941, after the capture of Smolensk by German troops. Then, in early August 1941, the headquarters of the German command received a message that the list of the icon, attributed according to historical data to the brush of the Evangelist Luke, was in its original place, in good condition, the icon was considered miraculous and its location was a place of worship and pilgrimage. Nothing more is known about that icon.
Now, in place of the missing icon, there is a list of the middle of the 16th century, which is not inferior to its predecessor in the number of miracles and in popular veneration, but Hodegetria is still waiting for the apostolic letter in Smolensk, they still believe that the time will come, and she will reveal herself from some a hiding place where it was miraculously preserved all these years, as it once was.
Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria Smolenskaya Over the Gate, a list from the famous Smolensk Icon. Once it hung over the gates of the Smolensk Kremlin, now it is kept in the cathedral on the site of the Smolensk icon lost in 1941.
LISTS WITH ICONS
There are many revered lists of the miraculous Smolensk Hodegetria. Many lists from that original, but lost icon became miraculous (more than 30 in total) - Igretskaya Pesochinskaya, Yugskaya, Sergievskaya in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Kostroma, Kirillo-Belozerskaya, Svyatogorskaya, Solovetskaya and others .. All these images at different times and showed their miraculous properties to varying degrees.
ICONOGRAPHY
There is little information left about the iconographic features of the image, since the icon, as is known, was lost in 1941, and therefore no one studied it. It was only known that the icon board was very heavy, the ground was prepared from chalk on glue, as was done in antiquity, and covered with canvas.
The Mother of God holds the Child on her left hand, right hand The Lord is raised in a blessing gesture, in His left hand is a “scroll of teaching”. On the reverse side were written a view of Jerusalem, the Crucifixion and the inscription in Greek - "The king is crucified." In 1666, the icon was renovated, and later images of the Most Pure and John the Theologian appeared at the Crucifixion.
The iconographic image of the Smolensk icon is very similar to, but differs in the severity of the arrangement of the figures and the expression of the faces of the Virgin and the Divine Infant.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ICON
The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church (along with Vladimir and Kazan).
An amazing historical material is connected with the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, which, through the path of her wanderings through the western Russian lands, marks all the most important events in the history of Russia up to the last century. It can be said that not a single event where the intercession of the One depicted on it was required could do without Her intervention. Hodegetria the Guide indicated and protected our west from the predatory interests of neighboring states, which sought to establish their influence in Russian state both military and political means. But even the retreats, which were accompanied by the transfer of the miraculous shrine from its main inheritance - the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk, were only a strategic necessity, and in no way an agreement with the presence and rule of foreigners and the prevailing Latin faith on our land. The prayers of the Smolensk people and Muscovites in front of her brought their miraculous results - sooner or later the enemy was expelled, and the Smolenskaya Hodegetria returned home to Smolensk.
Believers have received and continue to receive abundant grace-filled help from her. The Mother of God, through Her holy image, intercedes and strengthens us, guiding us to salvation, and we cry out to Her: “You are the faithful people - the All-good Hodegetria, You are the Smolensk Praise and all the Russian lands - affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, salvation of the Christian!
CELEBRATION
The celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God takes place three times a year - July 28/August 10, established in 1525, when the miraculous image was transferred from the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin to the Mother of God-Smolensk (Novodevichy) Monastery, founded by Vasily III in gratitude to the Mother of God for the return of Smolensk to Russia during the Russian-Lithuanian war. The festival was established in memory of the arrival of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God in Russia in 1046.
The second time the celebration takes place November 5/18 in honor of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
November 24/December 7 we celebrate the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, remembering the victory of the inhabitants of Smolensk over the troops of the Golden Horde through the common prayer of the people in front of Her icon - the Smolensk Hodegetria.
The Smolensk Mother of God helps everyone who turns to her with prayers for healing from incurable diseases, in search of family peace and in other difficult and insoluble situations, as the first intercessor for us before God.
In 1238, at the voice of the icon, the selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury entered the camp of Batu at night and killed many enemies, including their strongest warrior. Having accepted a martyr's death in battle, he was canonized by the Church as a saint (Comm. 24 November).
In the 14th century, Smolensk was in the possession of the Lithuanian princes. The daughter of Prince Vitovt Sofia was married to the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398, she brought with her to Moscow the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The holy image was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the royal gates. In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk, headed by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession, and two copies of it remained in Moscow. One was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - "measure in measure" - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was set up on the Maiden's Field, where Muscovites "with many tears" released the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602, an exact list was written from the miraculous icon (in 1666, together with the ancient icon, a new list was taken to Moscow for renewal), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gates, under a specially arranged tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 a stone one.
The new list took on the grace-filled power of the ancient image, and when the Russian troops left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them to protect it from the enemy. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, this image was worn around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers to a great feat. The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, temporarily taken to the Assumption Cathedral, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, along with the Iveron and Vladimir icons of the Mother of God, was carried around the White City, Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin walls, and then sent to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovo Palace. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl.
So reverently our ancestors kept these icons-sisters, and the Mother of God, through Her images, guarded our Motherland. After the victory over the enemy, the Hodegetria icon, together with the glorified list, was returned to Smolensk.
The celebration in honor of this miraculous image on July 28 was established in 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.
Miraculous lists with icons
There are a huge number of lists from the now lost miraculous icon of the Smolensk Hodegetria. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than three dozen miraculous and especially revered copies of this icon alone, and temples dedicated to the Smolensk image stood in many cities, villages and monasteries of the Russian land.
In Moscow, two miraculous lists of the Smolensk Hodegetria were especially revered. One of them was located in the Ascension Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin (kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery), about which an important annalistic record has been preserved, stating that “in the summer of 6990 (1482), the Hodegetrie icon was burned in Moscow ...”. Judging by this entry, the charred Greek icon was refurbished by the icon painter Dionysius (in 1482), following its original iconography, and painted “in the same image.”
The veneration in Moscow at the end of the 15th century of the Hodegetria from the Ascension Monastery was connected with the current historical situation. In 1473, Grand Duke Ivan III married a second marriage to the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine, the Greek princess Sophia Palaiologos. Most likely, it was thanks to Sophia that the new veneration of the ancient Greek icon by the Grand Duchesses began in memory of the famous Hodegetria of Constantinople.
In the 15th century, in the Moscow Kremlin, along with the icon from the Ascension Monastery, another list of the Smolensk icon was also venerated - the same copy of Hodegetria, which in 1456 was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in place of the miraculous icon taken home. The list from the Annunciation Cathedral is distinguished by the vertical position of the scroll in the hand of the Child and the absence of images of archangels. It is currently stored in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
Iconography
The icon of the Smolensk Mother of God is the most accurate and strict expression of the meaning of the iconographic type of the Mother of God Hodegetria (“Guide”). The very name of "Hodegetria" contains the concept Mother of God icons as a whole, or even wider. As the famous Byzantinist N.P. Kondakov wrote, “the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria represents the focus not only of the iconography of the Mother of God, but of Christian iconography in general…”. The Mother of God appears in this image as a Helper on a person’s difficult path to Christ, therefore She is presented frontally, looking point-blank at the worshipers. On her left hand, the Mother of God holds the Christ Child, and with her right hand she points to Him as the Savior, Who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6) for all. The Infant Christ Himself blesses the Mother with one hand (in Her face and all of us), and in the other hand holds a rolled scroll - His holy teaching. The characteristic features of the Smolensk Hodegetria include the frontal position of the Infant, a very slight turn of the Mother of God towards the Son. Only the hand of the Mother of God, clearly read against the background of her dark clothes, bears the main semantic load as a kind of indicator of the Path to salvation.
There are various versions of the origin of the iconography of the prototype of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God - the miraculous Hodegetria of Constantinople. For a believer, its creation by the Evangelist Luke is undoubted, which is also confirmed in the purely “portrait” frontal setting of the characters. Some researchers, on the basis of the typological proximity and similar meaning of the two images, suggest that the iconography of the Mother of God - the Guide is a fragment that separated from the composition "The Adoration of the Magi", which was widespread in early Christian art. In all likelihood, the earliest images of the iconographic type of Hodegetria could indeed represent the Mother of God both standing and sitting, but later the waist-length image spread, as in the Constantinopolitan shrine. The very name "Guidebook" was established no earlier than the 9th century, although similar images are known from the 6th century and earlier.
The most accurate representation of the non-preserved Hodegetria of Constantinople can be seen on the output miniature of the Graeco-Latin Psalter of Hamilton (c. 1300), stored in the State Museum in Berlin. It shows a family (possibly members of a brotherhood that served the miraculous icon in the monastery), worshiping Hodegetria. The peculiarity of the depicted icon is a wide, almost square board and half-figures of worshiping archangels in the corners, which were characteristic feature Constantinople Hodegetria.
Until its disappearance, the prototype of Smolenskaya was never subjected to a thorough scientific study. According to old descriptions, the board on which the icon was painted was unusually heavy, primed with chalk on glue, and covered with canvas. The Mother of God is depicted at half height, to the waist, supporting the Infant with her left hand. The Savior blesses the worshipers with his right hand, holding a scroll in his left hand. Outerwear The Mother of God is dark brown, the lower ones are dark blue, the clothes of the Infant are dark green with gold. On the reverse side of the prototype was written the Crucifixion with the Greek inscription "The King is crucified" and a view of Jerusalem. When painting was renewed in Moscow in 1666, the figures of the Mother of God and John the Theologian were added to this Crucifixion, which had not been there before.
The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church. Believers have received and continue to receive abundant grace-filled help from her. The Mother of God, through Her holy image, intercedes and strengthens us, guiding us to salvation, and we cry out to Her: "You are the faithful people - the All-good Hodegetria, You are the Smolensk Praise and all the Russian land - the affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, the salvation of Christians!"
Troparion, tone 4:
Now diligently to the Theotokos, / we sin and humility, and fall down, / in repentance, calling from the depths of our souls: / Lady, help us, having mercy on us, / pandering, we are perishing from many sins, / do not turn away Your slaves, / Thou bo and one hope Imams.
Kontakion, tone 6:
The intercession of Christians is shameless, / an immutable intercession to the Creator, / do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, / but precede, as if good, to help us, faithfully calling Ty: / hasten to prayer and rush to supplication, / intercession ever, the Mother of God, honoring Thee.
O Wonderful and Exceeding all creatures, the Queen of the Theotokos, the Heavenly King Christ our God Mother, the Most Pure Hodegetria Mary! Hear us sinners and unworthy ones, at this hour praying and falling down to Your most pure image with tears and tenderly saying: lead us from the ditch of passions, O Gracious Lady, deliver us from all sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all misfortunes and evil slander, and from the unrighteous and fierce libel of the enemy. May you, O our Blessed Mother, save Thy people from all evil and supply and save with all good deeds; unless you have another Representative in troubles and circumstances and warm intercessors for us sinners are not imams. Pray, O Most Holy Lady, Thy Son, Christ our God, that He may honor us with the Kingdom of Heaven; for this sake, we always praise Thee, as the Creator of our salvation, and we exalt the holy and magnificent name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity of the glorious and worshiped God, forever and ever. Amen.
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It is assumed that this is where her name "Hodegetria" came from. So the shrine first came to Russia.
The son of Prince Vsevolod Vladimir Monomakh at the beginning of the 12th century. transferred the image to the Smolensk Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since that time, the icon has received the name "Hodegetria of Smolensk".
In the XIV century. Smolensk passed into the temporary possession of the Lithuanian princes. Soon the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt Sophia was married to the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich. In 1398 she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow. The holy image was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, on the right side of the royal gates.
In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk, headed by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession, and two copies of it remained in Moscow. One was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - "measure in measure" - in the Novodevichy Convent, which was founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russian cities.
The main temple of the Novodevichy Convent was consecrated in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, the exact list of which took the main place in the iconostasis of the cathedral.
Of the many miracles that took place from this icon, the deliverance of Smolensk from the Tatars is especially remarkable. Tradition says that in 1238, according to a voice emanating from the icon, the selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury entered the camp of Batu Khan at night and killed many enemies.
It is believed that the prayers of believers before the "Hodegetria of Smolensk" helped the troops of Vasily III to return Smolensk to Russia in 1514 after 110 years of Lithuanian rule.
The celebration in honor of this miraculous image on August 10 (July 28, according to the old style) was established in 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. Since then, in honor of the Hodegetria of Smolensk, an all-Russian festival has been held annually, which is distinguished by special solemnity in Moscow, where on this day, with a huge gathering of people, there is a procession from the Kremlin to the Novodevichy Convent.
Until 1941, the ancient miraculous image of the Smolensk Mother of God was in the Smolensk cathedral in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin, built in 1667-1679. The further fate of the ancient image is unknown. The last reliable news about the most miraculous first image dates back to 1941. Closed in 1929, the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk was not devastated: its shrines and utensils were preserved intact until the start of World War II. But when two years later Smolensk was liberated Soviet troops The icon was no longer there.
At present, in the Smolensk Cathedral in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos there is another miraculous icon of the Smolensk Most Holy Theotokos. In 1602, an exact list was written from the ancient miraculous icon, which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gates, under a specially arranged tent, where it stood until 1727. Then it was transferred to a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin, as a special revered.
In 1802, a stone church was built over the Dnieper Gates, into which the miraculous icon was transferred. At the same time, with the blessing of Bishop Seraphim, the dilapidated frame of the icon was again repaired and decorated. precious stones and pearls. The new list took on the fertile power of the ancient image. In 1812, on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, the icon was worn around the Russian camp to encourage and strengthen the spirit of the soldiers.
The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, temporarily taken to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, along with the Iberian and Vladimir icons of the Mother of God, was carried around the White City, Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin walls, and then sent to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovo Palace.
Before leaving Moscow, the icon was sent to Yaroslavl. Here it remained until the very end of the Patriotic War of 1812. After the end of hostilities, the icon was solemnly transferred to Smolensk on November 5, 1812, where it was installed again in the cathedral. In memory of the expulsion of enemies from the Fatherland in Smolensk, it was established to celebrate this day every year.
The celebration in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was also established on December 7 (November 24, according to the old style) in memory of the intercession of the Virgin during the battle with Batu.
At present, this miraculous icon is in a specially arranged casket in the Smolensk Cathedral in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The icon is decorated with a riza with many colored stones.
The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God enjoys great veneration among the Orthodox. Lists from it are distributed in huge numbers in churches and houses of believers. There are more than 30 miraculous and especially revered copies from this icon, among which the most famous are: the Hodegetria-Smolenskaya icon over the Dnieper Gate in Smolensk, the Hodegetria-Ustyugskaya icon from Veliky Ustyug, the Smolenskaya icon in Belgorod, the Smolenskaya icon from Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the icon "Smolensk-Sedmiozernaya" from the Bogoroditskaya Sedmiozernaya desert near Kazan, etc.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
The Smolensk icon of the Mother of God, called Hodegetria, has a very ancient origin. It was brought to Russia from Greece, but when and by whom is not known for certain. There is one legend, which reports that the Greek Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenic blessed his daughter, Princess Anna, with this icon, giving her in marriage in 1046 to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Chernigov.
After the death of Prince Vsevolod of Chernigov, the Hodegetria icon was inherited by his son Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh, born of the Greek princess Anna. Vladimir Monomakh transferred the icon of the Hodegetria - the blessing of his mother - from Chernigov to Smolensk, where he reigned from 1097, and placed it in the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, founded by him on May 3, 1101. Since that time, the Hodegetria icon has been called the Smolensk icon.
Of the many miracles that occurred from this icon, the deliverance of Smolensk from the Tatars is especially remarkable: In 1239, during the invasion of the wild hordes of Batu into the Russian land, one of the Tatar detachments went Smolensk region, and Smolensk was in danger of being plundered. The inhabitants, feeling unable to repel the formidable enemy, turned with fervent prayer to the Mother of God. The Mother of God heard their prayers and granted the city salvation.
The Tatars stopped at Dolgomostye, 24 versts from Smolensk, intending to suddenly attack the city. At that time, in the squad of the Smolensk prince there was one warrior named Mercury, a pious man. It was him that the Mother of God chose as Her instrument to save the city. On the night of November 24, in the cathedral where the miraculous icon of Hodegetria stood, the church sexton received a command from Her to say to Mercury: “Mercury! depart soon in military armor, for the Lady is calling you.
The watchman immediately went to Mercury and told him everything. He, putting on military armor, hurried to the temple to the icon of the Mother of God and there he heard a voice coming from the icon: “Mercury! I am sending you to protect My house... Go out to meet the enemy secretly from the people, the saint and the prince, who are unaware of the attack of the military; I myself will be with you, helping My servant. But there, along with the victory, the crown of martyrdom awaits you, which you receive from Christ.
With tears, Mercury fell before the holy icon and, fulfilling the will of the Mother of God, went against the enemies without fear. At night, he penetrated into the camp of the enemy and killed the Tatar giant, on whom the Tatars hoped more than on their entire detachment. Surrounded by enemies, Mercury courageously repulsed all their attacks. Enemies saw the lightning men accompanying him and the Luminous Wife. Her majestic face horrified them. Having smitten many Tatars, Mercury, at last, himself was struck by a blow to the head and fell down dead. His body was buried with honor in the cathedral church.
Mercury of Smolensk is numbered among the holy martyrs. His shoes are still kept in the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the Hodegetria icon was transferred from Smolensk to Moscow. In 1456, Bishop Misail of Smolensk arrived in Moscow, accompanied by the governor of the city and many distinguished citizens, and asked the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark to return the holy Hodegetria icon to Smolensk. On the advice of Metropolitan Jonah, the Grand Duke fulfilled the request of the Smolensk ambassadors. Solemnly, with a procession, on Sunday, January 18, they saw off the Smolensk Icon from Moscow.
In 1666, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was in Moscow for the second time to restore the painting, which had darkened with time.
In 1812, during the French invasion, this icon was taken out of Smolensk before the Battle of Borodino by Bishop Iriney Falkovsky and delivered by him to Moscow. The inhabitants of Moscow, at the sight of the great shrine, fell on their knees in front of her, crying out: “Mother of God, save us!” On the day of the Battle of Borodino, August 26, in procession The Smolensk icon was carried around the White City, Kitay-gorod, the Kremlin walls.
After the Battle of Borodino, the Hodegetria icon, along with the Iberian icon, was taken to the Lefortovo Palace, where the wounded soldiers lay. Before the capture of Moscow by the French, the Smolensk Icon was sent by Bishop Irinei to Yaroslavl, where it remained until the end of the Patriotic War of 1812. From Yaroslavl, the icon was again returned to Smolensk and placed in the cathedral, until 1940 of our century. The further fate of the Smolensk shrine is unknown.
Now in its place in the Assumption Cathedral is the miraculous Smolensk icon of Hodegetria, painted in 1602. Her history is like this. After the construction of the fortress wall was completed, the icon was brought to Smolensk by Tsar Boris Godunov to be installed over the main, Frolovsky, gates near the Dnieper bridge. This icon was written off from the miraculous image under Tsar Ivan the Terrible by the artist Postnik Rostovets.
By the beginning of the war of 1812, she was in the Church of the Annunciation, because. the new stone temple built for her was not consecrated. On the night of August 6, Russian troops left Smolensk, and the Miraculous Icon from the Church of the Annunciation was taken by the 1st artillery company of Captain Glukhov. From that time until the expulsion of the French troops outside the Smolensk province, the icon was inseparably among the troops in the 3rd Grenadier Division.
On August 25, by order of the commander-in-chief M.I. The Kutuzov icon of Our Lady of Smolensk was surrounded by all the ranks of the troops, and before it a prayer service was served with kneeling in the presence of the commander-in-chief and the entire army.
The icon was in the army until November 5. After the victory over the French corps of General Ney near Krasnoye, the icon, by order of Kutuzov, was transferred to the new Gateway Church of the Mother of God, where it was located until 1941.
Since 1526, on August 10 (according to the old style on July 28), the holiday has been celebrated miraculous icon Hodegetria of Smolensk. It was erected in memory of the return of Smolensk from the rule of Lithuania.
