Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God - icons. Orthodox feast Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

27.09.2019

This day, like other similar days, is called a cathedral because, unlike individual holidays in honor of Holy Mother of God, such as Her Conception, Her Christmas, Her Annunciation and numerous holidays in honor of Her miraculous icons, on this day a general (cathedral) celebration is performed in honor and praise of the Virgin. This holiday is established to be celebrated immediately after the Nativity of Christ, because the Blessed Virgin is honored primarily as the One from whom God the Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, was born, incarnated.

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

(Russian North, late 17th century)

Icon Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Rostov-Suzdal school, middle of the 15th century)

The miraculous icon "Rejoices in you ..." was written in the middle of the 16th century, for many centuries it was in Solovetsky Monastery. Now it is an exhibit in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The icon is dedicated to the feast called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is celebrated on January 8, the day after the Nativity of Christ.

"Rejoices in You"
The name of the icon is given according to the first words of the hymn dedicated to the Theotokos: “Rejoices in Thee, Blessed One…” The Most Holy Theotokos is depicted in the Garden of Eden against the backdrop of a many-domed temple, the symbol of Heavenly Jerusalem. At the foot of the throne, on which the Mother of God sits with the Eternal Child, the author of the hymn is depicted - the Monk John of Damascus, a hymn writer (Comm. December 17, according to a new style), in whose hands is a scroll with the text of the hymn. Below is a host of Orthodox saints glorifying the Mother of God.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You

"The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God" is the most revered image of the Mother of God in Russia. Byzantium. 12th century

The miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir is the greatest shrine of the Russian land. Three times she showed the miracle of saving Moscow from the Tatar-Mongol defeat. These facts of the miraculous protection of the Russian people from destruction were even included in the writings of the historians Klyuchevsky and Solovyov. The icon came to us from Byzantium. According to legend, it was written by the Apostle Luke on the boards from the table at which the Last Supper took place. The Mother of God herself saw her and said: "In this way, my grace and strength abide." This icon is very strong and very ancient, now it resides in the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, which is part of the State Tretyakov Gallery. This shrine everyone Orthodox person must bow. Come to Moscow, pray in front of the icon and bow to it.
Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary
"Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Gracious Mary, the Lord is with You, blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as if You gave birth to our souls as the Savior."
Church Slavonic spelling

Icon depicting various types of icons of the Virgin

Prayer of the Mother of God
O Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Lord Most High, Intercessor and protector of all who resort to You! Look from the height of Thy saint on me, a sinner, falling down to Thy most pure image; hear my warm prayer and offer me before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; pray to Him, may it illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, may it deliver me from all need, sorrow and illness, may it send me a quiet and peaceful life, health of body and soul, may my suffering heart die and heal its wounds, may it instruct me for good deeds, let my mind be cleansed from vain thoughts, but having taught me the fulfillment of His commandments, let it deliver from eternal torment and let it not deprive me of His Kingdom of Heaven. O Holy Mother of God! You, Joy of All Who Sorrow, hear me mournful; You, called the Assuagement of Sorrow, quench my sorrow as well; You, Kupino the Burning One, save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, Seeker of the Lost, do not let me perish in the abyss of my sins. On Tya, according to Bose, all my hope and hope. Be my intercessor in life and about eternal life before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. To you, Most Holy Mother of God, Blessed Mary, reverently honor until the end of my days. Amen.

The day after the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Orthodox Church, with songs of praise and thanksgiving, addresses the Mother of God, who became the chosen instrument of Providence, who gave birth to the Savior.

The second day after Christmas is called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, i.e. an assembly that included persons personally close to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph the Betrothed, and also the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the celebration of the Council, the memory of those who, according to the flesh, were close to the Savior, is remembered
- Saint Joseph the Betrothed,
- King David (an ancestor in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ)
- St. James, brother of the Lord, son from the first marriage of St. Joseph the Betrothed. Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

Being an 80-year-old elder, Joseph the Betrothed, with the blessing of the high priest, received the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure, his whole ministry was to protect the Mother of God.

“But for many people who did not know the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph was the father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we note that the Mother of God also said, referring to Jesus, who at the age of twelve remained in the Jerusalem temple and was lost for his parents, that the Servant grieved his father - after all, Joseph was like a father to those around him (cf. Luke 2:39-52).

On the first Sunday on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church also remembers the king, the prophet, the psalmist David - a holy man who sinned grievously, but repented in such a way that people today call on the name of God with his words, recalling the great lines addressed to the Creator: “Have mercy on me, God, according to your great mercy ”(Ps. 50. 1). "Prophet David was according to the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should be, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the lineage of David."

The Apostle James is called the brother of God, because he was the eldest son of the Betrothed Joseph - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man and after the Resurrection of Christ he was chosen as the primate of the Jerusalem Church. “Jacob, fulfilling the prescriptions of the Old Law, was the bishop of the New Testament and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ both the Messiah and the Deliverer of Israel,” the archpastor emphasized. In his opinion, this sermon was objectionable to all those who led Jesus Christ to Calvary, and the holy Apostle James was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem temple.

The establishment of this celebration dates back to the ancient times of the Christian Church. Already Epiphanius of Cyprus (+ 402), as well as Saint Ambrose of Milan and Blessed Augustine, in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, combined praise of the God-man who had been born with praise of the Virgin who had given birth to Him. An indication of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in canon 79 of the 6th Ecumenical Council, held in 691.

VI Ecumenical Council - rule 79

"The divine birth from the Virgin, as having been seedless, confessing it painless, and preaching this to the whole world, we subject those who create, out of ignorance, that something is not due. Because some, on the day of the holy birth of Christ our God, are seen preparing bread biscuits, and each those who pass on to each other, as if in honor of the diseases of the birth of the all-immaculate Virgin Mother: then we determine that the faithful do nothing of the kind. example of an ordinary and natural birth. If from now on anyone who does such things is seen, let the clergy be deposed, and the laity be excommunicated.

On the Meaning of the Feast Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The birth of the Savior was from the Holy Spirit. This was not an ordinary birth. But in the earthly life of the Savior, His family played an important role: His Most Pure Mother, Joseph the Betrothed, His closest relatives - those who surrounded the Infant and Child Jesus. And therefore, the Church, paying special veneration to all that the Lord God brought into the world through the incarnation of His Son, at the same time remembers the earthly life of the Savior, and His loved ones and relatives. And it could not be otherwise, because in the Church the Divine and the human, the heavenly and the earthly are united, and in this union one is not diminished by the other.

It pleased God that human nature, human life, with its joys and sorrows, was raptured into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, so that this human life would be deified. This was pleasing to the Lord in relation to His beloved Son, and after the incarnation of the Son of God, this God's plan to glorify all creation, to glorify human nature became completely obvious, for in Christ the heavenly and the earthly, the divine and the human are united.

That is why a Christian, striving for the things above, striving for eternal salvation, should never follow the path to salvation, offending his relatives and friends, refusing good things. family relations and generally humiliating the human principle. It seems to some that in the human beginning there is sin. But sin is not in human nature itself, but in the evil human will. And everything that a person does for the glory of God, everything that is the result of his work, is blessed by God. This is a kind of shrine through which we serve God. That is why human creativity, both the highest and the most insignificant, is all our gift to God, it is a sacrifice that we bring to God.

If we have such an understanding of human existence, such an understanding of human nature, such an understanding of human relations, then this being, this nature and these relations will be filled with the grace of God - so that, according to the word of the apostle, the heavenly is united with the earthly and that at the head of everything is God, who fills everything and contains everything with His power.

The Nativity of Christ - the mystery of the Divine Incarnation - teaches us a lot, including pleasing God relation of man to his earthly life. Let us glorify the Lord in our souls and bodies, which are God's, the apostle calls us. And today, emphasizing the kinship and human relations of the Savior with those who surrounded Him, again and again calls us all to a pious life, to good relations with our loved ones and relatives, to building human relationships according to the commandment of God, in order to truly glorify God and in our souls and in our bodies. Amen.

The power of prayer to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Vigilantly praying at the Throne of the Lord, the Mother of God, Intercessor for our salvation.

If the fervent prayer of the righteous can do much (James 5:16), then the more powerful is the prayer of the Most Holy Theotokos. Even during Her earthly life, She found grace from the Lord and turned to Him with intercession for those who asked for Her help and intercession.

The Most Holy Theotokos was honored with special grace and closeness to the Throne of God after Her glorious Assumption. She moved to Heaven not only in order to abide in the radiance and majesty of the Divine Glory of Her beloved Son, but also in order to intercede for us with Her prayers before Him. "Rejoice! I am with you all the days," She said, appearing to the holy apostles.

The Blessed Virgin, living on earth, herself experienced the same hardships, need, troubles and misfortunes that we also experience. She experienced the sorrow of suffering on the cross and the death of her beloved Son.

She knows our infirmities, needs and sorrows. Each of our sins causes Her suffering, and at the same time, each of our troubles finds Her sympathy. What mother does not care for her children and is not heartbroken by their misfortunes? What mother leaves them without her help and attention? The Mother of God is always ready to give us timely help.

The Mother of God shines like the sun and warms us with the rays of Her love and enlivens our souls with the grace given to Her by God. By Her Spirit She always abides on earth. When Blessed Andrew the Fool-for-Christ, like the Apostle Paul, was caught up by the spirit into the heavenly abodes and saw the Lord there, he began to grieve, not seeing the Most Pure Theotokos. But the Angel told him that She had gone into the world to help people.

We are all burdened with sorrows, life's adversities, illnesses and misfortunes, for we all sin. The Word of God says that there is no person who has lived on earth and has not sinned (see: 2 Chronicles 6, 36). But God is the highest Love (1 John 4:8), and out of love for His Mother and for us, He accepts Her prayers. We believe in Her constant intercession and intercession for us sinners before the Merciful and Humanitarian God and in the power of Her prayers. Let us resort to Her as to a quiet and kind refuge and diligently call on Her all-holy and all-singing name. And She will not leave us with the unexpected joy of salvation.

The Legend of the Flight of the Blessed Virgin Marywith the Divine Infant to Egypt.

After the Magi left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, fled to Egypt and remained there until he was led from there return, because Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother by night and went to Egypt.

But first, before his departure there, he fulfilled in Solomon’s temple everything that was determined according to the law of the Lord, for the days of purification of the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God had already come, and in that temple the elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess met our Lord. Then, having fulfilled everything that was determined in the law, Joseph went to Nazareth, to his house. For thus says St. Luke: "And when they had done everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth" (Luke 2:39).

From this it is clear that they did not immediately set off from Bethlehem to Egypt, but first went to the temple of the Lord, then to Nazareth, and finally to Egypt. Saint Theophylact testifies to this in his interpretation of the Evangelist Matthew, when he writes as follows: “Question: How does the Evangelist Luke say that the Lord withdrew to Nazareth after 40 days after His birth and after meeting His elder Simeon?

And here St. Matthew says that he came to Nazareth after his return from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist Luke mentions what the Evangelist Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (Luke says) after His birth went to Nazareth. And Matthew speaks of what happened after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how, upon returning from there, he again went to Nazareth. In general, the Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only Luke speaks of the removal of Christ from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and Matthew tells of His return to Nazareth from Egypt. their house, and then, having taken everything necessary for the journey, hastily, at night (so that the nearest neighbors would not know this) set off along the road to Egypt.At the same time, they took with them, for service, and Jacob, the eldest son of Joseph, later called the brother of the Lord , which can be seen from the church hymn for October 23 (S.S.), where it is sung like this: "brother appeared to you, disciple, and seer of divine mysteries, run with him, and in Egypt being with Joseph"... From here it is clear that James accompanied the holy family on their way to Egypt, ministering to them during the journey.

And the Lord fled to Egypt in part in order to show that He is a true incarnate man, and not a spirit and a ghost (which Saint Ephraim points out in the word on the Transfiguration when he says: "If He were not flesh, then with By whom did Joseph flee to Egypt"); and partly in order to teach us to flee the wrath and fury of man, and not to resist them with pride. This is how Chrysostom explains: “In his flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give place to rage, that is, to run away from human rage. And if the Almighty flees, then we, the proud, learn not to put ourselves in danger.” The purpose of the Lord’s flight to Egypt is also to cleanse Egypt of idols and, as Saint Pope Leo says, so that not without this country, in which for the first time through the slaughter of a lamb the saving sign of the cross and the Passover of the Lord were foreshadowed, the sacrament of the most holy sacrifice was prepared. Also, to fulfill the following prophecy of Isaiah: "The Lord will sit on a light cloud, and will come in Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence" (Is.19:1). In this place, under a cloud, St. Ambrose means the Most Pure Virgin, Who brought her Lord into Egypt in her arms, and the idols of the Egyptian gods fell. That cloud, the Most Pure Virgin, is light, for She is not weighed down by any burden of any sin or carnal lust and the knowledge of marriage.

It is also transmitted that when righteous Joseph, the Most Pure Virgin and the Divine Infant were going to Egypt, in one deserted place robbers attacked them and wanted to take away their donkey, on which they carried the little that they needed on the road, and on which sometimes and they went on their own. One of those robbers, seeing the Baby of extraordinary beauty and being surprised at such beauty, said:

If God took over human body, then I would not want to be more beautiful than this Baby.

Having said this, he forbade his comrades, other robbers, and did not allow them to offend these travelers in any way. Then the Most Pure Theotokos said to that robber:

Know that this Child will reward you with a generous reward for guarding Him.

This thief was the same one who later, at the crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross on the right side, and to whom the Lord said: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). And the prophetic prediction of the Mother of God was fulfilled, that "This Child will reward you."

Caravaggio. 1594-1596. Rome. Doria Pamphili Gallery

When they entered the Egyptian country and were within the boundaries of Thebaid, they approached the city of Hermopolis. Near the entrance to this city grew a very beautiful tree, called "Perseus", which the inhabitants there, according to their idolatrous custom, revered as a god, because of his height and majestic beauty, worshiping him and making sacrifices to him, for in that tree lived and the demon worshiped by them. When the Most Pure Mother of God with the Divine Infant approached that tree, it immediately shook violently, for the demon, fearing the coming of Jesus, fled. And the tree bowed its top to the very ground, giving proper worship to its Creator and His Parent, the Most Pure Virgin, in addition, it protected them from the heat of the sun with the shadow of its many leafy branches and thus gave the weary holy travelers the opportunity to rest. And in such an inclined form, that tree remained as an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord into Egypt. After the Lord with His Matter and Joseph rested under this tree, this tree received healing power, for all kinds of diseases were healed from its branches. Then the holy travelers first of all entered that city and the idol temple that was in it, and immediately all the idols fell. Palladius mentions this temple in Lavsaik: “We saw,” he says, “there (in Hermopol) an idol temple, in which, during the coming of the Savior, all the idols fell prostrate to the ground. Also in one village called Siren, it fell three hundred and sixty-five idols in one temple, while Christ entered there with the Most Pure Matter.

And in all Egypt, at the time of the coming of the Lord, idols were broken, and demons fled from them, and in this event that which St. the prophet Jeremiah, while in Egypt, when he said "All idols will have to fall, and all the images of the gods will grieve when the Virgin Mother comes here with the Baby born in the manger." From the time of this Jeremiah's prophecy, it was the custom among the Egyptians to depict the Virgin resting on a bed, and near Her the Infant, lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, and to worship this image. When King Ptolemy once asked the Egyptian priests why they were doing this, they replied, "This is a secret proclaimed to our ancient ancestors by one holy prophet, and we are waiting for the fulfillment of that prophecy and the disclosure of this secret."

After this, the holy travelers turned a little away from the city of Hermopol and, looking for a place to stop, entered the village called "Natareya", which lies not far from Iliopol, near this village, Joseph left the Most Pure Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he himself went to the village in order to acquire needed. And that fig tree, which sheltered the holy wanderers under it, forked from top to bottom and lowered its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or a tent over their heads: and below, at its root, it formed, as it were, a depression in that cleft, convenient for staying, and there the Most Pure Virgin with the Child lay down and rested from her journey. That place is still in great veneration not only among Christians, but also among the Saracens, who still (as it is told by reliable eyewitnesses) light a lamp with oil in a cleft of a tree in honor of the Virgin with the Child who rested there.

Joseph and the Most Holy Theotokos wanted to stay in that village and, having found a hut for themselves not far from that tree, they began to live in it. Another miracle took place by the power of the Divine Infant, for in the same place, near their place of residence and near that wonderful tree, there suddenly appeared a source of living water, from which the Most Pure Virgin drew for her needs and in which she arranged a bath for Her Infant. That spring exists to this day, having very cold and healthy water. And what is even more amazing is that in all the land of Egypt it is the only source of living water, and it is famous in that village. This ends the story of the sojourn of the Most Pure Mother of God with Christ in Egypt, where they spent several years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. Epiphanius says that - two years, and Nikifor three years, and George Kedrin five years; others, like Ammonius of Alexandria, think that it is seven years. In any case, it is certain that until the death of Herod, as the Gospel says: "And there he was until the death of Herod" (Matt. 2:15).

After the slaughter of the Bethlehem babies and after the accursed Herod died an evil death, the Angel of the Lord again appeared in a dream to Joseph, commanding him to return from the country of Egypt to the land of Israel, "for (he said) those who sought the soul of the baby died." Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judah, which was the best and most part of the land of Israel. When he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left behind him three sons: the first Archelaus, another Herod Antipas, and the third, the youngest, Philip. All of them, after the death of their father, went to Rome, to Caesar, because of rivalry, since each of them wanted to receive the kingdom of his father. Caesar, without giving any of them royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tetrarchies. He gave Judea to his elder brother Archelaus, Galilee to Herod Antipas, and Trachonite country to his younger brother Philip; He gave Abilene to Lysanias, younger son Lysanias of the eldest, once a friend of Herodov, and then killed by him out of envy.

Releasing all of them from Rome, Caesar promised Archelaus royal honor, if only he would show good and careful management of his part. But Archelaus was no better than his cruel father, tormenting and killing many, for, having come to Jerusalem, he immediately killed three thousand people in vain, and ordered many citizens to be tortured on the day of the holiday, in the middle of the temple, in front of the entire assembly of the Jews. Because of such cruelty, he was, after a few years, slandered, deprived of power and exiled to prison. Joseph, on his return, heard that this evil Archelaus reigns, although without a royal title, and was afraid to go to Judea, having received the same a notice in a dream from that angel who had already appeared to him before, went to the Galilee, into the possession of Herod Antipas, brother of Archelaus, for this Herod ruled the people with greater meekness than his brother; and Joseph settled in the city of Nazareth, in his house, where they had lived before, so that what was predicted about Christ the Lord by the prophets would be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazirite. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Bassano (Jacopo da Ponte). 1545-46

The theme of the incarnation of the Savior in Eastern Christian art is reflected not only in icons depicting the Nativity of Christ, but also in images dedicated to the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the liturgical annual circle there is the following feature: after the “main”, “main” holiday, the next day a special memory of those persons associated with this holiday is celebrated. So, after the Epiphany, the "Cathedral of John the Baptist" is celebrated, after the day of the chief apostles Peter and Paul - the "Cathedral of the 12 Apostles." The word "cathedral" in this context means a certain, not limited by either time or space, assembly of the faithful, performed in honor of a saint. The celebration of the Cathedral of Our Lady takes place on the second day of the Nativity of Christ, January 8 (n.s.). The divine services of these days are closely connected in meaning and character, as are the iconography of these holidays. On the day of the Cathedral of Our Lady, we honor Her as the Blessed Virgin and Mother of the Son of God, who served the great mystery of the Incarnation.

The celebration in honor of the Mother of God, correlated with the feast of the Nativity, arose in the Church very early, already in the 4th century. It was the very first Mother of God feast, from which other Mother of God celebrations were later formed.

The iconography of the "Cathedral of Our Lady" was formed quite late, only at the end of the 13th century. It was based on the iconography of the Nativity of Christ and some important elements introduced under the influence of the text of the Nativity stichera. This is the fourth verse of the Great Vespers of the Feast of the Nativity: « What will we bring to you, Christ, as if you appeared on earth as a Man for us? Each time, from Thee former creatures bring thanks to Thee: Angels - singing; heaven is a star; Volsvi - gifts; shepherding is a miracle; earth - den; desert - nursery; we are the Virgin Mother. Even before the age, God, have mercy on us. In the manuscript of the Sofia library of the XIV century. (No. 193) it is said that the shepherds bring "surprise" to Christ as thanksgiving.

The earliest known composition on this subject is a fresco in the narthex of the Church of Our Lady Peribleptos in Ohrid (1295). In the Paleologian period, iconography spread in the Orthodox ecumene. The oldest Russian icon on this subject comes from Pskov and was created at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century. This is a most interesting monument both in its iconography and in stylistic terms. The icon differs significantly both from previous Byzantine monuments and from Russian icons and frescoes of a later time. Perhaps the features of the composition of the icon are due to the fact that it was based not only on the text of the stichera “What shall we bring to you…”, but also on other festive hymns. Some details of this particular Pskov icon still remain a mystery to researchers.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG, Moscow

In the center of the icon is depicted the Blessed Virgin sitting on a throne, which has a curved asymmetrical back and is decorated with a white curtain. However, the Mother of God does not hold the Christ Child in her arms, although this is how She is depicted in all other works on this plot. On the Pskov icon, in front of the Mother of God, on Her chest, is placed an image of Christ Emmanuel enclosed in a two-color eight-pointed “glory”, which She seems to be holding.

Such an image of the Savior and the Mother of God resembles the iconography of the Mother of God "The Sign". On the “Sign” icons, the placement of the image of Emmanuel in “glory” on the chest of the Mother of God indicates His hidden, mysterious presence and emphasizes the main theological idea of the image - the dogma about the incarnation of God the Son from the Ever-Virgin Mary predicted by the prophets. In the iconography of the Cathedral of Our Lady, such an unusual move further emphasizes the theme of the Incarnation.

Another feature of the Pskov icon is the image of a cave, inside which is a manger with a swaddled Baby. This episode, borrowed from the image of the Nativity of Christ, is not found in other works of iconography of the Cathedral of Our Lady. It can be assumed that both of these unique features appeared as a reflection, for example, of the text of the kontakion of the Christmas holiday: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Substantial, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable: angels with shepherds glorify, wise men travel with a star: for our sake be born Otrocha young, Eternal God ». In this case, the image of a manger with a newly born Baby reinforces the very theme of birth, and the image of Christ-Emmanuel in “glory” is intended to emphasize that she is born from the Virgin, incarnates, not a common person, namely the "Eternal God", the Second Hypostasis of the Most Holy Trinity.

Otherwise, the central and upper parts of the composition of the icon follow the established tradition. To the left of the throne of the Mother of God, the Magi are depicted bringing gifts, one of which points to a star, the image of which has not been preserved. To the right and left of the foot of the throne are placed two peculiar figures: half-naked women with disheveled hair. These are personifications - images that personify the Desert and the Earth. The desert, dressed in red, brings a manger to Christ, and the Earth, dressed in a green cloak, with one hand, as it were, stretches out a den, and in the other holds a flourishing branch.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG. Fragment

Above, above the hills, angels and wondering shepherds are written. In the upper corners are half-figured images of especially revered saints: Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Barbarians, which, apparently, were made at the request of the customer and are not directly related to iconography.

Usually, in the compositions of the Cathedral of Our Lady, a solemn Christmas service is depicted below: a choir of singers, hymnographers John of Damascus and Cosmas Mayumsky, priests, monks; patriarchs and kings may also be depicted. This group, on the one hand, personifies the entire human race, which, according to the verse, brings the Virgin Mother to Christ. On the other hand, the depicted liturgical glorification of the Mother of God is performed right before our eyes. This enhances the liturgical, liturgical function of the image.

Mid 15th century Rostov-Suzdal school. House-Museum of P.D. Korina, Moscow

In the lower part of the Pskov image, a unique iconographic solution is again found. Here are depicted three men in white robes, similar to surplices, a young reader, and a young man in an intricate pose, reminiscent of the movement of a dance. This whole scene still has no unambiguous interpretation. There are conflicting interpretations in the scientific literature.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG. Fragment

It is assumed that the whole group as a whole can personify various forms of glorification of the Mother of God, which is performed by all mankind (therefore, the characters are depicted different ages and peoples). The three central figures were interpreted as a choir of singers, as deacons, as the Fathers of God David, Joseph and Jacob. They were defined as "pastors in the concrete and allegorical sense of the word," meaning by this the wandering performers of spiritual verses dedicated to biblical events.

Some researchers see the Magi in men. Indeed, three men are very similar to the Magi depicted in the middle part of the icon in appearance and age: an old man, a middle-aged man and a young man. The change in the color and character of the robes can be explained by the tradition, according to which, after Pentecost, the Magi were baptized by the Apostle Thomas. White clothes are a sign of the cleansing of the newly baptized from the burden of original sin.

It should be noted that in Western Europe the Magi were highly revered. Their relics, according to legend acquired by Empress Helen, from Constantinople came to Milan, and from there to Cologne. In the 12th century, a special liturgical Christmas rite arose in the West, which is a kind of performance in faces performed by clerics, singers and readers. Magi were the main characters of this mystery. Much later, having got to Western Ukraine, a theatrical performance of this kind was called "Nativity Scene". Pskov was the westernmost Russian city and Western European traditions and influences were strong in this principality. It is quite possible that in the 14th century the people of Pskov knew about such performances, and perhaps a similar rite was part of the celebration of Christmas in this city. This is not difficult to assume, if we remember that in Russia there was a rank close in nature - "Stove Action". Thus, a specific festive church rite can be represented on the Pskov icon. In exactly the same way, in the iconography considered above, the Christmas service was depicted, but without indicating any specific part of the service.

Dionysius. Painting of the Pokhvalsky chapel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. 1481

Using and transforming the version about the depiction of a special festive rite representing the adoration of the Magi, we dare to suggest that the three men may not be Magi, but shepherds. The shepherds depicted in the upper part of the icon are also an old man, a middle-aged man and a young man. There is also a certain external similarity. Men in white robes and shepherds have the same attributes - staves. This version is supported by the fact that from the 11th century in the Western Church there was a liturgical rite dedicated exclusively to the worship of shepherds.

This church rite was performed as follows: a manger was set up near the Throne on a special dais, in which there was a statue or icon of the Virgin with the Child. Several canons (clerics) in church vestments, with linen scarves on their heads and wands in their hands, represented the Bethlehem shepherds. A choir boy who pretended to be an angel told them about Christmas by quoting the gospel. To the singing of the choir “Glory to God in the highest…” the shepherds went to the altar, where two canons, representing midwives, were waiting for them at the manger. They asked: “Whom are you looking for in the manger, shepherds?” “We are looking for,” answered the shepherds, “the Savior of Christ.” The midwives pulled back the veil that hid the image of the Blessed Virgin with the Divine Infant. Pointing to him, they said: "Here he is - this Infant with his Mother." The shepherds bowed and sang prayers, then the liturgy began.

This version would explain well unusual shape the throne of the Virgin, and an extremely rare white curtain for Russian monuments. However, this motif - the veil on the throne - originated in early Christian art, and later developed in South Slavic paintings and icons. The above reasoning is nothing more than a cautious guess, since it is not possible to know for certain whether such a rank could be known in the Western Russian lands. And such an attribute as a staff could well move from one “scenario” to another and become an attribute of a traveling sorcerer.

The riddles of the icon do not end there. The most difficult figure to interpret is the dancing youth. There is an opinion that this is a young shepherd marveling (surprising) at the miracle of Christmas. Struck, he covers his face with his hand, which resembles the shepherd depicted in the upper corner of the icon - he, seeing a star, also covers his eyes. The young man's clothing - a short tunic - corresponds to the tradition of depicting shepherds. It is easier to define the image of a young man with a book in his hands. Some researchers see him as Roman the Melodist; others, pointing to the absence of a halo, the reduced size of the figure, and other details, believe that this is some kind of collective image of a hymnographer or reader.

In the monuments of the 16th-17th centuries, the composition is greatly expanded, it includes personifications of the sea and winds, bringing to the Child, in the words of the icon-painting original, obedience and obedience. The image of the worshipers becomes more and more multi-figured.

Dionysius. Frescoes in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos at the Ferapontov Monastery. 1502

16th century Moscow. Museums of the Moscow Kremlin

The Orthodox Church, the day after the feast of the Nativity of Christ, with laudatory and thanksgiving songs, addresses the Mother of God, who became the chosen instrument of Providence, who gave birth to the Savior.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the one who gave birth to the Savior, and that is why the holiday is set for January 8 immediately after His birth.

Story

The feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos has an ancient origin, its establishment dates back to the early times of the Christian Church. Already in the 4th century, Epiphanius of Cyprus, as well as Saint Ambrose of Milan and Blessed Augustine, in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, combined praise of the God-man who had been born with praise of the Virgin who had given birth to Him.

An official indication of the celebration of the Council of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in canon 79 of the VI Ecumenical Council, held in 681.

In the celebration of the Council, the memory of those who were close to the Savior in the flesh is celebrated - St. Joseph the Betrothed, King David (an ancestor in the flesh of Jesus Christ) and St. James, the brother of the Lord, the son from the first marriage of St. Joseph the Betrothed.

Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

According to the Gospel, after the Magi left Bethlehem, where they bowed to the newborn Savior and brought the gifts of the East, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus and His Mother, fled to Egypt and remained there until then. as long as he is commanded to return from there, because Herod wants to destroy the Child. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother by night and went to Egypt.

Joseph the Betrothed, being an 80-year-old elder, with the blessing of the high priest, received the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure, his whole ministry was to protect the Mother of God.

The prophet David was in the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should be, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the lineage of David. And the Apostle James is called the brother of God, because he was the eldest son of the Betrothed Joseph - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man and after the Resurrection of Christ he was chosen as the primate of the Jerusalem Church.

Traditions

In the old days in Russia, it was believed that the holiday of January 8 for women is even more important than Christmas, since it is associated with the Mother of God. The people believed that if a pregnant woman or her husband, even because of extreme necessity, will work on this day, then their child will be born with physical disabilities.

Women began caroling (going from house to house with congratulations, singing carols) to the Mother of God. They visited the midwives, communed them with dinner, and also held dinners and memorial services for the dead. There is a belief that on the night of January 8, all the dead converge in the temple and they are served by the deceased priests.

Also on church calendar On January 8, they honor the martyr Euthymius, the Monk Constantine, the Monk Evarest and the icons of the Mother of God, which are called "Three Joys", "Merciful" and "Blessed Womb".

"Gracious"

According to legend, the icon was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke. She received her name "Kikkotis" from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. Here she is in the imperial monastery, in the temple built in her honor.

Before reaching the island of Cyprus, the miraculous image of the Mother of God, by the will of God, wandered for a long time. At first he was in one of the first Christian communities in Egypt. When persecution of Christians arose here, the Kikk icon was sent in 980 to Constantinople. But on the way the ship was captured by the Saracens.

However, the impious enemies of the Christian faith were captured by the Greeks, who nevertheless brought the image to Constantinople. Here the Kikk icon was kept in the royal chambers until the beginning of the 12th century. Then the image was transported to the island of Cyprus.

The miraculous "Kykk" icon of the Mother of God has a remarkable feature: it is not known from what time it is half covered with a veil from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one can and does not dare to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. The image of the Mother of God on the icon is a type of Hodegetria, like the image Smolensk icon Mother of God. The head of the Virgin is crowned with a crown.

"Blessed Womb"

Until 1924, this icon was in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, at present its whereabouts are unknown. The Barlovsky list of this icon appeared on December 26 (January 8, according to the new style), 1392, in memory of which the celebration was established on this day.

The image was brought to Moscow from the city of Bari, where it was at the tomb of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, hence the other name of the icon - "Barlovskaya".

There are other icons of the Mother of God, known as the "Blessed Womb". One of them is somewhat similar to the "Help in childbirth" icon, and on the other, the Mother of God is depicted in a crown, and the Eternal Child with an uncovered head. At the top are images of two angels, with one hand supporting the crown on the head of the Blessed Virgin, and with the other, an ornament in the form of a chain, descending in a semicircle near the face of the Virgin.

"Three Joys"

At the beginning of the 18th century, a pious painter brought from Italy a copy of an icon depicting the Holy Family. He left this image in Moscow with his relative, the priest of the Trinity Church on Gryazy. Subsequently, the priest donated the image brought to him to his parish church. Here the icon was placed on the porch, above the entrance to the church.

Icon of the Mother of God "Three Joys" became famous miraculous help to one unfortunate woman who placed all her hope in the Mother of God.

The legend says that once a certain noble woman suffered three severe trials in a short period of time - her husband was slandered and sent into exile, her estate was taken away, and her son was captured in the war.

The woman prayed for a long time to the Most Holy Theotokos, shedding tears; in a dream she heard a voice commanding her to find the Holy Family icon and pray before it. After a long search, she found this icon in the Moscow Trinity Church on Pokrovka.

The prayer of the unfortunate woman in front of the holy icon was heard, and soon her three sorrows turned into three joys: her husband was acquitted and returned from exile, his estate was given back, and his son was released from captivity. Hence the name of the icon - "Three Joys".

On the icon, the Mother of God is depicted with the Eternal Child on her knees. Elder Joseph stands on Her right hand, and John the Baptist stands on Her left, looking at the Divine Infant with love.

Prayer

O Blessed Virgin, the all-good Son of the all-good Mother, the patroness of the reigning city and the holy temple of this patroness, all that is in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses, faithful intercessor and intercessor! Do not despise the prayers of us, Thy unworthy servants, and implore Thy Son and our God, that all of us, with faith and tenderness bowing before Thy miraculous image, will grant joy according to every need: consolation to those who are in sorrows and sorrows, those who are in distress, mercy, those who are in many ailments unforeseen healing and strengthening. O Most Holy Lady, have mercy on all who honor the all-honest your name and show to everyone your almighty cover and intercession: make haste to every work, to your pleasing Son; destroy every evil deed; in perplexity and difficult and dangerous circumstances, those who receive invisible help and admonition from heaven came down. Raise up young children, be wise, open their minds to the acceptance of every useful teaching. Protect and save from domestic strife and from enemies visible and invisible. Preserve marriages in love and like-mindedness, and protect from enmity of consanguineous people with peace and love. And to all of us, give each other love, peace and piety, and health with a long life. Having reposed in faith and repentance from this life with the angels and all the saints, create life, so that all in Heaven and on earth lead Thee as a firm and shameless Representative of ours, the Christian race, and, leading, glorify Thee and Thee, Thy Son, with His Beginningless Father and consubstantial with His Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

The Orthodox calendar is rich in religious holidays. Significant dates within its framework are set as a sign of honoring God, numerous saints, certain events that played a significant role in the formation and strengthening of the Christian faith, and, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary - the main intercessor and patroness of all mankind. Any, even the slightest believer, such major bright holidays glorifying the Virgin Mary as Christmas, the Annunciation, the Assumption are known. The day after Christmas, January 8, Orthodox Church marks one of these religious dates, which has a more specific character - the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Description of the holiday

January 8 is the day when all Orthodox world remembers the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ: the son of God, the Savior of mankind, the Messiah. This earthly righteous woman was chosen by the Creator to give birth to a person in whom the Lord himself and his plan were embodied; a person for whom heaven has prepared an unusual and at the same time great fate in its essence - the atonement of human sins by sacrificing oneself.

It was in honor of the destiny of the chosen one that the Virgin Mary, with dignity and not without the help of God, brought to life, carried through the years of her earthly existence, and established the Christian Church such an important religious holiday - the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos - on January 8, immediately after the Nativity of Christ. On this day, clergy and believers turn to the Mother of God with solemn laudatory hymns, thanksgiving speeches. Services are held in the temples, as they were the day before this holiday, within the framework of which the troparion filled with genuine joy certainly sounds: “Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Your honest Cathedral is decorated with various kindnesses, gifts are brought to you, Madam, by many worldly people. Tear apart the bonds of our sinners with Your mercy and save our souls.

The Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God is celebrated in accordance with church tradition: to remember after an important event dedicated to God, the Son of God, or directly connected with him, the person who played leading role that the event happened. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is not the only feast celebrated according to such a specific pattern. There is, for example, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, celebrated the day after the Baptism of the Lord; Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel, erected immediately after the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, etc.

It should be noted that the feast of January 8 is dedicated not only to the memory of the Virgin Mary, as the mother of Jesus Christ, but also to some persons who were directly related to the Most Pure during her life on sinful earth. As part of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thus, the memory is commemorated:

Saint Joseph the Betrothed, so called because, with the blessing of the High Priest, he became engaged to the Virgin Mary in order to protect her purity and virginity;
King David, who was the ancestor of Jesus Christ according to the flesh;
Saint James, son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage, who, together with his father, accompanied the Mother of God with the baby Jesus during the flight to Egypt.

history of the holiday

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a fairly ancient origin. The establishment of this religious date occurred when the Christian Church, in fact, was just beginning its formation. The first mention of the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos dates back to the 4th century. AD They were found in the teachings of Ambrose of Milan, Epiphanes of Cyprus and Augustine the Blessed, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ.

In these "lectures" the praise of Jesus Christ is smoothly interspersed with the glorification of the Mother of God who brought him into the world. Officially, the holiday date was set in 681 on the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Indication of this event and himself Christian holiday contained in rule 79 of the document relating to this kind of religious conference.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as most Christian dates connected in one way or another with the personality of the Virgin Mary, is dedicated to an icon. It is a symbolic version of the icon of the Nativity of Christ. In the center of the composition is the Mother of God with the baby Jesus in her arms, sitting on a throne. Around her are depicted angels, magi and shepherds, as well as the Church Fathers and Christian hymnographers, praising the Most Pure. Iconography of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of Serbian origin. In Russia, it has been known since the 14th century.

About the personality of the Virgin Mary

It makes no sense to tell about the life of the Mother of God, because for this there are other, more appropriate in meaning, religious holidays dedicated to the Most Pure. But it is very appropriate to talk about the virtues of the Most Holy Theotokos, which were inherent in this earthly woman chosen by the Creator.

First, the Virgin Mary is the embodiment of total devotion to God's will to the detriment of one's own. When the Archangel Gabriel, at the direction of the Lord, brought the future Mother of God the good news of the immaculate conception of the Son of God by her, she answered: “Behold the servant of the Lord, be Me according to your word,” thereby expressing absolute humility before the will of the Almighty.

It would seem that it is difficult to accept the great dignity and title Mother of God, because this is connected with triumph, glory, and not with humiliation? However, an endless number of troubles, sorrows and temptations fell to the lot of the Mother of God, therefore meekness in this case was the pinnacle of human selflessness. Agreeing with the will of God, the Virgin Mary voluntarily took on her shoulders all the oppression of possible (and accomplished!) suffering, deprivation: only one martyrdom Jesus for the atonement of the sins of mankind what was worth! Moreover, even this terrible event did not shake humility.

Secondly, the virtue of the future Mother of God consisted in the fact that throughout her earthly life she kept a vow of virginity and purity: both spiritual and bodily. Who knows whether the Virgin Mary would have agreed to become the mother of the Infant Jesus, sent by God to earth through an earthly birth, if the need to violate this vow was implied? The Mother of God gave an answer to the Archangel Gabriel only after she learned about the virginity of conception, but not before, being in complete ignorance. This is also evidenced by Holy Bible where it says, “For what does she say to him? “What will it be if I don’t know a husband?”

Finally, the third virtue of the Virgin Mary was the courage with which the woman chosen by God endured all the hardships that befell her. In this sense, the Mother of God is clearest example said virtue, of course, after Jesus Christ.

Based on the foregoing, on the feast of January 8 of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, in prayers offered to the Virgin Mary, one should ask for the gift of just these three important virtues. After all, in our world, which is losing more and more grains of light every minute, we so lack precisely humility, spiritual purity of thoughts and courage to worthily carry our cross.

Interestingly, in pagan Russia, on January 8, the Slavs celebrated the holiday "Women's porridge". On this day, midwives were honored, helping women in childbirth in the old days and possessing wise knowledge.