The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God means what. The origin and journey of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. The most significant lists are

27.09.2019

The image of the Mother of God is especially revered by all Orthodox Christians. Vladimir icon is notable for its special power: prayers before it more than once saved entire cities from inevitable death.

History of the icon

According to legend, the Vladimir icon was painted during the life of the Mother of God by the apostle and evangelist Luke. During the meal, the apostle had a wonderful vision of the future of the Christian people, and he, taking a board from the table, began to write the image of the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus in her arms. The Virgin Mary did not interfere with the apostle, for she saw that he was moved by the Will of the Lord.

Where is the holy image

For a long time, the Vladimir Icon was located in the holy city of Jerusalem. In the middle of the 12th century, the image was donated Kievan Rus and was kept in the Mother of God Monastery in the city of Vyshgorod. A little later, Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the icon to Vladimir, where it remained for a long time. On the this moment the miraculous image of the Vladimir Mother of God is located in Moscow, in the church of St. Nicholas.

Description of the icon

The Vladimir icon depicts the Mother of God with the baby Jesus in her arms. The look of the Mother of God is directed directly at the person praying standing in front of the icon, the face is serious and full of sorrow for the sins of this world.

The Mother of God firmly presses the Infant Jesus to her, and His gaze is directed upwards, at the Mother of God. Thus, the image shows the great love of the Lord for His Mother, which all believers should be equal to.

What helps the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

The Vladimir image of the Mother of God saved Russia from invaders more than once. That is why the image is prayed for the well-being of the country, for salvation in difficult and dangerous life situations as well as the preservation of the world.

There are known cases of miraculous healings that occurred during a common prayer in front of the icon. Therefore, the Vladimir image of the Virgin Mary is prayed for healing from bodily and mental illnesses.

Prayers before the Vladimir Icon

“All-merciful Intercessor, Protector and Protector! We humbly pray to You, bowing before You in tears: expel, Mistress, death, trampling the souls of the faithful servants of the Lord, turn the enemies and deliver our land from all evil! O Lady, we hope in You, and our prayer flies to You, for we trust only in You and pray to save our lives and souls. Amen".

“Queen of Heaven, merciful Intercessor, I humbly pray to You: do not leave my cry unanswered, hear me, a sinful and unworthy servant of God, take trouble, sickness and infirmity away from me. May my soul not turn away from the Lord, and prayer to the Most High will send grace on my forehead. Be merciful, Mother of God, and send down miraculous healing my soul and body. Amen".

Days of veneration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God - June 3, July 6 and September 8, according to the new style. At this time, any prayers to the Mother of God can completely change your life and destiny. We wish you peace of mind and strong faith in God. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

06.07.2017 05:36

The icon "Protection of the Virgin" is one of the most significant shrines among all Orthodox images. This icon...

The most famous and valued image of the Mother of God is the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

It has been significant for Russia in all epochs.

Prayer addressed to the Mother of God many times protected the country from enemies.

History of the icon

According to legend, the image was painted by the Apostle Luke during the life of Mary. The image was created on the table top where her family ate.

Initially, the face was in Jerusalem, then in 450 it was transferred to Constantinople. The icon was kept there until about the middle of the 12th century. Then the icon was presented as a gift to Prince Mstislav, the then ruler of Kievan Rus.

The image was kept for some time in the Mother of God Monastery in Vyshgorod, a settlement not far from Kyiv. After a while, Andrey Bogolyubsky took her to Vladimir.

On the way to locality he was given the sign of the Mother of God, and so the name of the icon arose. Then she was in the Assumption Cathedral.

Where is the icon

In 1237, as a result of the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, the cathedral was destroyed, and revived again under the rule of Prince Yaroslav. In the 14th century, at the behest of Vasily 1, the image was transported to Moscow. This was necessary for the salvation of the Mother of God of the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane. The face was installed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

In 1918 the icon was sent for reconstruction, in 1926 - to the Museum of History, in 1930 - to the Tretyakov Gallery, in 1999 - to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is located at the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye.

The meaning and what the icon helps with

They always prayed before the image when it was necessary to protect the Motherland from adversaries. And, every time salvation took place, the faith of the people was strengthened more and more.

But the Mother of God is also addressed in “everyday” cases:

women ask for easy and quick childbirth;
young families about strengthening relationships;
sick about healing from ailments;
Orthodox, whose faith has been shaken, spiritual strength to restore it;
travelers about a boundless road and protection from accidents;
doubters ask to guide them on the right path;
people lending money ask that it be returned without fail.

To pray in front of the icon, it is not necessary to go to the temple, this can be done at home. A special prayer is said or a prayer is expressed in an arbitrary form.

For requests to be heard, they must be uttered from the heart. When pronouncing a prayer, one cannot think about an outsider.

Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

It is believed that the image saved Russia from enemies three times. In addition, other miraculous cases were recorded.

In the monastery of Vyshgorod, without human intervention, the icon was moved to different places.
Gates fell on several people in Vladimir. One of the Christians offered up a prayer addressed to the Mother of God, and all the people remained alive.
The wife of Prince Andrei had a hard time giving birth. The husband before the image asked for relief from the birth pangs. His prayer was heard: the princess immediately gave birth to a healthy child, while she herself did not suffer.
In one of the campaigns, a boundless river prevented Prince Andrei from going further. He sent a servant to find a shallow place in the river, but he began to sink. The prince began to offer a prayer, and the servant emerged alive and unharmed.
Legend says that during the Great Patriotic War to save Moscow, the image was placed on a plane, and it flew around the entire capital. After the flight, fog descended, snow began to fall. The invader was disoriented.

There are many copies of the icon. The Orthodox noticed that amazing things come from prayers in front of all the images.

Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

St. Petersburg is famous for its beautiful buildings. Tourists and pilgrims come here from all over the world to see the beauties of architecture and bow to holy places.

One of the architectural monuments is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Vladimir. This is a two-story building with 5 domes, built in the Baroque style. It looks especially majestic against the background of surrounding buildings.

The main value of the church is the iconostasis. It was designed by Rastrelli himself. The iconostasis is considered one of the unique works in church art.

There are many rare icons in the Church of Vladimir, but one of the most revered ones is with the image of the Mother of God, brought to Russia in the 12th century. Tourists are interested in the cathedral as a monument of architecture, for believers it is the center of spiritual life.

The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God is venerated 3 times a year: May 21, June 23, August 26. You can pray like God's temple, and at home in front of the iconostasis.

In Orthodoxy there is ancient tradition veneration of icons, which brings an undoubted benefit to believers and is associated with numerous and varied miracles. The icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir enjoys special reverence among Orthodox Christians, in which it helps and why it is so valued.

Who is the creator. There are a number of images that, according to legend, were written by the apostle Luke himself, the author of one of the books of the Gospel. This image received the blessing of the Blessed Virgin herself and is written on a board that used to serve Christ, as well as Mary and Joseph at the dinner table. Therefore, it has a special grace on it, and it has such great value.

Main historical milestones:

until the middle of the fifth century, it remains in the territory of Jerusalem, then it is transported to Constantinople;
remains in Byzantium until the 12th century, but Patriarch of Constantinople gives the image to Yuri Dolgoruky, who brought the icon to Kyiv;
a period of various miracles, which Andrei Bogolyubsky, the son of Dolgoruky, learns about. Having gone to the Vyshgorodsky monastery, the prince takes the sacred face, on the way he comes to Vladimir, where he sees a vision of the Virgin. Here he orders the construction of a new temple;
the icon of Vladimir receives its current name, performs various miracles, saves Russia more than once;
Andrei Rublev makes a list (in 1408), which remains in the temple of the city of Vladimir, the original was taken to Moscow in 1480 and placed on the territory of the Assumption Cathedral;
In 1918 the image was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery, in 1999 to the church of St. Nicholas.

This is the official history of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, which is more interesting for scientists. In addition, there is a completely different one, which is interesting for believers. This historical mosaic has been preserved in separate grains in the stories and testimonies of the people.

Description of the image

There are four main iconographic images of the Virgin: Hodegetria, Eleusa, Oranta, Akathist, which are used to create shrines. On the Vladimir Icon Mother of God we see the type of Eleus or Tenderness, which is characterized by the Divine Infant and the Mother of God clinging to each other. They touch cheeks and embrace each other.

The formal and primitive level of understanding gives a completely understandable meaning - the relationship between mother and child, the tenderness of mother's love. Of course, such a symbol should not be neglected, since it in itself is very significant for understanding. Nevertheless, one should not forget about the role of the figures depicted: before us are not just people, but saints, although they are depicted in human form.

Note! The feature of the image is small detail- the feet of the Savior. One of them is turned to the viewer, who can contemplate the heel of the baby Christ. This element distinguishes the icon Our Lady of Vladimir.

Symbolic description:

the depicted are pressed against their cheeks: the Blessed Virgin symbolizes humanity, and Christ represents the Lord, to whom every person aspires. Thus is depicted the divine love and intimate relationship between the Creator and His child;
Mary's clothes: the lower part of the blue tint symbolizes heavenly purity, the upper one is red, indicating the regal position of Mary and the suffering of the Virgin;
golden elements of clothing also indicate royalty, a symbol of divine grace.

The Mother of God can also symbolically represent not only humanity and a person individually, but also the church. This emphasizes one detail: Mary has armlets on her clothes that are worn by priests. The Mother of God is an Equal-to-the-Apostles Church, which allows humanity to go to the Lord.

Useful video: about the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God

Miracles

Before considering how this image helps, it is necessary to briefly describe the well-known miracles that took place throughout the long history of Russia. Wikipedia can tell about this, these facts are well known. Until now, the miracles associated with this icon help believers.

Note! The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is one of the key images for Russian Orthodoxy.

Hundreds of thousands of believers prayed before him for centuries and simple people and aristocrats, great ascetics and worldly people comprehended the faith before him, through the prayers of the Russian people, the Virgin Mary worked miracles and protected her native land from all sorts of adversities.

Notable Miraculous Events:

In 1395, the Most Pure Virgin appeared in a dream to Tamerlane, who at that time conquered a huge amount of land, forced him to retreat and not capture Russia.
In 1451, the Tatars again stood under the walls of the city, but Jonah, who at that time was the metropolitan, carried the icon of the Mother of God to the glorification of God along the city walls in order to save the city. At night, the Tatars heard an incomprehensible noise and considered that this was the approaching army of Vasily Dmitrievich. The enemy hordes were seized with fear, they retreated from the walls of the city and went home.
Standing on the river Ugra in 1480. According to legend, the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was taken to the river before the start of the alleged battle. The troops of Russians and Tatars stood on opposite banks of the river for 9 months, not daring to launch an offensive. Before the battle, the Russians brought the icon to their shore and, after a short time, the Tatars retreated.
Saving Moscow. At the beginning of the 16th century, the invasion of the Tatars could completely destroy Moscow, but one of the nuns had a dream about the icon and the sins of the inhabitants of the capital. As a result, in the morning, the townspeople and priests gathered in the temple to pray to the Mother of God for help. As a result, the Tatars retreated again.
Finding a king. With the icon, under the leadership of the metropolitan, they went to Boris Godunov to become the new tsar.
Liberation from the Poles. In 1613, the liberation troops entered the city, who were greeted with this face.

In addition, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was actively used at the coronation of various monarchs. People noticed a variety of miracles that were achieved by praying before the image or washing with water, which previously washed it. These facts were recorded in various church books.

Informative! What is: when and how to pray correctly

How to pray

Many Orthodox have seen at least a photo or reproduction of this image. It is found in many temples. What they pray for the Vladimir Icon of God: believers ask for their own needs, do not forget about their own land and other Orthodox who will need the intercession of the Virgin.

We list the most common reasons:

strengthening in faith in moments of doubt, when there is a need to strengthen faith, to deepen one's own religious feeling;
for healing from mental and physical ailments, the Virgin Mary constantly prays to the Lord and is a great intercessor who helps those who ask for health;
about getting rid of sin - this is where the image helps especially, every believer can come to repent and receive forgiveness;
to ask for the country and the Orthodox faith - such a prayer is traditional and has been practiced for many centuries;
before making a decision, when you need to think about something and get some valuable advice, after praying to the Mother of God, the best decision itself visits the mind of the believer.

In the red corner of the house, there are usually images of the Savior and the Virgin - this is an essential minimum. You can install the Vladimir Mother of God by Andrei Rublev or in an earlier icon-painting version. The face is very versatile and can benefit the believer.

According to the previous description, it is known what the icon looks like: a distinctive feature is the foot of Christ, which is turned towards the viewer. From this detail, it is easy to see the desired image when you come to the temple and offer a prayer.

To do this, you need to come before or after the service in order to be able to light a candle and read the prayer the required number of times.

Cell prayer is also possible, that is, at home, in front of the image that is in the room. This practice is inalienable for the Orthodox, solitary prayer brings significant spiritual benefits.

Here are some tips for this practice:

before starting, you should clear your own mind, tune in to prayer, and renounce earthly worries;
before the image, if possible, a candle or lamp is first lit;
it is necessary to ensure solitude and complete calmness so as not to be distracted and concentrate on the words of prayer;
it is best when the prayer is read from memory, but a prayer book or just a convenient printout can also be used;
it is also allowed to pray in one's own words, which begins with the traditional appeal "O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos."

Useful video: the history of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

Conclusion

When the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God becomes part of a regular prayer practice, the believer acquires a special connection with this image. An invisible connection is established with the rest Orthodox world, this face, as it were, permeates the centuries Orthodox faith and contains a kind of quintessence of this tradition. It contains deep archetypes, with the help of it grace descends into the world, it is a clear window through which believers can look into the spiritual world.

It was written by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate with the Blessed Mother and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed.

The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: “From now on, all birth will please Me. The grace of Him who was born of Me, and Mine, be in this way.”

Until the middle of the 5th century, the icon remained in Jerusalem. Under Theodosius the Younger, it was transferred to Constantinople, from where in 1131 it was sent to Russia as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverha. The icon was placed in a maiden monastery in the city of Vyshgorod, not far from Kyiv, where it immediately became famous for many miracles. In 1155, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, St. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, wishing to have a glorified shrine in his place, moved the icon to the north, to Vladimir, and placed it in the famous Assumption Cathedral erected by him. Since that time, the icon has received the name of Vladimirskaya.

During the campaign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky against the Volga Bulgarians, in 1164, the image of the "Holy Mother of God of Vladimir" helped the Russians to defeat the enemy. The icon was preserved during a terrible fire on April 13, 1185, when the Vladimir Cathedral burned down, and remained unharmed during the ruin of Vladimir Batu on February 17, 1237.

The further history of the image is already entirely connected with the capital city of Moscow, where it was first brought in 1395 during the invasion of Khan Tamerlane. The conqueror with his army invaded the borders of Ryazan, captured and ruined it and directed his way to Moscow, devastating and destroying everything around. While Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich gathered troops and sent them near Kolomna, in Moscow itself, Metropolitan Cyprian blessed the population for fasting and prayerful repentance. By mutual advice, Vasily Dmitrievich and Cyprian decided to resort to spiritual weapons and transfer the miraculous icon of the Most Pure Mother of God from Vladimir to Moscow.

The icon was brought to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The chronicle reports that Tamerlane, having stood in one place for two weeks, suddenly became frightened, turned south and left Moscow. A great miracle happened: during procession with a miraculous icon, heading from Vladimir to Moscow, when countless people knelt on both sides of the road and prayed: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!”, Tamerlane had a vision. Before his mind's eye appeared high mountain, from the top of which saints descended with golden rods, and above them in a radiant radiance appeared the Majestic Wife. She ordered him to leave the borders of Russia. Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision. He was told that the radiant Wife is the Mother of God, the great Protector of Christians. Then Tamerlane ordered the regiments to go back.

In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Russia from the invasion of Tamerlane, on the day of the meeting in Moscow of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on August 26 / September 8, a solemn church holiday of the Presentation of this icon was established, and a temple was erected at the very place of the meeting, around which the Sretensky Monastery was later located.

For the second time, the Mother of God saved Russia from ruin in 1480 (commemorated on June 23 / July 6), when the army of Khan of the Golden Horde Akhmat approached Moscow.

The meeting of the Tatars with the Russian army took place near the Ugra River (the so-called “standing on the Ugra”): the troops stood on different banks and waited for a reason to attack. In the front ranks of the Russian troops they kept the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, which miraculously put the Horde regiments to flight.

Third celebration Vladimir Mother God's (May 21 / June 3), recalls the deliverance of Moscow from the defeat by Makhmet-Giray, Khan of Kazan, who in 1521 reached the limits of Moscow and began to burn her settlements, but suddenly retreated from the capital without harming her.

Before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, many important events of Russian church history took place: the election and installation of St. Jonah - Primate of the Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1917 .), as well as in all centuries, oaths of allegiance to the Motherland were taken before it, prayers were performed before military campaigns.

Iconography Mother of God of Vladimir

The icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir belongs to the “Carssing” type, also known under the epithets “Eleusa” (ελεουσα - “Merciful”), “Tenderness”, “Glycofilus” (γλυκυφιλουσα - “Sweet Kiss”). This is the most lyrical of all types of iconography of the Virgin, revealing the intimate side of the communication of the Virgin Mary with her Son. The image of the Mother of God caressing the Infant, his deep humanity turned out to be especially close to Russian painting.

The iconographic scheme includes two figures - the Mother of God and the Infant Christ, clinging their faces to each other. Mary's head is bowed to the Son, and He embraces the Mother by the neck with his hand. Distinctive feature Vladimir icon from other icons of the Tenderness type: the left leg of the Christ Child is bent in such a way that the sole of the foot, “heel”, is visible.

In this touching composition, in addition to its direct meaning, there is a deep theological idea: the Mother of God, caressing the Son, appears as a symbol of the soul, which is in close communion with God. In addition, the embraces of Mary and the Son suggest the future sufferings of the Savior on the Cross; in the caressing of the Infant by the Mother, his future mourning is foreseen.

The work is permeated with a completely obvious sacrificial symbolism. From a theological point of view, its content can be reduced to three main themes: "the incarnation, the predestination of the Infant to sacrifice and the unity in love of Mary the Church with Christ the High Priest." This interpretation of the Mother of God Caressing is confirmed by the image on the back of the icon of the throne with the symbols of the Passion. Here in the 15th century they painted an image of the throne (etimasia - “the throne prepared”), covered with an altar cover, the Gospel with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, nails, a crown of thorns, behind the throne - the Calvary cross, a spear and a cane with a sponge, below - the floor of the altar flooring. The theological interpretation of etimasia is based on Holy Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers. Etimasia symbolizes Christ's resurrection and His judgment on the living and the dead, and the instruments of His torment - the sacrifice made for the atonement of the sins of mankind. The juxtaposition of Mary caressing the Child and the turnover with the throne clearly expressed the sacrificial symbolism.

Arguments have been put forward in favor of the fact that the icon was two-sided from the very beginning: this is evidenced by the same forms of the ark and the husks of both sides. In the Byzantine tradition, images of the cross on the back were not uncommon. Mother of God icons. Starting from the 12th century, the time of the creation of the “Vladimir Mother of God”, in Byzantine murals, etimasia was often placed in the altar as an image behind the altar, visually revealing the sacrificial meaning of the Eucharist taking place here on the throne. This suggests the possible location of the icon in antiquity. For example, in the Vyshgorod monastery church, it could be placed in the altar as a double-sided altar icon. The text of the Legend contains information about the use of the Vladimir icon as an altar and remote icon that moved in the church.

The luxurious attire of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which she had, according to the chronicles, also does not testify in favor of the possibility of its location in the altar barrier in the 12th century: decorate yu, put in the c (e) rqui of yours in Volodimer. But many of the portable icons were later strengthened precisely in iconostases, like the Vladimir icon in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, originally placed to the right of the royal gates:<икону>to the most famous temple of her glorious Assumption, which is the great Cathedral and apostolic church Russian Metropolis, and put it in a kiot on the right side of the country, where it still stands visible and worshiped by everyone ”(See: Book of Power. M., 1775. Part 1. S. 552).

There is an opinion that the "Vladimir Mother of God" was one of the lists of the icon of Our Lady "Carssing" from the Blachernae Basilica, that is, a list with the famous ancient miraculous icon. In the Tale of the Miracles of the Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, she is likened to the Ark of the Covenant, like the Virgin Mary herself, as well as her Robe, which was kept in the rotode of Agia Soros in Blachernae. The Legend also speaks of healings that are performed mainly thanks to the water from the ablutions of the Vladimir Icon: they drink this water, wash the sick with it, and send it to other cities in sealed vessels to heal the sick. This miraculous work of waters from the washing of the Vladimir icon, emphasized in the Legend, could also be rooted in the rituals of the Blachernae sanctuary, the most important part of which was the chapel of the spring dedicated to the Mother of God. Constantine Porphyrogenitus described the custom of bathing in a font in front of a marble relief of the Mother of God, from whose hands water flowed.

In addition, this opinion is supported by the fact that under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in his Vladimir principality, the cult of the Mother of God, associated with the Blachernae shrines, received special development. For example, on the Golden Gates of the city of Vladimir, the prince erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Mother of God, directly dedicating it to the relics of the Blachernae Church.

Style

The time of writing the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, XII century, refers to the so-called Komnenos' revival (1057-1185). This period in Byzantine art is characterized by the extreme dematerialization of painting, carried out by drawing faces, clothes with numerous lines, whitewash engines, sometimes whimsically, ornamentally lying on the image.

In the icon we are considering, the most ancient painting of the 12th century includes the faces of the Mother and the Child, part of the blue cap and the border of the maforium with a gold assist, as well as part of the ocher, with a gold assist tunic of the Infant with a sleeve to the elbow and a transparent edge of the shirt visible from under it, a brush left and part right hand Baby, as well as the remains of a golden background. These few surviving fragments are a high example of the Constantinopolitan school of painting of the Komnenos period. There is no deliberate graphic character characteristic of the time; on the contrary, the line in this image is nowhere opposed to volume. The main means of artistic expression is built on "the combination of insensible fluids, giving the surface the impression of miraculousness, with a geometrically clean, visibly built line." “The letter of the personal is one of the most perfect examples of “Komnin's floats”, combining multi-layered successive modeling with the absolute indistinguishability of the brushstroke. The layers of painting are loose, very transparent; the main thing is in their relationship to each other, in the translucence of the lower ones through the upper ones.<…>A complex and transparent system of the correlation of tones - greenish sankire, ocher, shadows and highlights - leads to a specific effect of scattered, flickering light.

Among the Byzantine icons of the Komnenos period, the Vladimir Mother of God is also distinguished by the deep penetration into the realm of the human soul, its hidden secret sufferings, characteristic of the best works of this time. The heads of Mother and Son pressed against each other. The Mother of God knows that Her Son is doomed to suffer for the sake of people, and sorrow lurks in Her dark, thoughtful eyes.

The skill with which the painter was able to convey a subtle spiritual state, most likely, served as the origin of the legend about the writing of the image by the Evangelist Luke. It should be recalled that the painting of the early Christian period - the time when the famous Evangelist-icon painter lived, was the flesh of the flesh of the art of late antiquity, with its sensual, "vivid" nature. But in comparison with the icons of the early period, the image of the Vladimir Mother of God bears the stamp of the highest "spiritual culture", which could only be the fruit of centuries-old Christian thoughts about the coming of the Lord to earth, the humility of His Most Pure Mother and the path they have traveled of self-denial and sacrificial love.

Honored miraculous lists from the icon Mother of God of Vladimir

From the Vladimir Icon Holy Mother of God many lists have been written over the centuries. Some of them became famous for miracles and received special names depending on the place of origin. It:

Vladimir - Volokolamsk icon (commemorated Mr. 3 / 16), which was the contribution of Malyuta Skuratov to the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery. Now it is in the collection of the Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art.

Vladimirskaya - Seligerskaya (memory D. 7/20), brought to Seliger by Nil Stolbensky in the 16th century.

Vladimirskaya - Zaonikievsky (memory M. 21. / In.3; In. 23 / Il.6, from the Zaonikievsky monastery) 1588.

Vladimir - Orange (memory M. 21 / John 3) 1634.

Vladimir - Krasnogorsk (Chernogorsk) (memory M. 21 / In. 3). 1603.

Vladimir - Rostov (commemorates Av. 15/28) 12th century.

Troparion to the Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, Tone 4

Today, the most glorious city of Moscow flaunts brightly, / like the dawn of the sun, O Lady, Your miraculous icon, / to her now, flowing and praying to You, we cry out to you: / oh, wonderful Lady Theotokos, / pray from you to our incarnate God, / may deliver the city this and all the cities and countries of Christianity are unharmed from all the slander of the enemy, // and our souls will be saved, like Mercy.

Kontakion, tone 8

To the chosen Voivode, victorious, / as if they were delivered from the evil ones by the coming of Your honest image, / Lady of the Mother of God, / we lightly create the feast of Your meeting and usually call Thee: / Rejoice, Bride Unbrideed.

Prayer Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir

O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, Almighty Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanks to Thee for all the great blessings, in the generations of the Russian people from You who were, before Your most pure image, we pray to Thee: save this city (or: this whole, or: this holy monastery) and your coming servants and all the Russian land from gladness, destruction , land of shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare. Save and save, Madam, our Great Lord and Father Kirill, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and Our Lord (name of the rivers), His Grace Bishop (or: Archbishop, or: Metropolitan) (title), and all His Grace metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops. Give them good governance of the Russian Church, keep the faithful sheep of Christ indestructible. Remember, Lady, and the entire priestly and monastic rank, warm their hearts with zeal for Bose and, worthy of your title, strengthen each and every one. Save, Lady, and have mercy on all Your servants and grant us the path of the earthly field without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in diligence to Orthodox Church, put in our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of humility, give us patience in adversity, abstinence in prosperity, love for our neighbors, forgiveness for the enemy, prosperity in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility, on the terrible day of Judgment, vouchsafe us with Your intercession to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God. He deserves all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

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These long and numerous movements of the icon in space are poetically interpreted in the text of the Tale of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which was first found by V.O. Klyuchevsky in Milyutin's Chetia-Minei, and published according to the list of the collection of the Synodal Library No. 556 (Klyuchevsky V.O. Legends about the miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. - St. Petersburg, 1878). In that ancient description they are likened to the path that the solar luminary travels: “When God created the sun, he did not set it to shine in one place, but, bypassing the whole Universe, it illuminates with rays, so this image of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is not in one place ... but , bypassing all countries and the whole world, enlightens ... ".

Etingof O.E. To the early history of the icon "Our Lady of Vladimir" and the tradition of the Blachernae cult of the Theotokos in Russia in the 11th-13th centuries. // Image of the Mother of God. Essays on Byzantine iconography of the 11th-13th centuries. - M .: "Progress-Tradition", 2000, p. 139.

Ibid, p. 137. In addition, N.V. Kvilidze published a painting by the deacon of the Church of the Trinity in Vyazemy at the end of the 16th century, where on the south wall there is a liturgy in the temple with an altar, behind which is the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir (N.V. Kvilidze State Institute art history. April 1997

Etingof O.E. To the early history of the icon "Our Lady of Vladimir" ...

Throughout its history, it was recorded at least four times: in the first half of the 13th century, at the beginning of the 15th century, in 1521, during alterations in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and before the coronation of Nicholas II in 1895-1896 by restorers O S. Chirikov and M. D. Dikarev. In addition, small repairs were carried out in 1567 (in the Miracle Monastery by Metropolitan Athanasius), in the 18th and 19th centuries ..

Kolpakova G.S. Art of Byzantium. early and middle periods. - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Azbuka-Klassika", 2004, p. 407.

In Orthodoxy, the Mother of God is honored on a par with Christ himself, and there are quite a few images of her. One of the most popular and interesting is the image of Vladimir, whose significance for Russia is great.

It is believed that the Evangelist Luke painted the first icon, and in the 5th century it passed from Jerusalem to Constantinople to Emperor Theodosius. The icon came to Russia already from Byzantium in the 12th century, approximately in 1131 - it was a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverg to Prince Mstislav. Delivered the image of the Greek Metropolitan Michael who arrived the day before, in 1130.

Story

Initially, the Mother of God was kept in the Mother of God convent in the city of Vyshgorod near Kyiv - hence her Ukrainian name Vyshgorod Mother of God. In 1155 Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky took the icon and moved it to Vladimir, hence its Russian name. The prince adorned the image with an expensive salary, but after his death, on the orders of Prince Yaropolk, the jewelry was removed, and the icon was handed over to Prince Gleb of Ryazan. Only after the victory of Prince Michael, the Mother of God and the precious dress was returned back to the Assumption Cathedral.

In 1237, after the devastation of the city of Vladimir by the Mongol-Tatars, the Assumption Cathedral was also plundered, and the image again lost its decoration. The cathedral and the icon were restored under Prince Yaroslavl. After that, at the end of the XIV century, Prince Vasily I, during the invasion of Tamerlane's army, ordered the icon to be transported to Moscow to protect the capital. She was placed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the royal gates. At the meeting place of the image with the Muscovites (“candlemas”), the Sretensky Cathedral was founded, and later the street of the same name was laid.

At the same time, Tamerlane's army suddenly, without any reason, turned back, reaching only the city of Yelets. It was decided that the Mother of God stood up for Moscow showing a miracle. But the miracles did not end there: similar sudden retreats occurred in 1451 during the invasion of the Nogai prince Mazovsha and in 1480 while standing on the Ugra River.

Experts believe that between the retreat of Tamerlane and standing on the Ugra, the icon was transported several times to Vladimir and back, since 1480 was especially marked by the return of the Vladimir icon to Moscow.

Later, the icon was taken away from the capital in 1812 to Vladimir and Murom, after the victory it was returned to the Assumption Cathedral and was not touched until 1918. This year the cathedral was closed Soviet power, and the image was sent for restoration. After 8 years, she was transferred to the Historical Museum, and after another 4 years - to the Tretyakov Gallery.

Since 1999, the icon has been in the church-museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. This is a home church at the Tretyakov Museum, where services are held for believers, and the rest of the time the church is open as a museum hall.

In 1989, part of the icon (the eye and nose of Our Lady) were used in the logo of Mel Gibson's Icon Productions. This company released the film The Passion of the Christ.

Miracles

In addition to the incredible salvation of Moscow from enemies, other miracles performed by the Mother of God have been preserved in history:

Unfortunately, to find out which icon is involved in miracles(original from Constantinople or its copy), it is impossible, but many noted that almost all images work miracles.

Description

The Vladimir icon of the Mother of God belongs to the type (“Eleusa”), which is easy to identify. In contrast to the Kazan image, where the Infant is primarily the Son of the Lord and blesses people, and the Mother of God sees his fate in advance, the Vladimir one is more “human”, a mother with a child and her love for him are clearly visible in it. Widespread image received in the XI century, although it was known in early Christian times. The description of the image and its meaning are given below:

The first icon that came to Russia dates back to the 12th century, researchers believe that it was painted in Constantinople, that is, it was originally a list from the original of the Evangelist Luke. However, it is a monument of Byzantine painting of 1057-1185 (Comnenos' revival), which managed to be preserved.

The size of the icon is 78*55 cm. Over the centuries of its existence, it has been rewritten (redrawn in the same place) at least 4 times:

In the first half of the XIII century;
At the beginning of the XV century;
In 1514, during the alteration in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral;
In 1895-1896 before the coronation of Nicholas II.

Also, the icon was partially updated in:

1567 by Metropolitan Athanasius in the Miracle Monastery;
In the XVIII century;
In the 19th century.

In fact, today only a few fragments remain from the original icon:

Faces of the Mother of God and the Child;
Full left and part of the right hand of the Child;
Part of a blue cap and border with gold;
Part of the golden-ocher tunic of the Child and the visible transparent edge of his shirt;
Part of the general background.

The precious salary also suffered: the first salary ordered by Andrey Bogolyubsky (about 5 kg of gold alone, not counting silver and precious stones) was not preserved at all. The second was commissioned by Metropolitan Photius at the beginning of the 15th century and was also lost. The third was created in the middle of the 17th century by order of Patriarch Nikon from gold and is now stored in the Armory.

Copies

Today, the Vladimir icon is a very common image and is found in a large number of churches around the world. Of course, to consider each Vladimir icon as a creation Luke is impossible: the very designation "Vladimirskaya" means a certain pose of the Mother of God and the Child, the expression of their faces. In fact, today all icons of this type are lists (copies) from the original, which has not reached us.

The most significant lists are:

All of the above icons although they are lists, they are revered as miraculous. Also, the Vladimir Mother of God became the basis for the creation of other images: “The Legend of the Vladimir Icon”, “The Presentation of the Vladimir Icon”, “The Vladimir Icon with the Akathist”, the Igorevskaya Vladimir Icon (an abbreviated version of the original), “Praise of the Vladimir Icon” (“The Tree of Russian Sovereigns” , author Simon Ushakov).

honor days

The icon has only 3 dates:

June 3: gratitude for the victory in 1521 over Khan Mahmet Giray;
July 6: gratitude for the victory in 1480 over the Mongol-Tatars;
September 8: gratitude for the victory in 1395 over Khan Tamerlane. This also includes the meeting (meeting) of the icon in Moscow.

These days, the same services are usually held, especially in churches with miraculous lists.

What helps

“The icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir helps in what way?” - ask the people who came to the temple. Most often, she was prayed for the protection of Russia from enemies, but this is not the whole list of her "opportunities". The icon is also used in more “small” situations:

For prayer, it is not necessary to come to the miraculous list, although, if possible, it should be used. You can also pray to the Mother of God at home, saying a ready-made prayer (easy to find on the Internet) or expressing a wish in your own words. No special rituals are required, and there is no need to come to the temple. The only condition is that thoughts must be pure. You can’t wish someone harm or say a prayer, thinking about an outsider.

Conclusion

The miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with the Child is not only one of the most popular images in Orthodoxy, but is also considered extremely emotional. It depicts not the Son of the Lord, but a mother protecting her child, whose fate was foretold to her.