Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, day of celebration, meaning, photo. Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

There are many interesting facts about the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. This is a miraculous icon that appeared in Rus', but later became known in the Catholic world.

Previously we wrote about the history of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. This image became a kind of symbol of the independence of Rus' and its spiritual strength. This icon appeared at a very strange circumstances, and her story is full of secrets.

History of the icon

In 1579, a church and the Kremlin caught fire in Kazan. The fire also spread to residential buildings, leaving many families homeless. In those days, many doubted their faith in God, because how is this possible? Why was God so unmerciful towards people? Many then lost their faith.

In those days, one girl named Matrona dreamed prophetic dream that there is an icon under the ruins Mother of God. Actually, this is what the Mother of God told her in a dream, appearing as light. At first the girl did not attach any significance to the dream, but then it happened again. She told her mother about everything, and they went to the supposed place that the Mother of God spoke about in a dream.

Of course, they found an icon there. The news of the miraculous discovery spread throughout the earth. The icon was transferred to the Annunciation Cathedral. During the religious procession, two blind men regained their sight. This was the first of many miracles associated with this image. In other years, the icon helped destroy the army of the impostor False Dmitry in the early 17th century. The militia was able to rid Russia of the Poles.

In 1904, according to one version, it was stolen and sold. The thief said that he destroyed the icon, although later his words changed more than once, which gave people faith in the existence of the icon. Many people still believe that the original exists.

Feast of the Kazan Mother of God

This day has a fixed date - 21 July. From year to year, people visit churches and pray for the health and happiness of the Mother of God. Here is one prayer that can be read before bedtime or in the morning:

O zealous intercessor, Mother of the Lord Most High, pray for everyone to Your Son, Christ our God, and grant to all those who seek refuge in Your sovereign protection to be saved. Intercede for all of us, O Lady Queen and Lady, who in adversity and sorrow and illness, burdened with many sins, stand and pray to You with a tender soul and a contrite heart, before Your most pure image with tears and irrevocable hope in You, for the deliverance of all evil, grant useful to everyone and save everything, Virgin Mary: For You are the Divine Protection of Your servant.

Visit the temple of God on this day to honor the memory of this icon and devote your time to God. On this day, all Orthodox Christians unite in prayer. If you can’t get to church, then read the prayer to Our Lady of Kazan at home.

Let faith in God unite you, and let the memory of the events of 1579 make you move away from any doubts. Yes, this day is not included in the list of 12 main holidays of the Orthodox world, but it is no less important for the formation of the faith of each of us. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

13.07.2016 04:20

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most powerful Orthodox culture. It's connected...

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the greatest symbols of faith in the history of Orthodox Christianity. ...

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God twice a year - in the fall, on November 4, and in the summer, on July 21. This is due to the fact that Our Lady of Kazan is the most revered and beloved holy image in Russia. She is considered the defender of the Russian land and the patroness of all righteous believers. Read on to learn about the history of the origin of the holiday, the peculiarities of the celebration, the creation of a postcard with the image, as well as signs and stories.

The history of the appearance of the holy face

The Kazan icon has interesting story phenomena to the Orthodox. This happened back in 1579. Then Kazan was on fire, the fire destroyed part of the city, leaving ashes behind. A terrible fire left the merchant and his family without a home. When people were left without a roof over their heads, the Mother of God herself came to their nine-year-old daughter Matrona in a dream. She ordered to come to the ashes to pick up her holy image from the ruins. At first, the adults did not believe the child, but the messages began to repeat themselves. The family went to ruins. There they found an icon that was no different from the new image - the fresh and bright colors amazed people. Residents of the city began to pray. They decided to take the image to the church. When the Kazan Icon was transferred, it showed its miraculous power, giving sight to two destitute blind men.

It is still unknown how the face of the Mother of God ended up under the burnt ruins. Presumably, it was buried there by Christian confessors who were fleeing the Tatar invasion. When the fire started, the icon appeared outside.

At the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, Kazan residents built a convent. There the girl Matrona, to whom the Saint turned, was tonsured, as well as her mother.

Within a matter of time, the news of miraculous icon flew around all the cities, they began to pray for her and highly venerate her. By the time the Time of Troubles, wars and revolutions began in Russia, the Kazan Face was considered the main defender. However, the original face has not reached our time; all that is kept in churches are lists. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the icon was stolen for profit and then burned.

The essence of the holiday

The Day of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God is celebrated on November 4 - this is the date of the appearance of the Most Holy One to Christians in burnt Kazan. However, there is another date that is no less revered by the Orthodox - July 21. Then the holy image helped the Russians rid their native land from the invasion of the Poles, who had captured Moscow by deception. They burned churches, destroyed shrines, and mocked the Orthodox. Patriarch Hermogenes called on the people to rise up to fight the invaders. A face was sent to the defenders from Kazan Holy Mother of God. People began to fervently pray to the Holy One, fasted, and Russian army won. July 21, 1649 radically changed the course of history. Since then, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God has been especially revered by the people of Russia: people give each other postcards with the image of the Virgin Mary, say warm words, pray for salvation, happiness and healing.

You need to turn to the Kazan Mother of God for a miracle; she will help you make a fateful decision and protect you during any disaster. The Mother of God covers the person asking with a light veil, protecting him. You can only come to the Virgin Mary with an open heart and clear thoughts. Then the Christian will receive what he asks for. It is also recommended to carry postcards with the image of Our Lady of the Protector.

Signs and traditions

With the holiday of the Kazan icon, new rituals and signs came into the life of Orthodox Christians. On two solemn days, believers necessarily went to church with the whole family, where they asked the Intercessor for patronage, protection and instructions. The congratulations were celebrated on a grand scale: after church service people made a religious procession - with the faces of the Mother of God they walked around cities and villages. This process symbolized protection from adversity and troubled times. Today Christians do not go into passages, but limit themselves to walking along the main streets of the city. Some believers simply send postcards with the holy image to their relatives and friends.

In ancient times, the Mother of God was considered exclusively a female protector. Therefore, there were many rituals that women had to do during these days. For example, taking care of your beauty. It was believed that it was necessary to pick a birch leaf on the feast of the Kazan Mother of God. The main condition is that it is already covered with frost. You should bring it home and look at it like in a mirror. It was believed that in this way the woman would become even more beautiful and would not age.

The holiday was considered great time for marriages and weddings. According to legends, new family created during this period will be happy. Those who wanted to unite their destinies before God tried to time the celebration to coincide with autumn holiday. This promised a cloudless life.

Church ministers recommend that those who want to find peace and receive support should always celebrate the triumph of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. It is worth sending postcards with the face of the Holy One to your family and friends, and praying for their health.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God revered by Orthodox Christians. Read about all the details of its appearance in the article.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: history

1579 White mercilessly scorching sun, dust in a column on the roads of Kazan. Dust and ashes from a recent fire - a terrible fire burned here a week ago. It started near the Church of St. Nicholas and spread to the Kazan Kremlin. For long hours the glow blazed, women were wailing, children were crying - but how will it spread to the houses, what will happen?! And many laughed maliciously - where was your God that the church burned down? Apparently, all your priests are lying - it was so blazing. And what do you say to this? And it’s true that many in those days doubted their faith - perhaps God did not like that they were turning to Christ from Islam? “The Faith of Christ,” says the chronicler, “has become a byword and a reproach”...

In that fire, many families were left homeless, but there was nothing to do, no one would return what was burned, and they had to build soon - in time for winter. The archer Daniil Onuchin, among other fire victims, was also in a hurry to complete the construction. Daniel had a daughter, Matrona. Parental sorrows were less understandable to her - for children even a fire is quite funny - so much remains after - where the glass is beautiful, where the pebble is unprecedented. Only in the evening, when you go to bed, do you remember that after the fire everything is different, unusual.

One night Matryosha woke up from something unprecedented - the Mother of God Herself, the Most Holy Theotokos, appeared to her in a dream. And she didn’t just appear, but commanded to get Her icon out of the ground. It shone with a bright light - and the girl woke up. You still have dreams and visions, you imagine everything, all your miracles are endless - the skeptic reading these lines will say. And it will anticipate our story, because this is exactly how the family answered nine-year-old Matryosha. “Dreams sometimes come from God, but only saints have visions, so it’s better not to attach importance to dreams,” said the parents. And they were right. But that dream was still a vision, because it was repeated a second time and on the third night. Then the parents decided to check the girl’s words.

Matryosha and her mother went to the place where, as the girl remembered from the dream, the icon should have been located. We started digging. Even deeper, even more - is it really her! And sure enough – an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. They cleared it of dust and earth... But how did it end up there? Apparently, long ago the secret confessors of Christianity in the camp of other faiths hid the icon of the Queen of Heaven in this way. The news of the miraculous discovery of the icon flew faster than the fastest bird, and now the priests of the surrounding churches are rushing to this wondrous place, Archbishop Jeremiah, reverently accepting the icon, solemnly transfers it to the church of St. Nicholas, from where, after the prayer service, they carried her with the procession to the Annunciation Cathedral - the first Orthodox church city ​​of Kazan, erected by Ivan the Terrible. It immediately became clear that the icon was miraculous - already during the religious procession, two Kazan blind men regained their sight. We even know their names: Joseph and Nikita.

And those who just a few days ago mocked the Orthodox faith, embarrassedly hurried to the icon - with requests - Queen of Heaven, help, enlighten, heal!

These miracles were the first in a long list of miracles and healings. The story of the discovery of the icon so impressed Tsar Ivan the Terrible that he ordered the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and the founding of a convent. There, after some time, Matrona and her mother took monastic vows.

The image of the Kazan Most Holy Theotokos is similar in type to the icons of Hodegetria - the Guide, and indeed, she more than once pointed out to many of our compatriots Right way. So, with the Kazan Icon, the militia moved to Moscow, liberating the city from the impostors of the Time of Troubles. In the besieged Kremlin at that time, Archbishop Arseny of Elasson (later Archbishop of Suzdal; † 1626; April 13), who had arrived from Greece and was seriously ill from shocks and experiences, was in captivity at that time. At night, Saint Arseny’s cell suddenly illuminated with Divine light, he saw St. Sergius of Radonezh (July 5 and September 25), who said: “Arseny, our prayers have been heard; through the intercession of the Mother of God, God’s judgment on the Fatherland was transferred to mercy; Tomorrow Moscow will be in the hands of the besiegers and Russia will be saved.” The next day Kitay-Gorod was liberated, and 2 days later the Kremlin.

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow - one of the most famous Moscow churches was built in 1636. The liberator icon was moved there, and now the image is kept in the Epiphany Cathedral.

Before the Battle of Poltava, Peter the Great and his army prayed before the icon of the Kazan Mother of God (from the village of Kaplunovka). In 1812, the Kazan image of the Mother of God overshadowed Russian soldiers who repelled the French invasion. On the feast of the Kazan Icon on October 22, 1812, Russian troops led by Miloradovich and Platov defeated Davout’s rearguard. This was the first major defeat of the French after leaving Moscow; the enemy lost 7 thousand people. It snowed that day and the very coldy, and the army of the conqueror of Europe began to melt.

The icon showed the way not only to statesmen and squads - according to good tradition, it is this icon that is used to bless young parents for marriage; a long list of miracles is accompanied by this image of the Mother of God - one of the most beloved in Rus'.

Troparion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, tone 4

O zealous intercessor, / Mother of the Lord Most High, / pray for all Thy Son Christ our God, / and cause all to be saved, seeking refuge in Thy sovereign protection. / Intercede for all of us, O Lady Queen and Lady, / who are in adversity and in sorrow, and in illness, burdened with many sins, / standing and praying to You with a tender soul and a contrite heart, / before Your most pure image with tears, / and having irrevocable hope on Thee, / deliverance from all evils, / grant useful things to everyone / and save everything, Virgin Mary: // For You are the Divine Protection of Your servant.

Kontakion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, tone 8

Let us come, people, to this quiet and good refuge, / the quick Helper, the ready and warm salvation, the protection of the Virgin. / Let us hasten to prayer and strive for repentance: / for the Most Pure Mother of God exudes boundless mercies to us, / advances to our aid, and delivers from great troubles and evils, // her well-behaved and God-fearing servants.

Prayer before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! With fear, faith and love, falling before Thy honorable icon, we pray to Thee: do not turn Thy face away from those who come running to You, beg, O Merciful Mother, Thy Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep our country peaceful, and to establish His holy church May he preserve the unshakable from unbelief, heresies and schism. There are no imams of any other help, no imams of other hope, except You, Most Pure Virgin: You are the All-Powerful Helper and Intercessor of Christians. Deliver all who pray to You with faith from the falls of sin, from slander. evil people, from all temptations, sorrows, troubles and from vain death; Grant us the spirit of contrition, humility of heart, purity of thoughts, correction of sinful lives and the remission of sins, so that we all praise Thy greatness with gratitude, let us be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom and there with all the saints we will glorify the Most Honorable and Magnificent Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

21 July. Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

This icon appeared in 1579, shortly after the capture of the Kazan kingdom from the Tatars by Ivan the Terrible. The Most Holy Theotokos revealed her miraculous icon here in order to further confirm in it the newly converted from the local residents; those who did not believe will no longer be favored Christian faith. She Herself appeared in a dream to one pious maiden named Matrona, the daughter of an archer who was burned during a terrible fire in Kazan, and ordered that the archbishop and the mayor be informed to take Her icon from the ground, and at the same time indicated the very place. The girl told her mother about her dream, but she explained it as an ordinary childhood dream. The dream repeated itself twice more.

For the third time, by miraculous force, Matrona was thrown out of the window into the courtyard, where she saw an icon on which such menacing rays emanated from the face of the Mother of God that she was afraid of being burned by them, and a voice came from the icon: “If you do not fulfill my command, then I will appear in another place, and you will perish.” After this, mother and daughter went to Archbishop Jeremiah and the mayor, but they did not believe them. Then on July 8, in deep grief, both of them, in the presence of the people, went to the indicated place. The mother and the people began to dig the ground, but the icon was not found.

But as soon as Matrona herself began to dig, the icon was found. It was wrapped in a piece of cloth and shone with a wonderful light, as if it were completely new, just written. It is believed that the icon was buried even before the conquest of Kazan, by one of the Christians who hid their faith from the haters of the faith, the Mohammedans. The rumor about the appearance of the icon spread throughout the city, many people flocked, and the archbishop, in the presence of the mayors, carried the icon with a procession to the nearest church of St. Nicholas, and from there to the Annunciation Cathedral. When the icon was brought to the temple, many sick people, especially the blind, received healing.

One might think that this primary purpose of blindness served as a sign that the holy icon appeared to enlighten with spiritual light those darkened by the blindness of Mohammedan false teaching. The copy of the icon was sent to Moscow, and Tsar John Vasilyevich ordered the construction of a church and a nunnery on the site of the appearance of the icon. The first nun and then abbess in the monastery was the maiden Matrona. In 1768, Empress Catherine II, listening to the liturgy in the monastery, decorated the crown of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God with a diamond crown.

November 4. Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

In 1611, in winter, St. The miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was sent back to Kazan, but on the way there, in Yaroslavl, it was met by a militia from Nizhny Novgorod, collected by Minin, over whom Prince Pozharsky took charge and who, having learned about the miracles performed from the icon in Moscow, took it with him and constantly prayed before it, asking the zealous Heavenly Intercessor of the Christian race to send them help. The Most Holy Theotokos showed Her mercy, took the faithful sons of the fatherland under Her Protection, and with Her help Russia was saved from its enemies. The militia that arrived in Moscow with Prince Pozharsky encountered many obstacles that were insurmountable for human forces, namely: it was necessary to take a well-fortified city stubbornly defended by the Poles, to repel the fresh, numerous Polish army that had approached Moscow, to pacify the willfulness and riot of the Russian troops who met the arriving militia almost with hatred and showed them only enmity and treason. In addition, the lack of food in the devastated area and the lack of weapons caused a strong decline in courage in the arriving army. And many of the faithful sons of the fatherland, losing their last spark of hope, exclaimed in deep sorrow: “Forgive me, freedom of the fatherland! Sorry, sacred Kremlin! We have done everything for your release; but it is clear that God is not pleased to bless our weapons with victory!”

Having decided on a last attempt to liberate the dear fatherland from enemies, but not relying on their own strength, the entire army and people turned in prayer to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, establishing a special solemn prayer service for this purpose and strictly observing a three-day fast. God heard the prayer cry of those who care about the fatherland and inviolability Orthodox Church and showed them His mercy. To the sick Archbishop of Elasson Arseny, who was in grave captivity among the Poles, in the Moscow Kremlin occupied by them, who came to Russia with the Greek Metropolitan Jeremiah, appeared in a dream Venerable Sergius and announced that, through the prayers of the Mother of God and the great wonderworkers of Moscow Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip, the Lord would overthrow the enemies the very next day and return saved Russia to her sons, and to ensure the fulfillment of his words, he granted healing to Arseny. Encouraged by the joyful news, the Russian soldiers called on the Queen of Heaven for help and courageously approached Moscow, and on October 22, 1612 they liberated Kitay-Gorod, and two days later they took the Kremlin itself. The Poles fled. The next day, Sunday, the Russian army and all the residents of Moscow, in gratitude for their deliverance from their enemies, made a solemn religious procession to the Place of Execution, carrying the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, sacred banners and other Moscow shrines. This spiritual procession was met from the Kremlin by Archbishop Arseny with a miraculous Vladimir icon Our Lady, preserved by him in captivity. Seeing this icon, the soldiers and people bowed their knees and with tears of joy kissed the holy image of their Intercessor.

In memory of such a miraculous deliverance of Moscow from the Poles, with the permission of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich and the blessing of his father, Metropolitan, later Patriarch Philaret, the Church established annually on October 22 in Moscow the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with a procession of the cross. First, the procession took place at the Church of the Presentation of the Mother of God, on Lubyanka, where the house of Prince Pozharsky was located, and after the construction of a new church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, built at the expense of Prince Pozharsky (which is now the Kazan Cathedral, on Resurrection Square), the procession took place is already taking place in the cathedral. The miraculous icon that was with him in the ranks of the army was also transferred there by Prince Pozharsky himself.

Tobolsk Icon of the Mother of God

Miraculous icon This is located in Tobolsk in the cathedral. She appeared in 1661. This year, on July 8 in Tobolsk, in the Znamensky Monastery, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon, at Matins, when Hierodeacon Ioannikiy read the legend about the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kazan and reached the place where it is said that the Archbishop of Kazan did not previously believe the appearance of the icon , then in front of all the people he prayed to the Most Pure Lady for forgiveness of his sin, he suddenly fell unconscious on the floor along with the lectern.

When he came to his senses, he immediately asked for a confessor and revealed the following to him:

“On June 21st, after Matins, I came to my cell and fell asleep. Suddenly I see a saint coming to me in full vestments, like John Chrysostom; I considered him to be Metropolitan Philip. The saint said to me: “Get up and tell the archimandrite, the governor and all the people, so that not far from the Church of the Three Hierarchs in the city they build a church in the name of the Kazan Mother of God, they would build it in three days, and on the fourth they would consecrate and bring into it the image of the Mother of God of Kazan - that the one that now stands in the porch of this Church of the Three Hierarchs in a closet, facing the wall. Tell this image to be celebrated in the city. Because of your sins, I am angry with you, you use foul language and fill the air with your foul language, like a stench: it is a stench to both God and people; but our Lady, with all the saints, prayed to His Son Christ our God for your city and for all the people, so that He would turn away His righteous anger.” But I, getting up from sleep, was amazed, and didn’t say anything to anyone. A little later, when I was in my cell and began to write irmos: Adorned with divine glory, suddenly the same saint came to me and graciously said to me: “Why didn’t you tell what was said to you from the Most Holy Theotokos through me, Her minister? – and he disappeared. I fell to the ground out of fear, glorified God, but was afraid to talk about the vision, lest it cause confusion among the people, and for fear that they would not believe me. A few days later, during my sleep, the saint appeared to me again and said with anger: “Why didn’t you say what was commanded to you? Because of your neglect, the wrath of God will come upon your city for your sins. Your bread is rotting and your water is drowning - get up quickly and tell the archimandrite, the governor and all the people; If you don’t say it, you’ll soon lose your life. If the townspeople obey, then the mercy of God will be in your city and its surroundings; If they don’t listen, then it will be hard for your city: your cattle will die, the rain will destroy your houses, and you will all disappear like worms, and the image of the Mother of God will be glorified in another place.”

But I didn’t tell anyone about this third phenomenon, and on July 6th, when after evening singing I came to my cell, went to bed, fell into a light sleep and heard a wonderful ringing of two bells in the monastery and the singing of extraordinary voices: Let us exalt Thee, Immaculate Mother of our God. One of the singers told me: “Because you did not say what was commanded to you, tomorrow you will be punished before all the people.” And so, when at Matins I began to read about the appearance of the miraculous image of the Mother of God in Kazan, I saw that the saint who had appeared to me before was coming from the porch and blessing the people on both sides; Having come to the meal, also blessing people, he came up to me and said: “You read this and why don’t you believe it yourself? That image was in the ground, and this one stands in the porch facing the wall; why didn’t you tell about him?” And he, shaking his hand at me, said: “From now on, be decrepit until the divine deed is accomplished.” Having said this, he became invisible, and I fell to the ground out of fear and now I’m telling you.”

The people, having learned about the miraculous phenomena, glorified the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos with tears, and everyone with zeal and a procession of the cross carried the icon to the place where it was indicated to build the Church, and the church was built in three days and consecrated on the fourth. Before the church was built, the narrator notes, there were torrential rains and water rose in the rivers, as if in spring, and when they began to build the church, there was a bucket; breads and vegetables have since recovered.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Images

• Kaplunovskaya-Kazan icon
• Karpov-Kazan icon
• Katashinskaya-Kazan icon
• Ascension-Kazan icon
• Pavlovsk-Kazan icon
• Irkutsk-Kazan icon
• Kargopol-Kazan icon
• Yaroslavl-Kazan icon
• Kazan, located in the Moscow Simonov Monastery
• Kazanskaya, located in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage
• Kazan, located in the Tambov Cathedral
• Kazan, located in Suzdal

Kaplunovskaya-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the village of Kaplunovka, Kharkov diocese. Appeared in 1689 as follows. To the priest of this village, who was distinguished by his especially pious life, John Umanov, someone, an old man adorned with gray hair, appeared in a dream and told him that icon painters would soon come to him from Moscow with icons and that he should buy for himself the eighth from a bunch of icons from the oldest of them in years. account, the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “From her you will receive grace and mercy,” added the elder. The priest did so, but before doing this he strictly fasted. Soon a new vision followed in a dream to priest Umanov: the Most Holy Theotokos herself appeared and ordered the icon to be placed in the church. The priest reported his vision to the people and triumphantly transferred the icon to the church, and from that time on, miracles began to be performed from the icon. The icon was called Kaplunovskaya. In 1709, when Emperor Peter the Great was at war with the Swedish king Charles XII, he summoned a priest with the Kaplunovskaya icon to his army in Kharkov and ordered it to be carried in front of the regiments, while he himself prayed with tears to the Queen of Heaven for help. Meanwhile, King Charles, stopping with his army near Kaplunovka, stayed with the traitor Hetman Mazepa in the house of the priest John. Then some of his violent warriors wanted to burn the church. They covered it with straw and wood, but no matter how hard they tried to set it on fire, neither the wood nor the straw caught fire. Having learned about such a miracle and also that St. The icon is in the Russian camp, Karl told Mazepa: “If they could not light the church without the icon, then where it is located will be unreliable for us.” This is exactly what happened. The Battle of Poltava brought Great Peter victory over Charles. There is a miraculous Kaplunovskaya icon in the settlement of Kozeevka, 80 miles from Kharkov.

Nizhnelomovskaya-Kazan icon. This icon appeared in 1643 at a spring two miles from the city of Nizhny Loma, Penza province. At the site of her appearance, a chapel was first erected, and then a church and a monastery.

Karpov-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the Kursk Znamensky Monastery. It was brought here in 1725 from the Karpov Desert.

Katashin-Kazan icon. This icon appeared in 1622 in a grove near the village of Bely Kolodezya, Chernigov province, to the local priest and was placed by him in the village church. In 1692 it was established here monastery, called Katashinsky.

Ascension-Kazan icon. It is located in Voznesensky convent in Moscow, in the Kremlin. She first became famous in 1689. Twice it was in danger of burning, but was miraculously preserved. This year, after a prayer service in front of this icon, they forgot to put out the candle, the candle fell, and it burned the lectern on which the icon lay, and the icon itself, despite the fact that it was painted on canvas, remained completely unharmed. Another time, when in 1701, on June 19, there was a fire in the Moscow Kremlin and the royal palace and Ascension Monastery burned down, the icon was miraculously preserved. When they took out the utensils and icons from the cathedral monastery church, they did not take it out, but meanwhile it ended up with other icons that were taken out; when, after the fire was over, they began to bring things into the cathedral, they saw that the icon was already in its place, although no one had brought it in. And there were many miraculous healings from this icon.

Pavlovsk-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the village of Pavlovskoye, Moscow province, Zvenigorod district. She appeared on a tree near the village where a chapel was built in memory of the apparition; Inside the chapel there is a well, popularly called holy. The first miracle from the icon was the following. One of the peasants of the village of Pavlovskoye fell into a severe illness from an intemperate life. At this time, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in a dream to another pious peasant and ordered him to tell the sick man to pray to Her for healing and go to the holy well to wash. Then he would give up his intemperate life, otherwise he might perish. The patient with great effort went to the well, washed himself and completely recovered.

Irkutsk-Kazan icon. It is located in Irkutsk in the Epiphany Cathedral and became famous for many miracles. Every year in April or May, after sowing spring grain, it is carried in a religious procession through neighboring rural peasant fields to consecrate the crops. This religious procession has long been established on the occasion of frequent grain harvest failures in the surrounding villages of the city of Irkutsk.

Kargopol-Kazan icon. This miraculous icon is located in the city of Kargopol, Olonets diocese, in the Church of the Ascension. She became famous in 1714. The icon was in the house of the pious widow Martha Ponomareva, who once, while praying before the icon, saw a tear flowing from the right eye of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in fear reported this to the priest. The icon was transferred to the church, and here twice in a short time, in the sight of everyone, streams of tears appeared from the eyes of the Mother of God, which was reported to the then Metropolitan Job of Novgorod.

Yaroslavl-Kazan icon. This icon is located in Yaroslavl in the Kazan convent. The story of her glorification is as follows. In 1588, on July 2, a certain pious man named Gerasim, while he was in Kazan, had a miraculous vision of the Mother of God Herself, and after that, when he wished to purchase Her icon for himself, in a dream he heard a voice indicating where and what icon purchase, and then go to the city of Romanov and tell the residents there to build a temple in the name of the icon. Gerasim found the icon and just took it in his hands when right hand he, who had been ill for a long time, was healed. The temple was built in Romanov, and the icon stood there until 1604, when Romanov was taken by the Lithuanians. At this time, one of them took a miraculous icon from the church and took it with him to Yaroslavl. Here the Mother of God Herself appeared to a certain deacon Eleazar and commanded that a temple be erected in Her honor. A temple was erected, and then a monastery was attached to it. The inhabitants of Romanov wanted to return the miraculous icon to themselves, but the citizens of Yaroslavl asked Tsar Vasily Ioannovich to leave it in their city, and the tsar, on the advice of Patriarch Hermogenes, approved the desire of the latter with a letter on his behalf, but so that they would do exact list from the miraculous icon for Romanov. And the miraculous icon itself is carried every year from Yaroslavl to Romanov.

Kazan, located in the Moscow Simonov Monastery. This icon was donated to the monastery by those who received it for a blessing from Bishop Tikhon of Voronezh. On its sides are depicted St. Tikhon, the angel of the saint, and Martha, the angel of the saint’s sister, Martha. She first became famous for the healing of a maiden, the wanderer Natalia, to whom an icon appeared three times in a dream, but she did not know where to find it. Finally, the Hieroschemamonk of the Simonov Monastery, Alexy, appeared to her in a dream with the image itself and said that the icon stood in the monastery in the cathedral church on the right side. The icon was found, and the sick woman, after praying before it, received healing. Subsequently, a special chapel was built in her honor and for her at the cathedral monastery church. There were many miracles from the icon.

Kazanskaya, located in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. This icon was brought from Moscow to the Tambov Ascension Convent in 1812 by the nun Miropiya, who, on the occasion of the ruin of the capital, moved there. The pious old woman heard a voice from the icon three times in reality, commanding it to be transferred to the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, and after her death, according to her will, the icon was transferred. In addition to many healings from the icon, the Vyshensky monks sometimes at night saw a bright light spilling from it throughout the church.

Kazan, located in the Vysochinsky Kazan Monastery. The monastery was named after the icon, and the icon after the village of Vysochino, where it became famous for its miracles. The icon appeared at the beginning of the 18th century, during the reign of Emperor Peter I. The village of Vysochino did not yet exist, but there was a government official there. Pinery. On the banks of the swampy Mzhi River, which flowed through a forest and surrounded by swamps, a watchman and his family lived in a hut. The icon appeared to this watchman standing on a marshy hummock. Light rays emanated from the icon. The watchman, with reverence and prayer, took it and placed it in his hut with icons on a shelf. Here the icon soon marked itself with a sun-like radiance emanating from it and at the same time with the healing of a blind and lame old man, the watchman’s father. Then they took the icon to the nearest church in the village of Artyukhovka, but the icon returned three times to the watchman’s hut. The people, having learned about the revealed icon, began to come in large numbers to worship it, and many received healing and consolation. Then the centurion Vysochin, to whom the emperor for his merit during Battle of Poltava donated land with a forest - a pine forest, where a miraculous icon stood in the watchman's hut, built a village here, which was named after his surname, Vysochino, and from the village of Artyukhovka moved a church here, where the miraculous icon was delivered. Subsequently, a monastery was built here. And in the monastery there were many miracles from the icon.

Kazan, located in the Tambov Cathedral. This icon is richly decorated. Her first miracle was in 1695, on December 6, during an all-night vigil, tears that wetted the shroud and lectern.

Kazan, located in the Temnikovsky Transfiguration Cathedral. It was in the pantry among unusable utensils. The icon appeared three times to a lady who suffered from pain in her legs, and promised healing if she found her. The patient demanded that she be taken to the Temnikov Cathedral. As soon as she saw the icon in the storeroom, she immediately felt relief and, after prayer, was completely healed.

Kazanskaya, located in the city of Vyazniki. It stands in the cathedral church. This icon marked itself with miracles at the beginning of the 17th century.

Kazan, located in Suzdal. It stands in the parish Church of the Resurrection. This icon, as a result of the appearance of the Mother of God Herself, was painted by one pious monk of the Shartom St. Nicholas Monastery, Joachim, who lived in the 17th century. A monk lived near the Kazan Church in a hut, where he was buried.

“Miracle-working icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their history and images,” compiled by Archpriest I. Bukharev. Moscow, “Caravel”, 1994. Published according to the publication: Miraculous Icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Their History and Images). Compiled by Archpriest I. Bukharev. Moscow, Typo-Lithography G.I. Prostakova, Balchug, village of Simonov Monastery. 1901

The Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is revered by Russian Orthodox people twice a year. There are not many other holy images that would be revered in Orthodoxy with the same power as the Kazan Icon. The miraculous icon, discovered at the end of the 16th century, is of great importance for the history of the Russian state. She is a symbol of unity Russian people and the triumph of Orthodoxy.

history of the holiday

Key moments in the chronicle of the medieval Muscovite kingdom are clearly reflected in the history of this icon.

The miraculous appearance of the icon of the Mother of God

Ivan the Terrible, included in the lists of Russian tsars as a ruler who significantly expanded the territory of his possessions, captured Kazan in 1552. After its annexation to the Russian state, Grozny’s associates actively instilled the Orthodox faith among local residents. Not everyone liked this decision of the new government. Muslims actively resisted Orthodox expansion. According to legend, it was their lack of faith that caused the terrible fire of 1579, which destroyed half of Kazan. In folk tales, fire is associated with the wrath of the Orthodox God.

The fire partially incinerated the Kazan Kremlin, but did not spare the houses of Orthodox Kazan residents. One of them, a ten-year-old girl named Matrona, soon after the fire saw the image of the Mother of God in a dream. The saint pointed out to the girl: in the place where Matrona’s house stood, Her miraculous image was buried in the ground. She ordered to dig up the icon, and Matrona told the mayor about her wonderful dream. However, no one listened to her. Twice more the Mother of God appeared to the young woman in a dream, the third time predicting: if the icon is not dug up, the image will be found in another place, and Matrona herself will die.

And for the third time, the mayors remained deaf to the child’s requests. Then, on July 8, Matrona’s mother and her daughter went to the ashes on their own. They found an icon wrapped in a piece of cloth. The image looked as if it had just been painted: the fire did not touch the work of the unknown master, presenting the clear face of the Mother of God.

The icon itself in classical iconography belongs to the type of Hodegetria - Guide. This holy image of the Mother of God holding the baby Jesus in her arms carries the meaning of worship of the Heavenly King who has appeared in the world. Only unlike classic version, The Kazan Mother of God is depicted from the shoulder, not from the waist.

Loss of the Kazan Mother

Since its appearance, the Kazan Icon has become very popular. Lists from it were sent to different corners Russia, gaining veneration in temples and small churches. For just over three centuries, the original of the Mother of God of Kazan was kept in the Bogoroditsky Monastery in Kazan, built on the site where the image was found. In 1904, the icon of the Mother of God, along with another image (of the Savior), was stolen from the monastery. The amount of damage at that time was colossal (more than one hundred thousand rubles). But the spiritual damage caused by the attacker to the Church cannot be assessed. It took time to find the kidnapper.

When the thief, a peasant named Bartholomew Stoyan, was discovered, he stated that he had sold the rich frames and jewelry stolen along with the icon. And he treacherously chopped up the image and burned it in the oven, covering up the traces of the crime. But subsequently the attacker repeatedly changed his testimony, which is why today there are several theories suggesting that the miraculous image remained intact:

• Stoyan stole not the original, but a skillful copy, while the original of the icon is still in storage in an unknown place;
• For a lot of money, Bartholomew sold the Kazan Icon without salary to the Old Believers, who paid him for theft.

These theories have no actual evidence. In 1904, Orthodoxy lost one of the most amazing icons in its history.

Miracles of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan

This icon is rightly called miraculous, because as soon as the inhabitants of Kazan found it, mysterious and miraculous healings began for everyone involved in the icon. When the Archbishop of Kazan organized a religious procession to deliver the icon from the place of discovery to the Annunciation Cathedral, blind Joseph was among those present. The peasant lost his sight three years before the events described, but by the end of the procession he somehow regained his sight. Another blind man, Nikita, gained the ability to see after a prayer service in front of the icon in the Annunciation Cathedral.

But the most important miracle attributed to the Kazan Icon is the holy blessing from the image of the Mother of God, which descended on the troops of the Second People's Militia during the Time of Troubles. In those years when Moscow and all of Russia were under the yoke of Polish aggression, the true Orthodox faith, kept in the hearts of the fighters for the freedom of the Russian people, helped them achieve miraculous victories. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who led the militia, ordered the icon to be delivered to him before attacking the Poles. In the decisive battle with Polish troops, which significantly outnumbered the Russians, his army won a brilliant victory. 22 of October ( old style) 1612 was the day when the people of Russia united against the invaders, strengthened by the power of the icon of the Blessed Mother of God.

In folk tales and chronicles, many evidences of other miracles of the Kazan icon have been preserved. Her divine light healed blind people, but there were also cases when people who had lost the ability to move returned to normal life after praying in front of the image.

Rediscovery of an icon

Loss of image at the beginning of the 20th century long years was a great grief for Orthodox people, although many skillful copies of the original have survived. After the revolution they were either destroyed or sold to the West. Among these exhibits was a copy of the icon made in the 18th century. It was considered one of the oldest and most beautiful copies of the miraculous image that had survived at that time. History of evidence has not preserved who exactly bought the list.

In 1993, the great icon was presented to Pope John Paul II. He revealed a desire to return the image to his homeland, despite the difficult relationship between Orthodoxy and Catholic Church. It took more than ten years to complete this step. Despite all the active obstacles, God's great mercy to the Russian people was accomplished in 2004, and the icon of the Blessed Mother of God returned to Russia. This event is also important milestone in establishing good relations between the Vatican and Orthodox Russia.

Holiday traditions

Dates of holidays in honor of the icon

We already mentioned at the beginning of the article that in church calendar There are two dates when the feast of the blessed icon is celebrated. According to the new style, the following days correspond to them:

• July 21 – discovery of the icon;
• November 4 - in gratitude for help in saving Moscow and Russia from the Poles.

Both of these dates are immovable: in 2018 they will be the same as in all previous years. Since 2005, November 4 has also been the Day of National Unity, i.e., a state holiday of the Russian Federation.

Rules and traditions: services, prayers, congratulations

The immutable tradition of this holiday is the procession of the cross, crowned with the image of the Kazan Icon. It is always preceded by a festive liturgy. It is the duty of every true Orthodox believer to visit it.

The classic text of the service for this day was written in the 16th century. Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow, who was one of the eyewitnesses of the miraculous discovery of the icon, became the author of the troparion and magnification of the Mother of God. Five centuries later, his text “The Diligent Intercessor” has been preserved unchanged, while remaining one of the central components of the services of this day:

They pray to the Kazan icon for deliverance from illnesses; it is especially revered by people suffering from vision diseases. Since the Mother of God of Kazan is the patroness of young families, they honor her with a prayer for family well-being, the birth of healthy children.

Prayer before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God:

Congratulatory texts today remember the Protector Mother of God, who sheltered the Russian lands from adversity, helping to unite in the face of the enemy, and Her miraculous deeds.

Folk signs on the holiday

A good omen on both days of the celebration is rainy, wet weather. It was believed that it was Mary the Most Holy who was shedding tears for the human race, begging God for forgiveness and blessings on next year. If the weather is dry, then coming year promises hardship.

November 4th is the day when believing newlyweds prefer to get married in church. There was a belief that such marriages would be happy and strong, and they would be protected in Heaven.

Most signs are connected specifically with the November celebration. For example, if fog falls on the ground on this day, then they expected a quick thaw, and if the weather is clear, then there will certainly be a harsh, harsh winter.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a reliable patroness of the Russian land and its inhabitants.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered and beloved shrines in Russian Orthodoxy. The miraculous Mother of Kazan repeatedly, in difficult times for Russia, provided help where it seemed there was no longer any hope of salvation. The Kazan icon is used to bless marriage or an important life undertaking, it is given as a gift at the baptism of infants, and it is taken with them on a long journey. Many who resort to this holy image with sincere prayer receive help in various life difficulties from the Most Holy Theotokos Herself.

Icon of Kazan Mother of God It was miraculously found on July 21 (new style) 1579 - this date is celebrated as the “Kazan summer”. The appearance of the icon was preceded by a fire, which, starting from the house of the archer Daniil Onuchin, turned half of Kazan and even part of the Kremlin into ashes.
Soon after it terrible event ten-year-old Matrona Onuchina, daughter of Daniel, had a vision. The Mother of God herself appeared to her in a dream and indicated the place from which Her Holy Image should be obtained. The girl told her mother about the sign, but she, not believing her, just waved it off. Matrona’s vision was repeated, but the mayors and the archbishop did not believe it in the same way when she and her mother turned to them. After the third, now formidable command of the Most Pure Virgin, Matrona herself, during the excavation of a fire on the site of the stove of her parents’ house, dug up the Holy Image.