Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, 12th century. History and meaning of the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God

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Vladimir icon Mother of God(icon of the Mother of God) is considered miraculous and, according to legend, was written by the Evangelist Luke in the 1st century after the Nativity of Christ on a board from the table at which the Holy Family ate: the Savior, the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: “From now on all generations will call Me blessed. May the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with this icon.”

The icon was brought to Russia from Byzantium at the beginning of the 12th century as a gift to the holy prince Mstislav (†1132) from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverkh. The icon was placed in the convent of Vyshgorod (an ancient appanage city of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga), not far from Kyiv. The rumor about her miracles reached the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who decided to transport the icon to the north.

While passing Vladimir, the horses carrying the miraculous icon stood up and could not move. Replacing the horses with new ones also did not help.

During fervent prayer, the Queen of Heaven Herself appeared to the prince and commanded that the Vladimir miraculous icon of the Mother of God be left in Vladimir, and in this place be built a temple and a monastery in honor of Her Nativity. To the general joy of the residents of Vladimir, Prince Andrei returned to the city along with the miraculous icon. Since then, the icon of the Mother of God began to be called Vladimir.

In 1395 terrible conqueror Khan Tamerlan(Temir-Aksak) reached the borders of Ryazan, took the city of Yelets and, heading towards Moscow, approached the banks of the Don. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich went with his army to Kolomna and stopped on the banks of the Oka. He prayed to the saints of Moscow and St. Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland and wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Cyprian, so that the upcoming Dormition Fast would be devoted to fervent prayers for pardon and repentance. The clergy were sent to Vladimir, where the famous miraculous icon was located. After the liturgy and prayer service on the Feast of the Assumption Holy Mother of God The clergy accepted the icon and carried it to Moscow with a procession of the cross. Countless people on both sides of the road, on their knees, prayed: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!” At that very hour when the residents of Moscow greeted the icon on Kuchkovo Pole (now Sretenka Street), Tamerlane dozed in his camp tent. Suddenly he saw in a dream great mountain, from the top of which saints with golden rods walked towards him, and above them the Majestic Woman appeared in a radiant radiance. She ordered him to leave the borders of Russia. Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision. They answered him that the radiant Woman is the Mother of God, the great Defender of Christians. Then Tamerlane gave the order to the regiments to go back.

In memory of the miraculous deliverance of the Russian land from Tamerlane, a Sretensky Monastery, and on August 26 (in the new style - September 8) an all-Russian celebration was established in honor of the meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The miraculous deliverance of the Russian land from Tamerlane on Kuchkovo Field (meeting the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

For the second time, the Mother of God saved our country from ruin in 1451, when the army of the Nogai Khan with Tsarevich Mazovsha approached Moscow. The Tatars set fire to the Moscow suburbs, but Moscow was never captured. During the fire, Saint Jonah performed religious processions along the walls of the city. Warriors and militia fought with the enemy until nightfall. The small army of the Grand Duke at this time was too far away to help the besieged. The chronicles say that the next morning there were no enemies near the walls of Moscow. They heard an extraordinary noise, decided that it was the Grand Duke with a huge army and retreated. The prince himself cried in front of the Vladimir Icon after the Tatars left.

The third intercession of the Mother of God for Rus' was in 1480(celebrated on July 6). After the resounding victory on the Kulikovo Field in 1380, the Russian principalities remained under Horde dependence for another century, and only the events of the autumn of 1480 decisively changed the situation. Ivan III refused to pay tribute to the horde, and regiments were sent to Rus' Khan Akhmat. Two armies converged on the Ugra River: the armies stood on different banks - the so-called "standing on the Ugra"– and were waiting for a reason to attack. In the front ranks of the Russian army they held an icon Our Lady of Vladimir. There were skirmishes, even small battles, but the troops never moved in front of each other. Russian army moved away from the river, giving the Horde regiments the opportunity to begin crossing. But the Horde regiments also retreated. The Russian soldiers stopped, but the Tatar soldiers continued to retreat and suddenly rushed away without looking back.

“Standing on the Ugra” put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Russia was finally freed from paying tribute. From this time on, we can talk about the final elimination of any form of political dependence of Moscow on the Horde.

Standing on the Ugra

In 1472, the Horde Khan Akhmat with a large army moved to the Russian borders. But at Tarusa the invaders met a large Russian army. All attempts of the Horde to cross the Oka were repulsed. The Horde army burned the city of Aleksin (in the Tula region) and destroyed its population, but the campaign ended in failure. In 1476, Grand Duke Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Khan of the Golden Horde, and in 1480 he refused to recognize Rus'’s dependence on it.

Khan Akhmat, busy fighting the Crimean Khanate, began active action only in 1480. He managed to agree with the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV about military assistance. The western borders of the Russian state (Pskov lands) at the beginning of 1480 were attacked by the Livonian Order. The Livonian chronicler reported that: “... Master Bernd von der Borch was involved in a war with the Russians, took up arms against them and gathered 100 thousand troops from foreign and native soldiers and peasants; with these people he attacked Russia and burned the outskirts of Pskov, without doing anything else.”

In January 1480, his brothers Boris Volotsky and Andrei Bolshoi rebelled against Ivan III, dissatisfied with the strengthening of the power of the Grand Duke. Taking advantage of the current situation, Akhmat set out with the main forces in the summer of 1480.

The boyar elite of the Russian state split into two groups: one (“rich and potbellied money lovers”) advised Ivan III to flee; the other defended the need to fight the Horde. Perhaps the behavior of Ivan III was influenced by the position of the Muscovites, who demanded decisive action from the Grand Duke.

Grand Duke Ivan III arrived on June 23 at Kolomna, where he stopped awaiting further developments. On the same day, she was brought from Vladimir to Moscow miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God- intercessor and savior of Rus' from the troops of Tamerlane in 1395.

Akhmat's troops moved freely across Lithuanian territory, expecting help from Casimir IV, but they never received it. Crimean Tatars, allies of Ivan III, distracted the Lithuanian troops by attacking Podolia (on south-west modern. Ukraine).

Akhmat decided, after passing through Lithuanian lands, to invade Russian territory across the Ugra River.

Having learned about these intentions, Ivan III sent troops to the banks of the Ugra River.

October 8, 1480 The troops met on the banks of the Ugra. Akhmat tried to cross the Ugra, but his attack was successfully repulsed. Specified historical event occurred in the area of a 5-kilometer section of the Ugra River. It was impossible for the Tatar cavalry to cross the border of the Grand Duchy of Moscow here - the Oka was 400 m wide with a depth of 10-14 m. There were no other fords in the area between Kaluga and Tarusa. The Horde's attempts to cross continued for several days, thwarted by Russian artillery fire. On October 12, 1480, the Horde retreated two miles from the river. The Ugrians settled in Luza. Ivan III's troops took up defensive positions on the opposite bank of the river.

The famous began "standing on the Ugra" Skirmishes broke out periodically, but neither side dared to launch a serious attack. In this situation, negotiations began. Demands for tribute were rejected, gifts were not accepted, and negotiations broke down. It is quite possible that Ivan III entered into negotiations in an effort to gain time, since the situation was slowly changing in his favor.

All of Moscow prayed to its Intercessor for the salvation of the Orthodox capital. Metropolitan Gerontius and the prince's confessor, Archbishop Vassian of Rostov, supported the Russian troops with prayer, blessings and advice, trusting in the help of the Mother of God. The Grand Duke received a fiery message from his confessor, in which he called on Ivan III to follow the example of former princes: “...who not only defended the Russian land from the filthy (that is, not Christians), but also subjugated other countries... Just take courage and be strong, my spiritual son, as a good warrior of Christ, according to the great word of our Lord in the Gospel: “You are the good shepherd.” The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...”

Having learned that Akhmat, in an effort to achieve a numerical advantage, mobilized the Great Horde as much as possible, so that there were no significant reserves of troops left on its territory, Ivan III allocated a small but very combat-ready detachment, under the command of the Zvenigorod governor, Prince Vasily Nozdrevaty, who was supposed to go down the Oka, then along the Volga to its lower reaches and commit devastating sabotage in the possessions of Akhmat. The Crimean prince Nur-Devlet and his nukers (combatants) also took part in this expedition. As a result, Prince Vasily Nozdrovaty and his army defeated and plundered the capital of the Great Horde, Sarai, and other Tatar uluses and returned with great booty.

On October 28, 1480, Prince Ivan III ordered his troops to retreat from the Ugra, wanting to wait for the Tatars to cross, but the enemies decided that the Russians were luring them into an ambush, and they also began to retreat. Akhmat, having learned that a sabotage detachment of Prince Nozdrevaty and the Crimean prince Nur-Devlet was operating in his deep rear, and deciding that the Russians were luring them into an ambush, did not pursue the Russian troops and at the end of October - early November also began to withdraw his troops. And on November 11, Akhmat decided to go back to the Horde.

For those who watched from the sidelines as both armies almost simultaneously turned back without bringing the matter to battle, this event seemed either strange, mystical, or received an overly simple explanation: the opponents were afraid of each other, they were afraid to take the battle.

On January 6, 1481, Akhmat was killed as a result of a surprise attack by the Tyumen Khan Ibak, and in 1502 herself The Horde ceased to exist.

Since then, the river Ugra near Moscow began to be called "belt of the Virgin Mary".

The “Standing” put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke. The Moscow state became completely independent. The diplomatic efforts of Ivan III prevented Poland and Lithuania from entering the war. The Pskovites also made their contribution to the salvation of Rus', stopping the German offensive by the fall.

The acquisition of political independence from the Horde, along with the spread of Moscow's influence over the Kazan Khanate (1487), played a role in the subsequent transition of part of the lands under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the rule of Moscow.

The Russian Orthodox Church established triple celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Each of the days of celebration is associated with the deliverance of the Russian people from enslavement by foreigners through prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos:

8 September according to the new style (August 26th to church calendar) – in memory of the rescue of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395.

July 6(June 23) – in memory of the deliverance of Russia from the Horde king Akhmat in 1480.

June 3(May 21st) - in memory of the rescue of Moscow from the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey in 1521.

The most solemn celebration takes place 8 September(new style), established in honor the meeting of the Vladimir Icon during its transfer from Vladimir to Moscow.

The celebration on June 3 was established in memory of the salvation of Moscow in 1521 from the invasion of the Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girey.

The Tatar hordes were approaching Moscow, setting Russian cities and villages to fire and destruction, exterminating their inhabitants. Grand Duke Vasily gathered an army against the Tatars, and Moscow Metropolitan Varlaam, together with the residents of Moscow, fervently prayed for deliverance from death. During this terrible time, one pious blind nun had a vision: Moscow saints were emerging from the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin, leaving the city and taking with them the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God - the main saint of Moscow - as God's punishment for the sins of its inhabitants. The saints were met at the Spassky Gate Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky and Varlaam Khutynsky, tearfully begging them not to leave Moscow. All of them together brought a fiery prayer to the Lord for the forgiveness of those who had sinned and the deliverance of Moscow from its enemies. After this prayer, the saints returned to the Kremlin and brought back the Vladimir holy icon. The Moscow saint had a similar vision, Blessed Basil, to whom it was revealed that through the intercession of the Mother of God and the prayers of the saints, Moscow would be saved. The Tatar Khan had a vision of the Mother of God, surrounded by a formidable army rushing towards their regiments. The Tatars fled in fear, the capital of the Russian state was saved.

In 1480, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was transferred for permanent storage to Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral. In Vladimir, an exact, so-called “spare” copy of the icon, written by the Monk Andrei Rublev, remained. In 1918, the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin was closed, and the miraculous image was transferred to the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Now the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is in Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi (metro station Tretyakovskaya, M. Tolmachevsky lane, 9).

Iconography

Iconographically, the Vladimir Icon belongs to the Eleus (Tenderness) type. The Baby pressed his cheek to the Mother's cheek. The icon conveys the tender communication between Mother and Child. Mary foresees the suffering of the Son in His earthly journey.

A distinctive feature of the Vladimir Icon from other icons of the Tenderness type: the left leg of the Infant Christ is bent in such a way that the sole of the foot, the “heel,” is visible.

On the reverse are depicted the Etymasia (Prepared Throne) and the instruments of the passions, dating very roughly to the beginning of the 15th century.

The throne prepared. Back of the “Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God”

The throne prepared(Greek Etimasiya) - the theological concept of the throne prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ, coming to judge the living and the dead. Consists of the following elements:

a church throne, usually dressed in red robes (a symbol of Christ's scarlet robe); a closed Gospel (as a symbol of a book from the Revelation of John the Theologian - Rev. 5:1); instruments of the passions lying on the throne or standing nearby; a dove (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) or a crown , crowning the Gospel (not always depicted).

The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is an all-Russian shrine, the main and most revered of all Russian icons. There are also many copies of the Vladimir Icon, a significant number of which are also revered as miraculous.

Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Vladimir” they pray for deliverance from the invasion of foreigners, for guidance in Orthodox faith, about preservation from heresies and schisms, about the pacification of warring parties, about the preservation of Russia.

Prayer of the Mother of God before Her Icon of Vladimir
To whom shall we cry, Lady? To whom shall we resort in our sorrow, if not to You, Queen of Heaven? Who will receive our crying and sighing, if not You, Most Immaculate, the hope of Christians and refuge for us sinners? Who is in mercy more than You? Incline Your ear to us, Lady, Mother of our God, and do not despise those who require Your help: hear our groaning, strengthen us sinners, enlighten and teach us, O Queen of Heaven, and do not depart from us, Thy servant, Lady, for our grumbling, but Be our Mother and Intercessor, and entrust us to the merciful protection of Your Son. Arrange for us whatever Your holy will pleases, and lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life, may we weep for our sins, may we rejoice with You always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer 2 of the Mother of God before Her Icon of Vladimir
Oh, All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanking Thee for all the great blessings that the Russian people have received from Thee throughout the generations, before Thy most pure image we pray to Thee: save this city (this whole; this holy monastery) and Thy coming servants and the whole Russian Land from famine, destruction, earth shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare! Save and save, O Lady, our Great Master and Father (name), His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and all Rus' and our Lord (name), His Eminence bishop (archbishop, metropolitan) (title), and all the Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops. May they govern the Russian Church well, and may the faithful sheep of Christ be preserved indestructibly. Remember, Lady, all the priestly and monastic rank, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen them to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all Your servants and grant us the path of the earthly journey without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for the Orthodox Church, put into 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 our enemies, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility; on the terrible day of Judgment, grant us, through Your intercession, to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion, tone 4
Today the most glorious city of Moscow brightly flaunts, as if we had received the dawn of the sun, the Lady, Your miraculous icon, to which we now flow and pray, we cry out to You: O, most wonderful Lady Theotokos, pray from You to the incarnate Christ our God, that He may deliver this city and all Christian cities and countries are unharmed from all the slander of the enemy, and He will save our souls, like the Merciful.

Kontakion, tone 8
To the chosen victorious Voivode, having been delivered from the evil ones by the coming of Your venerable image, to the Lady Theotokos we brightly celebrate the celebration of Your meeting and usually call You: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.

Since ancient times, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God has worked miracles and is rightfully considered one of the most revered and famous in Orthodox world. Several major holidays are celebrated in her honor: May 21, June 23, August 25. In memory of the salvation of Moscow from: Muhammad-Girey, Akhmat and Tamerlane, respectively. These days it is customary to read the troparion to the Vladimir Icon.

The meaning of the Vladimir Icon

Prayers in front of this icon can protect people from misfortunes; people turn to it for help in the most different situations. There are very difficult periods in a person’s life and then they resort to prayer. Every believer who sincerely asks for help from higher powers receives it. Our Lady of Vladimir is a protector and protects houses from misfortunes, helps in various everyday situations.

Every Orthodox man, I simply must have this image in my home. Many different stories have been written about the meaning and miraculousness of the icon; miracles happened hundreds of years ago, and they also happen today.

Miraculousness of the icon

Throughout this time, miracles associated with the Vladimir Icon occurred.

Three times people’s prayers for the salvation of their own land were heard. Foreigners left Russian soil for various reasons.
When the icon was in Vyshgorod, unauthorized movements of the icon were noticed. Three times the image ended up in different parts monastery
The water that washed the shrine had medicinal properties, parishioners were repeatedly healed from various bodily ailments.
The wife of one of the clergy was expecting a child, she often prayed in front of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, and once, miraculously, her life was saved from a mad horse.
The abbess of the monastery was healed of blindness. The girl simply drank water from the holy face and said a prayer.
One day, in the city of Vladimir, the Golden Gate collapsed on twelve people, all these people suddenly found themselves under the rubble. One of them read a prayer in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, then all these people managed to escape. None of them were seriously injured.
The baby was washed with holy water, and he was saved from evil spells.
The woman had been suffering from a serious heart disease for many years, she gave the priest all her gold jewelry and sent the priest with them to the temple where the icon was located. He brought holy water to the woman, she drank it and prayed, and after a while the woman turned out to be completely healthy.

It's not far yet full list miracles that are associated with the Vladimir icon. Moreover, miracles happened not only associated with the original icon, but also with its numerous copies.

How does the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God help?

This shrine has witnessed almost all important events in the history of Russia. She saw military campaigns, how the coronation of monarchs took place, as well as the appointment of many patriarchs. Prayer addressed to the icon helps to calm hostility and reduce the level of anger and passions.

A large number of parishioners turned to the monk for help in order to make a fateful decision, strengthen their own spirit and gain vitality during illness. To the question of how the Vladimir Icon helps, you can answer this way:

comes to the rescue when making an important decision, shows the true path;
strengthens faith and gives strength that is almost running out;
helps in healing diseases, especially people with blindness and various heart ailments are often healed;
delivers from evil intentions and sinful thoughts.

Our Lady also helps in the formation happy marriage, because happy and a strong family– the key to a strong and successful country.

What does the Vladimir Icon look like?

This icon belongs to the “Caressing” type. This image is considered the most lyrical of all images of the Virgin Mary.

Every person can see the face of the Virgin Mary; with her left hand she holds her little son.

They tenderly clung to each other, thereby revealing the other side of the Virgo’s communication with her son. The original icon was painted on a wooden table top.

Throughout the entire canvas, only two figures are depicted: the Virgin Mary and her son. Her head is bowed towards the Infant Christ, who hugs his Mother’s neck with his left hand.

A distinctive feature of this icon from all others is that the leg of Christ is curved so that his foot is visible.

Miracle Lists

Throughout time, a lot has been created a large number of various lists of the Vladimir icon. Some of them also acquired miraculous properties and received special names:

Vladimirskaya-Volokolamskaya, which was created in 1572;
Vladimirskaya-Seligerskaya, created in 1528;
Vladimirskaya-Oranskaya, dated 1634.

All these images also have miraculous properties, and all Orthodox Christians often come to them to read the akathist to the Vladimir Icon of God.

History of the Vladimir Icon

The legend says that this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke, using the lid of a dining table as the base. The Most Pure Mother and Joseph the Betrothed took food behind him. And when the Mother of God saw the image, she became very joyful and said the following words: “From now on, all the people will bless Me.”

Initially, the icon was in Jerusalem, later it moved from this city to Constantinople, long time she was there. Then, Yuri Dolgoruky received this icon as a gift from one influential patriarch.

In the city of Vyshgorod (not far from Kyiv), a monastery was recently built, and the image was placed there. Almost immediately, the icon began to be glorified for various kinds of miraculous deeds. The son of Yuri Dolgoruky very much desired to have such an icon and brought it to the city of Vladimir, where it found new house. It was from then that it received the name - Vladimirskaya.

This icon very often saved soldiers who went to war. In the battle against the Volga Bulgarians, the icon of the Mother of God helped the prince win a difficult victory in battle.

Thirty years later there was a terrible fire, then the cathedral in which the icon was located burned down, but it remained completely unharmed. In 1237, Batu attacked the city of Vladimir and completely destroyed it, but this time the icon managed to survive.

The further history of the icon is completely connected with Moscow, where it came only in 1395, when Khan Tamerlane attacked Rus'. The conqueror completely plundered Ryazan and sent his army to Moscow, they destroyed everything in their path. The prince, without wasting a minute, gathered a large army and ordered them to go on the attack to meet the invaders. The Metropolitan at that time called higher power to help them. Then the prince and metropolitan decided to move the icon to Moscow.

When the shrine arrived in Moscow and was brought into the cathedral, incredible things began to happen. As the chronicle says, the conqueror simply stayed in one place for several weeks; he did not go on the offensive, but he did not retreat either. But suddenly he was overcome with fear, he turned back and left the Moscow borders.

A little later, when Moscow did not even expect an invasion, suddenly a huge army of invaders appeared in front of the city walls. The then prince realized that he did not have enough time and skills to assemble a worthy army to resist the foreigners and simply left the capital with his family. Vladimir the Brave, who suddenly had to rule Moscow, was an experienced commander and gathered a large army, so much so that the horde did not dare to storm Moscow. However, they began to plunder neighboring cities.

At this time everything Orthodox people They prayed before the Vladimir Icon, calling on the Mother of God to help her people. And again the prayers were heard, Edigei (leader of the Horde) received news of the coup and was forced to leave Russian soil. Thus, the Mother of God once again saved her people from their enemies.

Prayer to the Vladimir Icon

O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanking Thee for all the great blessings that the Russian people have received from Thee throughout the generations, before Thy most pure image we pray to Thee: save this city (this whole; this holy monastery) and Thy coming servants and the whole Russian Land from famine, destruction, earth shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare! Save and save, Madam, our Great Lord and Father (name), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and our Lord (name), His Eminence bishop (archbishop, metropolitan) (title), and all the Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and bishops of the Orthodox. May they govern the Russian Church well, and may the faithful sheep of Christ be preserved indestructibly. Remember, Lady, the entire priestly and monastic order, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen them to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all Your servants and grant us the path of the earthly journey without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for the Orthodox Church, put into 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 our enemies, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility; on the terrible day of Judgment, grant us, through Your intercession, to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Conclusion

This is very ancient and strong icon, it is one of the most revered faces of the Virgin Mary. Three times, with the help of the icon, it was possible to stop foreign invaders. A huge number of people received spiritual and physical strength, praying in front of her.

One of the first places on the list of the most revered images in Russia is the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. Its significance for the country is enormous. At one time, prayer to her more than once saved Russia from crushing raids by invaders. Only thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God this was avoided.

The history and significance of the Vladimir Icon is majestic, first of all for the Russian people, because it is truly their protector.

The origin and journey of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God

An ancient legend tells about the origin of the icon. He wrote it when the Mother of God was still alive. An image was created on a board from the table where the entire Holy Family had a meal.

Until 450, the icon was in Jerusalem; in the same year it was sent to Constantinople. There it was kept somewhere until approximately 1131.

In the 12th century, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was donated Kievan Rus Luke Chrysovergos (Patriarch of Constantinople). She was sent to the Mother of God Monastery in Vyshgorod.

When she had been there for some time, the icon was taken away from there by Andrei Bogolyubsky (son of Yuri Dolgorukov). On his journey, he stops in the city of Vladimir, where he received the sign of the Mother of God. On the site of this miracle, a temple was erected, in which the icon remained. Now it began to be called Vladimirskaya.

Today, there is a list there that was written by Andrei Rublev. The original icon was transferred in 1480 to the Assumption Cathedral, which is located in Moscow. Then the image was transferred two more times: in 1918 - to the Tretyakov Gallery, and in 1999 - to the Church of St. Nicholas. It is still stored in the latter.

The great shrine is the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Many stories have been recorded about the history and significance of the icon for the Russian people, which happened in ancient times and in modern times.

Miracles associated with this icon

There are really a great many of them. And they are connected not only with the original icon, but also with lists, of which a large number were created.

In addition to the threefold and recorded salvation of the Russian land from the invasion of foreign yoke, the Mother of God more than once manifested her will through her. For example, where the icon should have remained (in Vladimir), there was a sign for Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky during prayer.

In addition, even in the church in Vyshgorod, cases of moving the icon were recorded. She seemed to find no place for herself. Three times she was found in different parts of the temple, and in the end, after prayer, Andrei Bogolyubsky took her with him to the Rostov land.

Then there were numerous cases of healing common people. For example, water washing an icon could cure a disease. This is how healing of the eyes and heart took place.

This is how the Vladimir Mother of God became. Its significance both for the common people and for the greats of this world was undeniable. She witnessed many important actions in Russia. This includes the appointment of patriarchs and military campaigns. They also swore allegiance to their homeland before her and carried out the coronation of several monarchs.

Prayer before the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God

Prayer to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is truly salvation for a state in which there has been turmoil or schism. It will allow passions to subside, anger and enmity to moderate. In addition, when heretical sentiments arise, one should also offer prayer to this image.

Many believers turn to the icon during illness, and also when necessary to make any important decision.

The prayer begins with a respectful address: “O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos.” Next, he asks to protect people and the Russian land from various shocks, to protect the entire spiritual rank. Prayer to the Mother of God strengthens faith and gives strength to overcome adversity and troubles.

The meaning of the icon for Russia

The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is the most beloved icon in Rus'. And in fact, she protected her from everything so much; numerous signs and healings were revealed.

Perhaps an interesting sign was that the Mother of God herself chose the place for her icon, which later became known as the Vladimir icon. This was her already mentioned appearance to Andrei Bogolyubsky.

Then there were some more signs of her intercession for the Russian land. For example, in 1395, a great invasion of the conqueror Tamerlane was expected, who had already conquered many lands and was approaching the Russian border. It seemed that the battle could not be avoided, but the universal prayer to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God did not allow this to happen.

According to one version, Tamerlane saw the Majestic Mother of God in a dream, who ordered him to leave this land.

And this happened more than once. People's faith increased after each successive salvation. became truly miraculous and most revered. A large number of lists were written from it, which are also worshiped by believers. The meaning of icons has always been important. The Vladimir Mother of God was especially revered in Rus'.

Days of celebration

Since the icon is considered a deliverer from external attacks on Russian soil, as well as its protector, celebrations in its honor take place three times a year. Each of these dates was chosen for a reason.

On August 26, the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God is venerated for liberation from Tamerlane in 1395.
On June 23, a celebration takes place in honor of the victory over the Tatar yoke, which happened in 1480.
May 21 is a celebration in honor of the victory over Khan Mahmet-Girey, which occurred in 1521.

The prayer to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God has saved Russia more than once.

Lists of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God

There are numerous copies that were written from this icon. The most famous are:

Orange icon. It was written in 1634.
Rostov icon. This image dates back to the 12th century.
Krasnogorsk icon. Its writing dates back to 1603.
Chuguev icon. Exact date creation is unknown.

These are not all available lists of icons. The first of them were written when the image had just appeared on Russian soil. Later they also created lists from it; now there are only two of the oldest.

Obviously, such diversity indicates that the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, whose significance for believers is great, is highly revered.

Iconography of the image

If we talk about writing this image, then its style is classified as “caressing”. It is characterized by the fact that icons of this type speak of the communion of the Mother of God and her Son, i.e. this is the deeply human side of the Holy Family.

It is believed that this style of painting icons did not exist in early Christian art; it appeared much later.

This style of writing contains two central figures. This is the Mother of God and the baby Jesus Christ. Their faces are closely touching, the Son puts his hand around the Mother’s neck. This image is very touching.

The peculiarity that the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God has, its meaning is the appearance of the baby’s heel, which is not found on others similar to this type.

This icon is double sided. The reverse depicts the throne and the symbols of the Passion. This suggests that the icon itself carries a special idea. This is the future sacrifice of Jesus and the mourning of his Mother.

There is also an opinion that this icon is a copy of Our Lady of Caress from the Blachernae Basilica. Anyway Vladimir image has long become an independent miraculous face.

Other revered icons of the Mother of God

Besides Vladimir Mother of God, there are many more miraculous images that people turn to. So, in front of which icon of the Mother of God do they usually pray for what?

For example, prayer in front of the Iveron icon helps to increase the fertility of the earth, and it is also a comforter in various troubles.
Prayer before the Bogolyubskaya icon is a help during epidemics (cholera, plague).
In case of cancer, prayers are offered to the image of the Mother of God, the All-Tsarina.
The Kazan icon is a blessing for marriage, as well as a protector from various invasions and in difficult times.
The image of the Mother of God “Mammal” is very revered by nursing mothers, and prayers are also offered to him during childbirth.

As you can see, there are a lot of images that help believers with their miracles. You should always pay attention to the meaning of icons. The Vladimir Mother of God is no exception. It’s just that each of the images takes upon itself intercession in different situations. The Mother of God seems to embrace all the sorrows and sorrows of her subjects, helping them in difficulties.

The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (icon of the Theotokos) is considered miraculous and, according to legend, was written by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Holy Family ate: the Savior, the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: “ From now on all generations will bless Me. May the grace of the One born of Me and Mine be with this icon».

While passing Vladimir, the horses carrying the miraculous icon stood up and could not move. Replacing the horses with new ones also did not help.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vladimir

In 1395 terrible conqueror Khan Tamerlan(Temir-Aksak) reached the borders of Ryazan, took the city of Yelets and, heading towards Moscow, approached the banks of the Don. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich went out with an army to Kolomna and stopped on the banks of the Oka. He prayed to the saints of Moscow and St. Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland and wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Cyprian, so that the upcoming Dormition Fast would be devoted to fervent prayers for pardon and repentance. The clergy were sent to Vladimir, where the famous miraculous icon was located. After the liturgy and prayer service on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the clergy accepted the icon and carried it to Moscow with a procession of the cross. Countless people on both sides of the road, on their knees, prayed: “ Mother of God, save the Russian land!"At that very hour when Moscow residents greeted the icon on Kuchkovo Pole (now Sretenka Street), Tamerlane dozed in his camp tent. Suddenly he saw in a dream a great mountain, from the top of which saints with golden rods were coming towards him, and above them the Majestic Woman appeared in a radiant radiance. She ordered him to leave the borders of Russia. Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision. They answered him that the radiant Woman is the Mother of God, the great Defender of Christians. Then Tamerlane gave the order to the regiments to go back.

In memory of the miraculous deliverance of the Russian land from Tamerlane, the Sretensky Monastery was built on Kuchkovo Field, where the icon was met, and on August 26 (in the new style - September 8) an all-Russian celebration was established in honor of the meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The miraculous deliverance of the Russian land from Tamerlane on Kuchkovo Field (meeting the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

The third intercession of the Mother of God for Rus' was in 1480(celebrated on July 6). After the resounding victory on the Kulikovo Field in 1380, the Russian principalities remained under Horde dependence for another century, and only the events of the autumn of 1480 decisively changed the situation. Ivan III refused to pay tribute to the horde, and regiments were sent to Rus' Khan Akhmat. Two armies converged on the Ugra River: the armies stood on different banks - the so-called "standing on the Ugra"– and were waiting for a reason to attack. In the front ranks of the Russian army they held the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir. There were skirmishes, even small battles, but the troops never moved in front of each other. The Russian army moved away from the river, giving the Horde regiments the opportunity to begin crossing. But the Horde regiments also retreated. The Russian soldiers stopped, but the Tatar soldiers continued to retreat and suddenly rushed away without looking back.

Standing on the Ugra River on November 11, 1480

“Standing on the Ugra” put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Russia was finally freed from paying tribute. From this time on, we can talk about the final elimination of any form of political dependence of Moscow on the Horde.

Standing on the Ugra

Khan Akhmat, busy fighting the Crimean Khanate, began active action only in 1480. He managed to negotiate with the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV on military assistance. The western borders of the Russian state (Pskov lands) at the beginning of 1480 were attacked by the Livonian Order. The Livonian chronicler reported that: “... Master Bernd von der Borch was involved in a war with the Russians, took up arms against them and gathered 100 thousand troops from foreign and native soldiers and peasants; with these people he attacked Russia and burned the outskirts of Pskov, without doing anything else».

Akhmat's troops moved freely across Lithuanian territory, expecting help from Casimir IV, but they never received it. The Crimean Tatars, allies of Ivan III, distracted the Lithuanian troops by attacking Podolia (in the southwest of modern Ukraine).

Akhmat decided, after passing through Lithuanian lands, to invade Russian territory across the Ugra River.

Having learned about these intentions, Ivan III sent troops to the banks of the Ugra River.

8 October 1480 years, the troops met on the banks of the Ugra. Akhmat tried to cross the Ugra, but his attack was successfully repulsed. This historical event took place in the area of a 5-kilometer section of the Ugra River. It was impossible for the Tatar cavalry to cross the border of the Grand Duchy of Moscow here - the Oka was 400 m wide with a depth of 10-14 m. There were no other fords in the area between Kaluga and Tarusa. The Horde's attempts to cross continued for several days, thwarted by Russian artillery fire. On October 12, 1480, the Horde retreated two miles from the river. The Ugrians settled in Luza. Ivan III's troops took up defensive positions on the opposite bank of the river.

The famous began "standing on the Ugra". Skirmishes broke out periodically, but neither side dared to launch a serious attack. In this situation, negotiations began. Demands for tribute were rejected, gifts were not accepted, and negotiations broke down. It is quite possible that Ivan III entered into negotiations in an effort to gain time, since the situation was slowly changing in his favor.

All of Moscow prayed to its Intercessor for the salvation of the Orthodox capital. Metropolitan Gerontius and the prince's confessor, Archbishop Vassian of Rostov, supported the Russian troops with prayer, blessings and advice, trusting in the help of the Mother of God. The Grand Duke received a fiery message from his confessor, in which he called on Ivan III to follow the example of the former princes: “... who not only defended the Russian land from the filthy (that is, not Christians), but also subjugated other countries... Just take courage and be strong, my spiritual son, as a good warrior of Christ, according to the great word of our Lord in the Gospel: “You are the good shepherd.” The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."…»

On January 6, 1481, Akhmat was killed as a result of a surprise attack by the Tyumen Khan Ibak, and in 1502 herself The Horde ceased to exist.

Since then, the river Ugra near Moscow began to be called "belt of the Virgin Mary".

The Russian Orthodox Church established a threefold celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Each of the days of celebration is associated with the deliverance of the Russian people from enslavement by foreigners through prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos:

8 September according to the new style (August 26 according to the church calendar) – in memory of the rescue of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395.

July 6(June 23) – in memory of the deliverance of Russia from the Horde king Akhmat in 1480.

June 3(May 21st) - in memory of the rescue of Moscow from the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey in 1521.

The most solemn celebration takes place 8 September(new style), established in honor the meeting of the Vladimir Icon during its transfer from Vladimir to Moscow.

The celebration on June 3 was established in memory of the salvation of Moscow in 1521 from the invasion of the Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girey.

Invasion of the Crimean Tatars

The Tatar hordes were approaching Moscow, setting Russian cities and villages to fire and destruction, exterminating their inhabitants. Grand Duke Vasily gathered an army against the Tatars, and Moscow Metropolitan Varlaam, together with the residents of Moscow, fervently prayed for deliverance from death. During this terrible time, one pious blind nun had a vision: Moscow saints were emerging from the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin, leaving the city and taking with them the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God - the main saint of Moscow - as God's punishment for the sins of its inhabitants. The saints were met at the Spassky Gate by Saints Sergius of Radonezh and Varlaam of Khutyn, tearfully begging them not to leave Moscow. All of them together brought a fiery prayer to the Lord for the forgiveness of those who had sinned and the deliverance of Moscow from its enemies. After this prayer, the saints returned to the Kremlin and brought back the Vladimir holy icon. The Moscow saint, Blessed Basil, had a similar vision, to whom it was revealed that through the intercession of the Mother of God and the prayers of the saints, Moscow would be saved. The Tatar Khan had a vision of the Mother of God, surrounded by a formidable army rushing towards their regiments. The Tatars fled in fear, the capital of the Russian state was saved.

Now the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is in the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi (metro station "Tretyakovskaya", M. Tolmachevsky lane, 9).

Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the State Tretyakov Gallery

Museum-Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi

Iconography

A distinctive feature of the Vladimir Icon from other icons of the Tenderness type: the left leg of the Infant Christ is bent in such a way that the sole of the foot, the “heel,” is visible.

On the reverse are depicted the Etymasia (Prepared Throne) and the instruments of the passions, dating very roughly to the beginning of the 15th century.

The throne has been prepared. Back of the “Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God”

The throne is prepared th (Greek etimasia) - the theological concept of the throne prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ, coming to judge the living and the dead. Consists of the following elements:

the church throne, usually dressed in red robes (symbol of Christ’s scarlet robe);
closed Gospel (as a symbol of the book from the Revelation of John the Theologian - Rev. 5:1);
instruments of passions lying on the throne or standing nearby;
a dove (symbol of the Holy Spirit) or a crown crowning the Gospel (not always depicted).

Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Vladimir” they pray for deliverance from the invasion of foreigners, for instruction in the Orthodox faith, for preservation from heresies and schisms, for the pacification of those at war, for the preservation of Russia.

God's Law. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

Queen of Heaven. Our Lady of Vladimir (2010)

About the film:
According to church tradition, the icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on the board of a table that was located in the house of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The icon was transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople, and then to convent near Kyiv, in Vyshgorod. Having fled from Vyshgorod to the north, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky brought the icon to Vladimir, after which it was named.

During the invasion of Tamerlane, under Vasily I, the revered icon was transferred to Moscow as a defender of the city. And an example of the intercession of the Mother of God of Vladimir is that Tamerlane’s troops left without any particular reason before reaching Moscow.

Rejoice, thou who has loved Orthodox Rus'; Rejoice, you who established the true faith in her... Rejoice, our warm Prayer Book; Rejoice, zealous Intercessor! Rejoice, Most Pure One, flowing mercy to us from Your icon.

From the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos
in honor of the icon of Her Vladimir

The city of Moscow and the miraculous image of the Mother of God of Vladimir are inextricably and forever fused. How many times did She save the white-stone from enemies! This image connected with itself the apostolic times and Byzantium, Kievan and Vladimir Rus, and then Moscow - the Third Rome, “but there will not be a fourth.” Thus, the Moscow state was providentially formed, incorporating a mystical connection with the ancient empires, historical experience, traditions of other Orthodox lands and peoples. The miraculous image of Vladimirskaya became a symbol of unity and continuity.

This amazing icon is difficult to describe in words, because they all seem empty before the gaze that looks at us. Everything is in this gaze: life and death, and resurrection, eternity, immortality.

According to the most ancient legend, the holy evangelist, doctor and artist Luke painted three icons of the Virgin Mary. Looking at them, the Most Pure One said: “Let the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with the holy icons.” One of these icons is known to us under the name of Vladimir.

Until 450, this image of the Lady remained in Jerusalem, and then was transferred to Constantinople. In the first half of the 12th century, Patriarch of Constantinople Luka Chrysoverkh sent the icon (together with another image of the Mother of God, known as the “Pirogoshchaya”) as a gift to Grand Duke Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky, who placed the image in the Vyshgorod nunnery near Kiev, in an area that once belonged to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga. In 1155, Vyshgorod became the inheritance of Prince Andrei, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky.

Having decided to move to his native Suzdal land, Prince Andrei, without his father’s knowledge, took the icon with him. On the way, he constantly served prayers before her. The residents of Vladimir-on-Klyazma greeted their prince with zeal and joy; From there the prince went further to the city of Rostov. However, having driven no more than ten miles from Vladimir, the horses stood on the banks of the Klyazma and, despite urging, did not want to go further. They harnessed the fresh ones, but even those did not go. Struck, Prince Andrei fell in front of the icon and began to pray tearfully. And then the Mother of God appeared to him with a scroll in her hand and commanded him to leave Her image in the city of Vladimir, and on the site of this appearance to build a monastery in honor of Her Nativity.

The prince placed the icon in Vladimir, and from that time - from 1160 - it received the name Vladimir.

In 1164, this icon accompanied Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky on a campaign against the Volga Bulgars. Before the battle, the prince confessed and took communion; Having fallen before the image of the Mother of God, he exclaimed: “Everyone trusts in You, Lady, and will not perish!” The entire army, following their prince, kissed the miraculous woman with tears and, calling for the intercession of the Most Pure One, moved into battle. The wicked were defeated.

After the victory on the battlefield, a prayer service was performed before the holy icon. During it, in full view of the entire Russian army, a miracle was revealed: from the image and from Life-giving Cross A wondrous light began to dawn, illuminating the entire area.

And at the other end of the Christian world, but exactly on the same day and hour Byzantine emperor Manuel saw the light from the Cross of the Lord and, supported by this sign, defeated his Saracen enemies. After the relationship of Prince Andrei with the Emperor of the Second Rome, on August 1, the holiday of the Origin (wearing down) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, known among the people as the First Savior, was established.

Many other miracles were revealed from the miraculous image.

In 1395, Tamerlane with hordes of Tatars approached Moscow. The Christian people had only hope for God's help. And then the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich ordered to bring the icon from Vladimir to Moscow. The Lady’s journey from the banks of the Klyazma lasted ten days. On both sides of the road, kneeling people stood and, stretching out their hands to the icon, cried out: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!” A solemn meeting awaited the Vladimir icon in the white stone: procession with all the city clergy, the family of the Grand Duke, boyars and ordinary Muscovites came out to the city walls on Kuchkovo Field, met and escorted the miraculous one to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

It was August 26th. “The whole city came out in front of the icon to meet it,” the chronicler testifies. Metropolitan, Grand Duke, “husbands and wives, young men and virgins, children and babies, orphans and widows, from young to old, with crosses and icons, with psalms and spiritual songs, moreover, saying everything with tears, who cannot find a person, not crying with silent sighs and sobs.”

And the Mother of God heeded the prayer of those who trusted in Her. At the very hour of the meeting of the miraculous on the banks of the Moscow River, Tamerlane had a dream vision in his tent: high mountain the saints descended with golden staffs, and above them in indescribable grandeur, in the radiance of bright rays, the Radiant Woman hovered; countless hosts of Angels with fiery swords surrounded Her... Tamerlane woke up, trembling with horror. The wise men he convened, elders and Tatar fortune-tellers, explained that the Wife he had seen in a dream was the Intercessor of the Orthodox, the Mother of God, and that Her power was invincible. And then the Iron Lame ordered his hordes to turn back.

Both the Tatars and the Russians were amazed by this event. The chronicler concluded: “And Tamerlane fled, driven by force Holy Virgin!»

Grateful Muscovites built the Sretensky Monastery at the site of the meeting of the miraculous August 26, 1395: “let people not forget the deeds of God.” So, after a 242-year stay on the banks of the Klyazma, the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir moved to Moscow and was placed in the Kremlin Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Most Pure One. Moscow owes its blessings for deliverance from the raids of Khan Edigei in 1408, the Nogai prince Mazovsha in 1451, and his father, Khan Sedi-Akhmet in 1459.

In 1480, the Horde Khan Akhmat moved to Moscow and already reached the Ugra River in Kaluga. The Grand Duke of Moscow John III was waiting on the other side of the river. Suddenly the Tatars were attacked by such strong and unreasonable fear that Akhmat did not dare to go to the Russian army and turned back to the steppe. In memory of this event, a religious procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the Sretensky Monastery began to be held annually in Moscow. And the Ugra River has since been known as the Belt of the Virgin Mary.

In 1521, the Kazan Khan Makhmet-Girey led the Kazan and Nogai Tatars to Moscow. Metropolitan Varlaam and all the people prayed earnestly before the face of Vladimir. Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich barely had time to gather an army to meet the Tatars at the far frontier, on the Oka River. Holding back their onslaught, he slowly retreated to Moscow.

On the very night of the siege, the nun of the Kremlin Ascension Monastery saw the saints coming out through the locked doors of the Assumption Cathedral, carrying the miraculous Vladimir in their hands. These were the holy metropolitans of Moscow Peter and Alexy, who lived two centuries earlier. And the nun also saw how the Venerable Varlaam of Khutyn and Sergius of Radonezh met the procession of saints at the Spasskaya Tower - and fell prostrate before the icon, praying to the Most Pure One not to leave the Assumption Cathedral and the people of Moscow. And then the Intercessor returned through the locked doors.

The nun hastened to tell the townspeople about the vision. Muscovites gathered in the temple and began to pray fervently. And the Tatars again saw a vision of “a great army, shining with armor,” and they fled from the walls of the city.

So more than once our Fatherland was saved by the people's prayer before the miraculous image of Vladimir. In memory of these deliverances, the celebration of the Vladimir Icon was established: May 21 - in memory of the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey in 1521; June 23 - in memory of the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of Khan Akhmat in 1480; August 26 - in memory of the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395.

A special edition of the Vladimir Icon is called the “Tree of the Moscow State”. The first such icon was painted at the end of Ancient Rus', in 1668, by the royal icon painter Simon (Pimen) Ushakov for the Trinity Church in Nikitniki in Kitai-Gorod. It depicts Saints Peter and Alexy watering a lush tree growing from behind the Kremlin wall; on the branches there are medallions with a host of Russian saints, and in the center there is an oval image of Vladimirskaya. As in the icon “Praise of the Mother of God” biblical prophets are written with unfolded scrolls, on which the words of the akathist are inscribed, and on this image heavenly patrons The Russians glorify and praise the Most Pure One, praying to Her for intercession for the Russian state.

Troparion, tone 4

Today the most glorious city of Moscow is shining brightly, as if we have received the dawn of the sun, O Lady, Your miraculous icon, to which we now flow and pray to You, we cry out to You: O Most Wonderful Lady, Mother of God, pray from You to the incarnate Christ our God, that He may deliver this city and all Christian cities and countries are unharmed from all the slander of the enemy, and our souls will be saved by the Merciful.

Prayer

O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanking Thee for all the great blessings that the Russian people have received from Thee throughout the generations, before Thy most pure image we pray to Thee: save this city (or: all this; or: this holy monastery) and Thy coming servants and the whole Russian land from famine, destruction , land of shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare. Save and save, Madam, our Great Lord and Father (name of rivers), His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and our Lord (name of rivers), Most Reverend Bishop (or: Archbishop; or: Metropolitan) (title), and all the Most Reverend Metropolitans , archbishops and Orthodox bishops. May they govern the Russian Church well, and may the faithful sheep of Christ be preserved indestructibly. Remember, Lady, the entire priestly and monastic order, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen them to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all Your servants and grant us the path of the earthly journey without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for More Orthodox Church, put into 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 our enemies, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility; on the terrible day of judgment, grant us, through Your intercession, to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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