and what miracles are associated with it

December 10– celebration Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” . This image has been known in Rus' since the 12th century, or more precisely since 1170, when the first miracle associated with the icon occurred.

Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”. Photo diveevo.ru

The first miracle of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”

The united forces of the Russian appanage princes approached the walls of Novgorod to conquer the city. The Novgorodians prepared for a long siege and began to ask the Lord for help. On the third night, the local Archbishop Ilya had a dream that he had to take the image of the Most Holy Theotokos from the church and go with it to the city wall. He did just that.

The princes' troops were shelling the city at that moment, and one of the arrows hit the icon. Tears flowed from the eyes of the Mother of God, which horrified the attackers. Inspired by God's support, the Novgorodians rushed at their enemies and defeated them.

Then the archbishop established a holiday on the day of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is celebrated to this day.

The second miracle associated with the icon

Happened in 1611. An army of Swedes burst into Novgorod and intended to take possession of the Znamensky Cathedral, where at that moment a service was being held at the icon. But some unknown force did not allow them to approach the temple, each time throwing the soldiers back. Disappointed, the Swedes retreated and left the city.

Miracles associated with fires

Other miracles are also associated with the “Sign” icon. For example, in chronicle sources there is information that when in the 14th century in wooden church Where the icon was then, a fire broke out, the fire stopped right next to the face of the Mother of God and did not damage the image. After this it was erected stone temple– Znamensky Cathedral, and the “Sign” icon was moved there.

The fact that fire has no power over the image was remembered two centuries later. At that time, a strong fire broke out in Novgorod again. Houses on several streets burned down, and the townspeople still could not cope with the elements. Then Metropolitan Macarius prayed at the icon of the Mother of God and with her in his hands performed procession. After this, a strong wind blew towards the river and the fire stopped.

It is known that one more protects against fires.

The “Sign” icon is the main shrine of the Novgorod land. Photo 53news.ru

How does the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” help?

In front of this image, the Mother of God asks for peace, deliverance from disasters, civil wars and invasions of enemies.

It is also believed that the “Sign” icon, if placed in a house, will help protect it from fire and envious people, return lost things and improve relations between relatives. Those who want to find their missing relatives often pray at the face of the Mother of God.

Like other icons of the Mother of God, for example, the icon of the Sign has the power of healing. It can help with eye diseases, including blindness, cure cholera and severe mental illnesses.

The oldest image of the Mother of God “The Sign” in Rus' is the Novgorod icon, painted in the second quarter - mid-12th century. But the name “Sign” begins to be associated with it, oddly enough, only at the end of the 15th century, especially clearly from the 16th century, and is finally consolidated in the 17th century. They began to celebrate the feast of the icon on November 27, apparently, even before the miracle it showed to the Novgorodians, which happened on February 25, 1169 (1170). The First Chronicle of Novgorod reports that the Novgorodians defeated the Suzdalians “by the power of the cross and the Holy Mother of God,” that is, no name has yet been associated with the icon. The chronicler simply calls the icon “the Holy Mother of God,” without a specific epithet. The word “sign” was then usually used in the same meaning as in V.I. Dahl: “A sign is a sign, a sign, a sign; brand, tamga, seal; natural phenomenon or miracle for sign, proof; a foreshadowing of something."

The etymology of the word “sign” is directly related to the verb “to know.” Indo-European ĝen - “to know” is identical to ĝen - “to give birth, to be born” and comes from this latter. It is the concepts “to be born” and “to know” that make up the meaning of the word “sign”.

Let us consider the symbolic and theological meanings of the iconography of the image. At the same time, let’s not forget about the conventions of the language of the icon and the difference between the image and the depicted. I.K. Yazykova writes: “At the moment of contemplating the icon, the Holy of Holies, the inner Mary, is revealed to the one praying, in whose bosom the God-Man is conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Let's emphasize this “as if.” With this caveat, one of the meanings of the circle in which Emmanuel is depicted should be understood and perceived as symbol revelations. But anyway revelations- Divine sign. And although the most secret things are revealed to us, nevertheless this is only the first stage of the icon’s conversation with us, when a sign is a “foreshadowing of something.” On the second step, the Mother of God, knowing The Savior even before Christmas, still in the womb, gives birth- on the icon, as if from eternity, he sends - the Infant of God into the world for the salvation of the human race.

The hands of the Mother of God are raised to the sky, they are open to meet the One who is above the entire universe, and at the same time they bless those praying. This is a very ancient prayer gesture: according to Tertullian, the hands of Christians of his time were raised and spread out, “imitating the passion of the Lord.” The raised hands of the Mother of God in prayer also mean intercession for people before God. The inscription on one of the Byzantine seals of the early 13th century reads: “Ostretching out Your hands and offering Your intercession to the entire universe, give me Your protection, O Most Pure One, for what I must do.” Moses also prayed with his hands raised to heaven during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites: “And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed; but Moses' hands grew heavy, and then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were raised until the sun went down” (Ex. 17: 11-12). Here the significance of the entire psychophysical side of prayer is clearly confirmed: it is not enough to pronounce words in the heart; the posture of the person praying and his gestures play an important role. Let us also pay attention to the theme of light and grace that accompanies this gesture. The name “Aaron” is translated as “mountain of light”, “Or” - “light”. And the hands of Moses himself were “raised until the sun went down,” that is, the hands, supported by “lights,” stretched out to the Light and received the grace of God. In the same way, during the liturgy, the priest stretches out his hands in front of the throne, exclaiming: “Woe is our hearts.” Therefore, we can talk about the canonicity of this gesture, which has been used in the liturgy since ancient times, about the unique connection through this gesture of the Old and New Testaments.

The same thing is inherent in the iconography of the Mother of God image “The Sign”. And here we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New. The Infant of God in terms of representation is conventional, but eternal is born into the world for its salvation. That is why He is often placed in a mandorla, through the circles of which Divine energies seem to emanate into the world (again, the theme of light and grace, reflected even in the color of Emmanuel’s clothes). Mandorla in this case acts as sign movements - movements of the Baby and light. And when, during the siege of Novgorod, an arrow from the Suzdalians hit the icon and the icon turned away from the attackers, the Suzdalians thereby lost light and grace, and the Novgorodians, on the contrary, received this grace for decisive action and victory over the enemy. Let us remember that the Greek ενέργεια is translated as active force, and a sign, according to V.I. Dahl, there is a sign. But in Greek a sign - σημειον - is a miraculous sign, not an ordinary one. In the Novgorod Festive Menaion (c. second quarter of the 14th century), this word in relation to the miraculous icon is used precisely in the meaning of “omen”, “miracle”. Another purpose of the mandorla in this case is to emphasize the Christocentrism of the icon: both with concentric circles around the Infant God - “Light has come into the world” (John 3: 19), and with its high hierarchical status in the system of iconographic symbols. The hands of the Divine Infant stretched out from the medallion in Great Panagia(from the Greek Παναγία - All-Holy) indicate the penetration of eternity into time, and therefore the abolition of time, which is characteristic of the Orthodox worldview.

So, the first meaning of the “Sign” icon is revelation. At the same time, there is another meaning hidden in it: Christians, for their part, find out The birth and coming into the world of the Savior, know Him and we testify of Him as recognized. That is, birth (γέννησις), in fact, occurs in the name of creation (γένεσις), in order to return creation to the Divine plan: so that man becomes a created god by grace. In other words, without division and confusion, the dual unity of “God and me” arises - the unity that S.L. wrote about in his time. Franc. Let us recall that the word “Divinity” in theology indicates a property, a nature, and the word “God” indicates a Person. As a super-temporal or timeless act, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Is. 7: 14; Matt. 1: 23). In the 15th century, this text of Isaiah is given not only on the icons of the prophetic order of the iconostasis, as in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, but also serves as the basis for free literary adaptations, in which the word “sign” is used in relation to prophecy.

The religious experience of prayerful communication with an icon allows you to discover a new state in yourself, filled with Divine energies. The Greek term ένθεος - lit., is suitable for its designation. "filled with divinity." This state is indicated by the words of Christ: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). We are clothed with Christ, and Christ abides in us. In this case, on a personal level, a real relationship is established between the Prototype and a person through the icon, and on a social level, the icon becomes a national shrine. Thus, the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” became the sacred guardian of Veliky Novgorod. This icon was also considered in Byzantium and Rus' to be the patroness of the Church, which explains the frequent use of its iconography on the seals of monasteries, dioceses and metropolises, in lunettes above the entrance to the temple, in apse conchs. There are grounds for establishing a connection between the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” and the icon of the Annunciation. If in the bosom of Mary “the God-man is conceived by the Holy Spirit,” as I.K. theologically correctly noted. Yazykov, then this is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy about Emmanuel: the good news has entered the stage of its implementation. Therefore E.S. Smirnova is absolutely right when she considers the images on back side The icons are images of Joachim and Anna, and not of the Apostle Peter and the martyr Natalia, as V.N. believed. Lazarev with followers. The theme of the Incarnation is central to the “Sign” icon (therefore, this iconography is canonical for the center of the prophetic order of the iconostasis). Both sides of the famous Novgorod image, with increasing content, testify precisely to the Incarnation. Otherwise, the theological connection between the obverse and reverse of this icon is lost, which comes into conflict with practice church life. A similar connection was present in the vast majority of external Orthodox images.

A special rite in honor of the Mother of God, called the “Rite of Raising the Panagia,” is directly associated with the “Sign” icon. But we know that Panagia is also called an encolpion - a small image of the Mother of God, worn by the bishop on his chest over his vestments, and a prosphora, from which a particle was removed during the liturgy in memory of the Most Pure One. During the meal, the prosphora was always placed on a special dish - panagiar - with the image of Our Lady of the Sign, often surrounded by prophets. On the Byzantine panagiars of the 12th-13th centuries you can see the inscription: “Christ is Bread. The Virgin gives body to God the Word.” The inscription was applied not only for decoration; its meaning was to mysteriously unite the rank Panagia and the meaning of holy bread - the body of Christ, received by Him from His Mother. So rank Panagia brings us back to the theme of the Incarnation.

The pedigree of the iconography of the “Sign” goes back to the image of Oranta, which in Rus' was also called the “Unbreakable Wall” because “it was considered the intercessor of “all cities, suburbs and villages” in the fight against eternal enemies - the steppe nomads.” Is it correct to believe that Oranta was depicted as an intercessor, starting with the paintings of the catacombs? In them you can see many images similar in iconography: this is how, for example, the souls of the dead were originally depicted, who prayed for Christians who were still living.

Oranta was and is a symbol of the Heavenly Church. She became such fully and consciously from the moment she was identified with the personality of the Mother of God. Already in the catacombs, “under the image of a praying wife, the ancient Christians were in the habit of sometimes depicting none other than Holy Virgin Maria”, accompanying the frescoes with the inscriptions “Maria” and “Mara”. However, “in these orants we do not have a portrait, individual type of the Mother of God, but a conventional image of Her, accepted for every sedate Christian woman.” However, in the “Ascension” stamp of the Monza ampoule (the iconography of the stamps dates back to the 4th-6th centuries), we see Oranta, undoubtedly, in the person of the Mother of God, we see Her as a personification Apostolic Church.

Since the 9th century, the Most Pure One began to be painted in the apse conch. As noted by I.K. Yazykova, since then “the theme of intercession takes on a broader aspect: the prayer of the Mother of God binds together Heavenly Kingdom, presented at the top of the temple, with the “downstream world” under Her feet. Our Lady of Oranta, as it were, opens up to meet Christ, Who descends through Her to earth and is embodied in human form and sanctifies human flesh with His Divine presence, turning it into a temple - hence Our Lady of Oranta is interpreted as a personification Christian temple, as well as the entire New Testament Church."

Serbian isographers painted a fresco in the 14th century according to the type Novgorod icon“The Sign”, where the Mother of God, depicted full-length, is dressed not in the usual tunic, but in a chiton with clades. Similar examples can be seen on some frescoes of Oranta in the catacombs. The Mother of God in this case was understood as the Church itself and as a messenger. If earlier the intercession of the Most Pure One implied a movement from the earthly to the heavenly, here it is understood as apostolic and directed from the heavenly to the earthly.

Protographs of the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” have also been known since the 4th century (the catacombs of St. Agnes in Rome) and, judging by the absence of a halo on the Infant of God, they were created before the First Ecumenical Council, that is, before 325. And in V-VI centuries they were already written on icons and in the wall paintings of churches, minted on coins, reproduced on seals Byzantine emperors, which speaks of their Constantinople origin. This iconography became especially widespread from the 11th-12th centuries and became popular throughout the Orthodox ecumene. However, many art historians consider the time of appearance of this version to be only the middle of the 11th century, citing surviving images of coins (nomisma of Empresses Zoe and Theodora, 1042) and sphragistics (seals of Empress Eudokia Macremvolitissa, wife of Constantine X in 1059-1067. and Roman IV in 1068-1071). Apparently, the confusion here occurs due to an unclear classification of the names of iconographic types, since the tradition of fixing stable names for one or another type of Mother of God icons developed only at the time of the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and possibly later - already in post-Byzantine times.

According to I.K. Linguistically, the iconography of Oranta is an abbreviated and truncated version of the image of the Mother of God “The Sign”. Such an opinion cannot but cause objections. Since Oranta’s version is older than the “Sign”, the first cannot be a “shortened version” of the second: you can only truncate what already exists. Here we are not dealing with a reduction in the iconography of the image, but with its construction. Therefore, the “Signs” scheme and more complex schemes Orants, not only externally, but also internally. “This is the most theologically rich iconographic type,” I.K. herself is convinced. Yazykova.

We have already ascertained from the example of Cypriot frescoes the undoubted connection between the images of the image of the “Sign” and the image of the Mother of God Blachernitissa, which only confirms the understanding of the word “sign” as a miracle, because the events of 910 that took place in the Blachernae Church have been celebrated by the Russians for more than eight hundred years Orthodox Church as the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God. Apparently, it is natural that the icon is called “The Sign” only in Rus' and nowhere else. In other countries it is known under other names, mainly taken from akathists.

In the art of the Byzantine circle, several terms were used for this iconography, which are often used by art historians: “Platitera” (from “Πλαντυτέρα τόν ουρανόν” - “Broadening the heavens”, from the liturgy of Basil the Great), “Episkepsis” (“Επίσκεψις” - “Patroness , Intercessor"), "Megali Panagia" ("Μεγάλη Παναγία" - "Great All-Holy")". Let’s add here “Pantonassa” (“παντο” - “all” + “νάσσα” from “ναίω” - “to live, inhabit; be; inhabit”).

It should be noted that there is a certain iconographic connection between the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” and the icon Our Lady of Nikopea(Victorious). During the restoration of the Blachernae Temple (1030-1031) during the reign of Emperor Romanos III Argir, builders discovered an icon walled up in the wall, which was hidden from the iconoclasts, most likely in the 8th century under Emperor Constantine Copronymus. The found image was described by a witness of the events, John Skylitzes. Its text was understood for quite a long time as a description of an edition identical to that of the Novgorod icon “The Sign”, however modern researchers made a more accurate translation, from which it follows that the Mother of God holds a mandorla with the Child of God in Her hands. This is how Nikopea, known since pre-iconoclastic times, was found. A similar one has survived to this day. Sinai icon VII century. The role of this excerpt, according to Academician N.P. Kondakova and V.N. Lazarev, echoes the role that the Novgorod shrine - the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" - is called upon to play.

Let us note how accurately our ancestors gave the name to the image! The miracle is inextricably linked with this icon. Especially for Novgorodians. Miraculously, they received help from her during the siege of the city by the Suzdalians. In 1356, a fire that broke out in the church subsided after a prayer service in front of this icon. In 1611, the Swedes who tried to rob it were thrown out of the Znamensky Cathedral. Relatively recently, many of those present witnessed a celestial phenomenon: on August 15, 1991, during the transfer of the icon from the museum where it had been kept for a long time to the Novgorod diocese, a rainbow surrounded the golden dome of the St. Sophia Cathedral in a ring, and then began to rise and dissolved in the clear, without a single cloud, sky.

In conclusion, let us recall that the word “miracle” is derived from the verb “sense” - that is, “hear, feel.” God, taking into account human nature, turns to them with the help of signs to save His people. As long as we “feel” the all-presence of God and the universal protection of the Mother of God, we can hope for Her intercession and help in sorrows. And through Her image “The Sign” the luminous grace of God will continue to descend upon us.

History remembers many cases when images and relics of saints worked miracles, helped overcome serious illnesses and other life difficulties. That's why Orthodox people pay considerable attention to religious attributes. One of these is considered to be the icon “The Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. How does it help and how to properly approach the image?

Description

This icon dates back to the 12th century. The author is not exactly known. The Mother of God is depicted in a traditional maforia with her hands raised in prayer (Oranta iconographic type). On her chest is a baby - Jesus Christ. Our Lady is standing. The original image is two-sided. The back contains images righteous Anna and Joachim, who are in prayer before Jesus Christ. Initially it was decorated with a golden chasuble with precious stones.

Four centuries after its creation, the “Sign” icon was restored. The master was supposedly Archbishop Macarius (future Metropolitan of Moscow). Then from ancient painting Only fragments of the Virgin's clothing have survived. The reverse side remains unchanged. The image is currently in St. Sophia Cathedral(Novgorod).

Story

According to sources, in 1170 Suzdal troops led by Andrei Bogolyubsky besieged Velikiy Novgorod. The forces turned out to be unequal. And the townspeople turned to the Lord in prayer for salvation. On the third night of the siege, a voice from heaven commanded Archbishop John to take the image of the Virgin Mary from the church on Ilyinskaya Street and take it to the city walls. During the religious procession, opponents began to fire at the fortress. One of the arrows hit the icon. Tears flowed from the Mother of God's eyes. After this, the enemies were suddenly seized by inexplicable horror. Quarreling among themselves, they rushed away from the city walls. Taking advantage of this confusion, the Novgorodians began to pursue the Suzdalians and won.

This historical incident is described in detail in the famous iconographic story. And the Novgorodians themselves remember and honor the icon, which depicts the savior Mother of God (“The Sign”). The meaning is reinforced by other miracles that were performed in different times holy image

Celebration

In the 12th century, after military events, a celebration was established in honor of the icon (December 10, new style), which is still celebrated in the Russian Church today. A service is held on this day. The clergy read prayers, appeals and canons, asking the Mother of God for intercession and confirmation in the faith.

Miracles

For two centuries the image was in its “native” wooden church on Ilyinskaya Street. However, in the middle of the 14th century there was a fire. And the icon showed another miracle. The fire died down just near the prayer service where the holy face hung. After this, a new stone temple was built next to the ashes, which received the status of the Icon finding a new home.

In the 16th century, after the restoration of the image, another, larger fire occurred in Novgorod. The fire spread to several streets. No efforts of the townspeople could pacify the formidable elements. Then Metropolitan Macarius turned with prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos and, with her famous image in his hands, made a religious procession along the banks of the Volkhov. Suddenly a strong wind blew towards the river - the fire stopped.

In 1611, Novgorod was attacked by the Swedes. They brutally killed townspeople and plundered houses and churches, taking away sacred utensils and desecrating icons. There is a known case when several strangers approached that very temple on Ilyinskaya Street. At this time there was a service going on there. As soon as they stepped on the threshold, the Swedes were thrown back by an invisible force. Their further attempts to penetrate the temple were unsuccessful. Having learned about this, the enemies no longer approached the temple, and the Novgorodians, on the contrary, could save themselves in it.

During October revolution(1917) the icon was transferred to the Novgorod Museum, during the Great Patriotic War- evacuated, and then returned to the museum-reserve. And finally, in 1991, the Novgorod diocese defended the saving image. Accompanied by an amazing celestial phenomenon - a rainbow around the dome of the temple - the icon “The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos” was transferred. How does the holy face help individuals and what requests can they make to it?

Meaning and Prayers

It is known that in 1352, hundreds of people were miraculously healed during a plague epidemic. And later cases of recovery from severe mental illnesses and blindness were recorded. This, according to the confessors, was favored by the icon “The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos,” in which it still helps today.

Also, people who wish for peace in their family or country, or want to find missing relatives, come to the image. However, the clergy are convinced that no matter what a believer asks for, with sincerity and purity of thoughts, the Most Holy Theotokos will definitely help. Its significance since the birth of Christianity on earth has been enormous. The Gospel describes many cases when she helped needy and sick people, converting them to faith.

Also significant is the question of how to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are many lines written specifically to address her. So, there is also a petition to the “Sign” icon. However, according to the same confessors, no matter what text a person turns to the image, his inner faith will always come first.

Miracle Lists

The history of icon painting knows several lists or copies made based on the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”. They are located in Russia and abroad. Their names correspond to the location of the images: Abalakskaya, Kurskaya, Vologdaskaya, Pavlovskaya, Solovetskaya, Tsarskoye Selo, etc. All of them have holy power and demonstrate miracles, like the original icon “The Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. How does the image help Christians? First of all, gain faith.

For this purpose, in the fall of 2009, an “Orthodox expedition” took place - a flyby of the icon to spaceship around the Earth. During the project, 176 orbits were completed. Permission and blessing for such a religious procession was received from the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill himself.

Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" © depositphotos

The Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" is one of the most revered in Orthodox world. The celebration in honor of the icon takes place on December 10. Website tochka.net will tell you about the history of this icon and about prayer to it.

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, depicted with a gesture of intercessory prayer (Oranta) - with outstretched arms and open palms - is called the Sign as a sign of the Mother of God's mercy to people.

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Icon "The Sign" of the Blessed Virgin Mary - history

Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" © depositphotos

The first reports about the “Sign” icon and the miracle it performed date back to 1170. At that time, the united Russian appanage princes, led by the son of Suzdal Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, approached the walls of Novgorod to conquer and subjugate it.

Novgorodians began to pray to the Lord for help. On the third night of the siege of the city, Archbishop Elijah of Novgorod heard a voice commanding him to take the image of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Church of the Transfiguration and take it to the city wall. One of the enemy’s arrows hit the iconographic face of the Mother of God, and tears flowed from her eyes. The people accepted this sign of the Queen of Heaven and defeated the enemy.

In honor of the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, Archbishop Elijah established a holiday on the day of the Sign of the Mother of God, which has survived to this day.

Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", Novgorod © wikimedia

In 1354, the icon was moved from the wooden Church of the Savior to stone church Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign". Later, in the 1680s, a temple was built in Novgorod in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", which became the cathedral of the Znamensky Monastery. IN Soviet time The icon "The Sign" was in the museum collection, and after 1991 it was returned to the church.

Many copies have been made of this icon. The most famous and revered as miraculous and named after the place where miracles occurred: Abalakskaya, Kursk Root, Seraphim-Ponetaevskaya, Dionysievo-Glushitskaya and others.

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Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" - what they pray for

Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" (photo) © wikimedia

“The Sign” is an icon of the Mother of God, what does it help with? In front of the icon they pray for peace and reconciliation of warring parties, for deliverance from internecine wars during disasters and invasions of enemies, for the protection of the Fatherland, as well as for healing from eye diseases and blindness, from cholera.

O Most Holy and Most Blessed Mother of our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ! We fall down and worship You before Your holy, miraculous icon, remembering the wondrous sign of Your intercession, which was revealed to the great Novugrad during the days of the military invasion of this city. We humbly pray to You, O All-Powerful Intercessor of our race: just as in ancient times You hastened our fathers to help, so now we, weak and sinners, have been made worthy of Your Motherly intercession and care. Save and preserve, O Lady, under the shelter of Your mercy, the Holy Church, Your city, our entire Orthodox country and all of us who fall to You with faith and love, tenderly asking with tears for Your intercession. Hey, Lady All-Merciful! Have mercy on us, overwhelmed by many sins, stretch out your God-receiving hand to Christ the Lord and intercede for us before His goodness, asking us forgiveness of our sins, a pious peaceful life, a good Christian death and a good answer at His Last Judgment, yes, we are saved by the omnipotent Through your prayers to Him, we will inherit the bliss of paradise and, with all the saints, we will sing the Most Honorable and Magnificent Name of the Most Worshipful Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and Your great mercy towards us forever and ever. Amen.