There is no higher service than bringing joy to those who mourn. The word "sorrow" in the old days had a broader meaning than it does today. It meant not only sorrowful experiences, but also physical suffering from illness, and failures in everyday life, and in general everything that we now call the word “negative.” It is through these troubles and adversities of life, with which the world is full, that the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” brings the joy of consolation.

Grace given through icons

Before we start talking about it, we should emphasize one very important fact- It is not the icon itself that works miracles and brings Divine grace to people, but the Mother of God depicted on it. She does this through Her images, before which we offer prayers to Her. Among them there are great icons, which are usually called miraculous. This means that the Queen of Heaven chose them specifically, and She wants to bestow grace through these very icons. For this we honor them, but we pray not to them, not to the boards covered with a layer of painting, but to She whose holy image is imprinted on them.

For the name of the icon in question, the words of one of the Theotokos stichera (special liturgical text) are used - “Joy of all who mourn.” Icon Mother of God with this name appeared in Rus' in the 17th century. Art critics note in its iconography the tangible influence of the Western European school. In addition, it should be noted that in its many editions (variants) there is no single compositional scheme. As a result, you can find significant differences in icons with this name.

An example is the saints depicted on it. In the earliest editions, these figures were absent and appeared only on icons painted after 1688. The explanation for this is as follows: this year the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” brought a miraculous healing from an illness to the sister of Patriarch Joachim, Euphemia. From then on, her glorification began, and figures of the suffering began to be introduced into the picturesque plot, thereby focusing attention on healing power image.

Features of the generally accepted iconographic tradition

Over the years, a tradition has developed to depict the Virgin Mary in full height, standing in the so-called mandorla - a vertical oval glow. An interesting fact: such an image is typical for Christian and Buddhist art. It is customary to depict the figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Buddha in such a halo. In Christian iconography, the image of Christ in a mandorla is often found on the icons “Transfiguration of the Lord” and “Second Coming”, and in the iconography of the Mother of God - on the icon “Assumption” Holy Mother of God».

In addition to the Mother of God and figures suffering from illnesses, it has become a tradition to depict angels on the icon performing acts of mercy on behalf of the Queen of Heaven. In addition, you can find numerous editions with images of saints standing on the right and left sides of the Virgin Mary. Despite the fact that the icon “Our Lady of All Who Sorrow” appeared after church schism, the reason for which was the well-known reform of Patriarch Nikon, it is very common among the Old Believers. There were especially many lists of her made in the Belarusian village of Vetka.

The history of the glorification of the icon

It is necessary to dwell in more detail on the history of the icon. As mentioned above, her glorification began in 1688 with the healing of the patriarch’s sister Euphemia Papina from ailments. Legend has it that she suffered from a non-healing wound in her side. And then one day, during prayer, Euphemia heard a wondrous voice, announcing that the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” would bring her healing.

On Ordynka there is the Church of the Transfiguration, in which you should look for this icon. After prayer, a miracle will happen in front of her, and the illness will leave the patient. The voice also added that Euphemia would have to confess this miracle, glorifying the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Soon the icon was delivered to the suffering woman, and after praying in front of it, the wound began to heal quickly. This happened on October 24th. Fulfilling the order of the Most Pure Virgin (it was She who owned that voice), Euphemia’s brother, Patriarch Joachim, ordered a prayer service to be compiled for the image of “Joy to All Who Sorrow.” The icon of the Mother of God has been glorified since then along with other miraculous icons.

Among the residents of Moscow and all of Russia, this story became widely known, which is not surprising - it the main character was the Patriarch's sister. The akathist “Joy to all who mourn” was written. In addition to the already mentioned service, they compiled the “Tale of the Icon,” which outlined in detail all the circumstances of what happened, and the royal icon painters began making copies of it. Unfortunately, it was never possible to establish where the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” came to the Church of the Transfiguration. Its significance for Russian Orthodoxy is great, and the lack of information about it early history is a big gap.

Creating a list of icons and leaving for St. Petersburg

Further events associated with the miraculous icon date back to 1711. During this period, the capital of Russia was moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The royal family also moved there. From historical documents it is clear that the sister of Tsar Peter I, Princess Natalya Alekseevna, leaving for the new capital, ordered a copy of the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The icon of the Mother of God was taken to St. Petersburg. But here a discrepancy appears in the documents - according to some sources, a copy went to the banks of the Neva, but the original remained in Moscow, other sources claim the opposite.

It should be noted that after the glorification of the icon, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, where the boundary consecrated in its honor was located, began to be called among the people “Sorrowful” or “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Ordynka. We can say with complete confidence that the icon that Princess Natalya left for Muscovites was in the temple until the revolution. Then the riddles begin.

After the revolution, the church was closed, its building was used for government needs. There is a version that the icon stored there disappeared without a trace during the church’s difficult times, and the image now in the restored church is an 18th-century copy donated to it by Patriarch Alexy I. But there is another version, according to which the original icon miraculously survived the years of fighting against God and is now in its original place.

St. Petersburg Icon of the Virgin Mary

However, let’s move to St. Petersburg and follow the icon that the Tsar’s sister brought here from Moscow. It remained unclear whether it was an original or a copy, but, in spite of everything, both the Moscow icon and its St. Petersburg sister were considered equally miraculous. This is confirmed by the fact that, when setting off on the Prut campaign in 1711, the tsar ordered her to be taken with him as a guarantee of the army’s heavenly protection.

Tsarevna Natalya Alekseevna placed the icon brought to her in the house church of her own palace, which was located on Shpalernaya Street. In those years, her brother’s famous brainchild, the Foundry Yard, where guns for the army and anchors for the navy were cast, was also located there. Russia's military and economic power was created there.

Natalya Alekseevna spared no expense for the shrine. The icon frame, made of silver and plated with gold, was richly decorated with family jewelry. According to established tradition, particles of the relics of saints and other relics were placed in it. Over time, the pious princess set up an almshouse at her palace, to which the church went after her death in 1716.

Veneration of the icon by royal persons

Half a century later, Empress Catherine II treated the miraculous image of “Joy to All Who Sorrow” with special reverence. The icon of the Mother of God gave her strength during the smallpox epidemic that broke out in 1768. It is known that the empress was one of the first to vaccinate herself and the heir to the throne against this terrible disease, thereby setting an example for others.

It was very important, since vaccinations in those years were an innovation and were met in society with fear and misunderstanding. Before deciding to take such a step, Catherine II came to the home church of Princess Natalia. The prayer to the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” instilled confidence in her. As a result, vaccinations made following her example saved the lives of hundreds of people. As a token of gratitude, a new, even richer frame for the icon was soon made.

During the reign of her grandson Alexander I, the house church on Shpalernaya was completely rebuilt according to the design of the architect L. Ruska; a special niche was created for the icon on the right side of the iconostasis. The creation of a new, third frame for the icon dates back to this period.

It was carried out with extraordinary generosity. Almost seven kilograms of gold were used to make it. In addition, large quantities were used for decoration. gems. A photo from a lithograph of the icon made in 1862 can be seen in this article. Particles of the relics of many saints were also placed in the frame. After the solemn consecration, which was performed by Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov), the frame took its place.

Three lists with icons

It should also be noted that in the temple on Shpalernaya, in addition to the icon in question, there were three more copies made from it, but they are considered lost. It is only known that one of them was practically no different in its iconographic features from what Natalya Alekseevna brought. It was decorated with a precious salary. In 1847, the icon was transferred to the ownership of the Spaso-Efrosinyevsky Monastery in Polotsk, and its place was taken by a copy made by the painter P.M. Shamshin.

It is known about the other two lists that they had their own iconographic features. Their composition included figures of sufferers, which indicates their later composition. The picturesque manner in which they were executed is more typical of the Western school. One of the icons was located at the top of the room in the choir. Its authorship is attributed to the then famous artist F.A. Bronnikov. The other was created specifically in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the reconstruction of the temple. It was written on a copper board by the artist I.A. Tyurin.

Somewhat later, the church was rebuilt, and since then it has received the name Skorbyashchinskaya. It was also known as the Church of the Icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” It existed until 1932, when, along with many Russian churches, it was closed. After this, the miraculous icon stored in it, the family heirloom of Princess Natalya, disappeared without a trace.

In St. Petersburg, in the Transfiguration Cathedral, there is an icon that many consider to be the one that was lost when the temple on Shpalernaya was closed. But this, unfortunately, erroneous opinion. An ancient lithograph made from an icon that belonged to the princess proves their non-identity. It is more likely that the Transfiguration Cathedral contains that revered list, which, as is known, was kept in a precious frame next to the icon of Natalya Alekseevna and was transferred to the cathedral after the closure of the house church.

Icon with pennies

Among the St. Petersburg icons of the Mother of God there is one that is unique in its own way. It is called the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” with pennies. There is a legend that once, in the middle of the 19th century, she was washed ashore by the Neva waves near the estate of the merchant Kurakin. From them the icon passed to the merchant Matveev, who presented it as a gift to the chapel built in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the Village of Klochka near St. Petersburg. The chapel was located next to the famous St. Petersburg glass factory.

This icon gained fame after a terrible thunderstorm that raged over the city on July 23, 1888. From documents remaining from that time, it is known that a lightning strike that struck the chapel scorched the internal walls and the icons located there. The donation mug suffered the most damage - it was completely broken. Only the icon in the chapel remained unharmed - a gift from the merchant Matveev. Moreover, the coins that scattered when struck by lightning inexplicably stuck firmly to the surface of the icon.

When the damaged chapel was opened after a thunderstorm, they discovered that the image of the Virgin Mary, previously attached in the corner on a cord, had fallen down from a strong blow. But the most amazing thing was that the face of the Mother of God, darkened by time, itself brightened and was renewed. There were many witnesses to this miracle, and word of it quickly spread throughout St. Petersburg.

Its glorification began with the fact that, by order of the ruling bishop, Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky), regular prayer services began in front of the icon. By this time, there are also reports of the first miraculous healings that took place through prayers in front of this newly found image. It is clear from the records that after the prayer to the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was performed on December 6, 1890, the youth Nikolai Grachev, 14 years old, received healing from epilepsy. The next case was recorded in February 1891, when 26-year-old Vera Belonogova, who had completely lost the ability to speak due to a throat disease, suddenly found the gift of speech.

Destroyed temple “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (St. Petersburg)

Pious Emperor Alexander III in 1893, a prayer service was served in front of this icon. Five years later, thanks to the financial resources he donated, a stone temple"Joy to all who mourn." It stood on the Neva embankment. However, in the thirties it suffered the same fate as many churches in our country - it was demolished. Now only the miraculously preserved chapel reminds of him.

Fortunately, it was possible to save the miraculous icon itself, and now it is also located on the Nevsky Bank, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, which is popularly called “Kulich and Easter” for its architectural features. In honor of this icon, a special day of celebration was established - August 5. By the way, my official name The St. Petersburg icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” with pennies was received by personal order of Patriarch Alexy II in 1998. On all copies made from it subsequently, the coins were depicted with paint.

Lists famous for miracles

It is known that not only the icons, which have already been mentioned in this article, but also the copies made from them became famous for many miracles. In their iconographic type, these icons often repeat both the Moscow and St. Petersburg icons. They are located in different parts of the country, but legends about the miracles they performed become public knowledge.

We should dwell on this in more detail. The most famous of these icons is Reshnevskaya. Its name comes from the village of Reshnev, where the temple “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was specially built for it. According to legend, this icon was received from a wandering monk by a pious and wealthy landowner, M. Savich. The temple was built at her expense.

Tradition says that on the day of his consecration a miracle happened - through the prayers of his mother, a boy suffering from paralysis was healed. This icon itself is somewhat different from other icons of this type. It almost completely copies the “Iveron Mother of God”, however, among local residents and in general among its admirers it is called the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” icon. Its meaning for believers lies in the feeling of the reality of intercession and help sent by the Most Holy Theotokos.

Lists of icons that became famous in hospitals and prisons

For several centuries now, the icon “Joy to All Who Sorrow” has been helping patients who have lost all hope of recovery. An example of this is the image located in the hospital belonging to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Tradition says that the founder of the hospital, Prince Nikolai Svyatosha, who was later glorified as a saint, donated the icon there. Further, the legend tells that the hospital watchman more than once witnessed how no one visited the hospital famous woman, and those patients whom she approached soon recovered. There was also one monk there who suffered from an incurable disease and was ready to finish his life. earthly path. And then one day, over his headboard in moonlight a distinct image of the Mother of God appeared. The sick man saw her and was soon healed.

Since ancient times, in Vologda, in the prison hospital, there was a miraculous icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” Its value was appreciated there too. People who, through their own fault or due to circumstances, are behind bars, need the help and intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos like no one else. Residents of the city, who revered the icon, made a silver frame with gilding for it and took it out to everyone. procession. Unfortunately, this miraculous image has not survived to this day, having disappeared without a trace during the years of the revolution.

Icon from Voronezh

The Voronezh Theological Church is also famous for its miraculous icon. There is a legend that one of Peter I’s close associates, sailing in a boat along the Voronezh River, refused to moor to the shore near the temple and bow to the icon located in it. He even allowed himself to express himself quite impudently about this. However, a storm that soon broke out, threatening the life of both the nobleman himself and his retinue, forced him to repent of his rash words and, mooring to the shore, hasten to the temple. After he venerated the icon, the storm miraculously stopped. This icon is revered as miraculous. There are many testimonies of healings that occurred through prayers before her.

It is difficult to list all the miraculous lists from this blessed icon. They were always revered, temples and chapels were built for them. Such a chapel “Joy to All Who Sorrow” was built in St. Petersburg in 1915. It was intended to help mentally ill children and was built under the patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna. After the revolution it was closed and re-consecrated only in 1990.

One cannot help but recall the list of icons located in Tobolsk. There is little information about its creation, but art historians believe that its writing can be dated back to the end of the 16th century. In the temple, this icon was displayed in a precious frame and decorated with numerous rings, crosses and pendants donated by parishioners on the occasion of granting help through prayers. It is characteristic that it was held in special esteem by city merchants; among them, carrying it through the shopping arcades was considered the key to successful commerce. Unfortunately, this icon has not survived to this day. Like many others, she disappeared during the revolution.

Many believers have this wonderful image in their home meetings. Icons in an apartment always create a special atmosphere. Even people who do not identify themselves with religion feel the beneficial energy emanating from them. It operates independently of our perception. But if a person’s heart is warmed by faith in God, then icons become truly miraculous.

At all times, people prayed before the image of the Intercessor and asked to ease suffering in the most difficult moments of their lives. The icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” is especially revered by Orthodox believers due to its miraculous powers.

The inexplicable appearance of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” became one of the first miracles associated with the revered image. He later became famous for his ability to heal people from the most serious illnesses. A prayer said before sacred face Intercessors. If a difficult moment has come in your life that is difficult for you to overcome on your own, then be sure to turn to the Mother of God for help and do not doubt that she will definitely hear you.

History of the image of the Mother of God

The appearance of the icon of the Virgin Mary “Joy of All Who Sorrow” became known in 1685. At that moment she was in the Moscow Transfiguration Church. However, the image of the Mother of God did not immediately become famous for its miraculous properties. As stated in one of the ancient chronicles, in the summer of 1688, local resident Euphemia Papina, sister of Moscow Patriarch Joachim, approached the clergyman of the Church of the Transfiguration. She told him about a serious illness, which even the most skilled healers could not cure, and also told him about the miracle that happened to her. Having lost hope of healing, she turned to the Mother of God and suddenly heard a voice that advised Euphemia to turn to the priest of the Church of the Transfiguration. She followed all the advice of the voice, visited the temple and asked to take the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” home to pray before the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. Soon the Patriarch's sister forgot about the terrible illness. The story became public immediately after Euphemia’s miraculous healing.

Description of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”

Despite the fact that there are no reliable facts about the history of the icon and its appearance, it is believed that it was painted by the famous Russian icon painter Ivan Bezmin in 1683. There are several versions of the image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” but there is one, the most famous of them, which you can see in many churches.

The Mother of God is depicted in full growth, and she is wearing royal robes. In her arms is the Baby Jesus, who is the Savior of people. The Mother of God is surrounded by angels who, at her command, perform good deeds. Next to the Virgin Mary you can see believers praying - they all turn to her with various ailments and ask for help. Based church hierarchy, above all is depicted the Lord, who helps in getting rid of severe torments and illnesses.

Where is the icon of the Mother of God located?

The original icon is still located in the Transfiguration Church, or, as it is now called, in the Sorrow Church on Bolshaya Ordynka.

Also pray before in a sacred way you can in the Serpukhov Vysotsky Monastery, which is located in the Moscow region, in the city of Serpukhov.

In St. Petersburg, you can visit the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” where you can say a prayer before the face of the Virgin Mary.

You can also visit temples dedicated to the miraculous image in Suzdal, Ivanovo, Moscow, Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod.

How does the icon of the Mother of God help?

Even from the very name of the image you can understand that it helps people who are tormented life difficulties, serious illnesses and insurmountable difficulties. At all times there have been “grieving” people who simply need help Higher powers. In this case, most believers turned specifically to the Mother of God.

The image helps poor people obtain the necessary material goods. You should not ask Our Lady for unimaginable riches, but you can pray for the preservation of financial stability and the absence of financial needs.

If a terrible grief has happened in your life, you can pray to the Mother of God and ask her to calm your soul and save you from internal torment.

Sometimes it is difficult to recover from serious illnesses, and some of them are completely incurable. If all the efforts of the doctors do not bring the desired result, pray in front of the image of the Mother of God “Joy of all who mourn” and ask to be delivered from bodily pain.

Many people are forced to frequently go on business trips and travel a lot. In this case, the image of the Mother of God will become a strong talisman for you. You must purchase an icon and always carry it with you.

Prayer before the face of the Intercessor will also help you improve relationships with your loved ones and maintain harmony in the family.

Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God

Before turning to Our Lady, be sure to ask for forgiveness for your sins. At the same time, blame only yourself for all your misdeeds, and do not hold other people responsible for them.

“All who ask and pray to You, Intercessor, we ask You to help us in the difficulties of life. Help us get rid of terrible torments, unbearable torments. Deliver us from the wrath of God to avoid his punishment. Blessed, Immaculate and Great Mother of God, I turn to You in difficult times of my life. I pray to You and ask for deliverance from the troubles received for my sins. Your Word is powerful, so ask the Lord God to deliver me from insurmountable problems. Be my Intercessor. Now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen!".

If your prayer is sincere and comes from the soul, then the Mother of God will soon respond to your requests.

Date of celebration of the icon of the Virgin Mary

The celebration of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” takes place annually on November 6 (October 24, old style). On this day, services are held in churches, and you can also listen to divine liturgy. The date is connected with the fact that it was on this day in 1688 that the miraculous healing of Euphemia Papina took place, and since then the image has become revered among Orthodox believers. Prayer before the image of the Mother of God on this day has special power, and accordingly, your requests will be heard as soon as possible.

Servants of the Orthodox Church claim that you can get what you want by praying to the Lord and the Saints. If you do it correctly, the result will please you. We wish you success, and don't forget to press the buttons and

The Icon of All Who Sorrow Joy is a completely unique phenomenon in the history of icon painting. The series of documented evidence of the miraculous properties of this image is perhaps the longest in the history of the Mother of God icons.

Joy to all who mourn is the opening line of one of the Mother of God stichera. There is no doubt that the very name of this image was the reason for its widest distribution on Russian soil. In addition to the first Moscow image, there were at least two and a half dozen miraculous and locally revered copies of this icon: in the first throne itself and in its environs, on the banks of the Neva and in Abkhazia, in Siberian Tobolsk and Kiev, in Vologda and Nizhny Novgorod, in others cities, villages and monasteries. The meaning hidden in the name of the icon is especially close and understandable to the soul of the Russian person - hope in the Most Pure One, who invariably hastens to console, alleviate the sorrow and suffering of people, to give “clothing to the naked, healing to the sick”...

Iconography
The icon depicts the Mother of God full-length (with or without the Child in her hand) in the radiance of a mandorla ( special shape halo - oval-shaped radiance, elongated in a vertical direction) and surrounded by angels. Above in the clouds is the Lord of Hosts or the New Testament Trinity.

This type of iconography developed in Rus' in the 17th century under Western European “Latin” influence (“Madonna in Glory” or “Gloria”, “Misericordia” or “Merciful” (analogous to the Russian “Protection of the Virgin”), “Ruzhantsova” or “Rosarium” ( with rosary), “Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary”; from the Orthodox - “ Life-giving spring”, “Image of tenderness and visiting those suffering in trouble”, merged with “Joy of All Who Sorrow” by the 18th century).

The iconography of the image has not received a single complete composition and exists in many variants. But the best known are two types - with the Baby in her arms (Moscow from the Transfiguration Church on Ordynka) and without the Baby (St. Petersburg from the Tikhvin Chapel near the glass factory "with pennies").

The iconographic feature of the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” is that it depicts, together with the Mother of God, people overwhelmed by sorrows and illnesses, and angels performing good deeds in the name of the Mother of God.

History of the icon
The icon first became famous in Moscow in 1688, during the reign of Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich. The sister of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow, Euphemia Papina, suffered so much from a wound in her side that her insides were visible. Realizing her hopeless situation, she only sought reinforcement and consolation through prayer. One morning she heard a voice: “Euphemia, why in your suffering do you not resort to the common Healer of all? In the Church of the Transfiguration of My Son there is My image called “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” He stands on the left side of the meal, where women usually stand. Call a priest with this image from this church to you, and when he serves a prayer service with the blessing of water, you will receive healing. Then do not forget My mercy towards you and confess it to glorify My name.”

Church of the Transfiguration on Ordynka

When Euphemia recovered from the excitement caused by the miraculous phenomenon, and learned from relatives that there was indeed an icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the Church of the Transfiguration on Ordynka, she called the priest with the icon to her house. After performing the water blessing prayer, Euphemia was completely healed. The event received a wide response, since Euphemia was sister the then patriarch.

This wonderful event took place on October 24, old style, and opened a series of equally miraculous healings. Immediately after the glorification of the image, a service to the icon and a special akathist were compiled, written in 1863 by the professor of the Moscow Theological Academy P. S. Kazansky.

In 1688, the icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” through which healing came from the Mother of God, was already very dilapidated, so it had to be strengthened with cypress inserts. How she got into this temple is also not known for certain. Presumably, it has been there since 1685, from the time when a stone building was erected on the site of the wooden structure of the Church of Varlaam Khutynsky, in which a chapel was built for the saint, where the icon was located. It is not known for sure whether the original list has been lost.

Temple of the Icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Ordynka

The temple on Ordynka operates to this day, however, it looks different than in the 17th century, its appearance has been changed by later architectural additions, and is now called the Temple of the Icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, another name is the Sorrowful Church, instead of the Transfiguration Church.

During Soviet times, a storage facility was organized in the temple premises Tretyakov Gallery, and there is information that the icon disappeared from the collections without a trace.

Moscow list of “Joy to All Who Sorrow”

Accurate measuring list from the miraculous icon from the Sorrow Church on Ordynka (last quarter of the 18th century)

The icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, which is now kept on Ordynka, is one of the first copies of the original image; it is believed that it was made in the 18th century. It is believed that it was donated to the temple during the Great Patriotic War Patriarch Alexy I, when in the Church of Sorrows, during the difficult years for Russia, services began again in some churches.

The Moscow icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” goes back to the “Gloria” type and depicts the Virgin and Child, above whom two angels with ripids hover. Another pair of angels is depicted among suffering people. A special feature is the image of a number of saints above the suffering: on the left - Sergius of Radonezh and Theodore Sikeota, on the right - Gregory Dekapolit and Varlaam Khutynsky. Above the Mother of God there is an image of the Fatherland (one of the iconographic variants of the icons of the Holy Trinity, banned at the Great Moscow Council of 1667), and under her feet there is a cartouche containing the text of the kontakion to the icon.

St. Petersburg list “Joy to all who mourn”
In 1711, the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” or an exact copy of it was brought by Princess Natalya Alekseevna Naryshkina, the sister of Emperor Peter I, to St. Petersburg, which was under construction, where since then it became known as the icon of Natalya Alekseevna. Both icons - Moscow and St. Petersburg - were equally revered as miraculous.

It is known that this list of the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was with Russian troops during the war with the Turks in the famous 1711 campaign on the Prut River. When the tsar returned to the capital, in memory of his deliverance from danger at the Prut River, he built the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in his sister’s palace on Shpalernaya Street and placed an icon there. Subsequently, under Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna, on the site of the previous house church, they erected stone church, which became a parish.

Members of the royal family also resorted to the icon - Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II, Paul I, Maria Fedorovna, and other members of the Royal House and the Imperial Court. Thus, Catherine the Great especially revered the image since, through the prayerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven, the smallpox epidemic in St. Petersburg, which threatened the life of the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, stopped.

Icon of Princess Natalya Alekseevna in a precious frame (lithograph of 1862)

Already under Natalia Alekseevna, the icon was richly decorated - a silver frame was made for it, decorated with the family jewels of the princesses, and particles of relics and relics of saints were attached to it. The image was written on a cypress board. Under Catherine II, the 2nd salary was made. In 1858, according to a drawing by F. G. Solntsev, a new, third frame was made of gold for him. It took about 6.7 kg of gold to make the setting; it was richly decorated with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, garnets, topazes, amethysts and pearls.

Even later, the church was completely rebuilt and received the name of the Sorrow Church, based on the icon that was in it. In 1932 the temple was closed and the icon disappeared.

The icon of Natalia Alekseevna was not widely repeated. Lists from it are very rare and have a local St. Petersburg character. They can be easily identified by the absence of sufferers and the presence of rosaries in the hands of the Virgin and Child.

St. Petersburg list “Joy with pennies for all who mourn”
The Most Pure Virgin is depicted on the icon in full height with outstretched arms. The Savior sits above Her in the clouds. On the sides of the image there are images of angels and sufferers. Green branches are depicted behind the Mother of God. And the indispensable twelve coins.

Our Lady of the Peas

According to legend, this image was washed up by the waves on the estate of the merchants Kurakins on the Neva. Subsequently, the icon passed to the merchant Matveev, whose mother came from the Kurakin family, who donated it to the Tikhvin chapel of the village of Klochki near St. Petersburg, located near St. Petersburg glass factory. A chapel was built at this place for the image. On July 23, 1888, a terrible thunderstorm broke out, lightning struck the chapel, burned the interior walls and icons, but did not touch the image of the Mother of God. The icon ended up on the floor from the blow, but the face of the Mother of God, long darkened by time and soot, brightened and was renewed. Twelve copper coins from a broken begging mug turned out to be permanently attached in different places to the icon (on the lists from the icon, the coins are depicted with paint). The news of the miraculous preservation of the icon spread throughout the capital, its veneration grew day by day, and the mercy of God glorified the icon with wondrous miracles.

The first healing that gained all-Russian fame occurred on December 6, 1890, when the icon cured 14-year-old orphan Nikolai Grachev, who had suffered from seizures since childhood (later he studied at the drawing school of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts). On February 7, 1891, the 26-year-old wife of a clerk from the Thornton factory, Vera Belonogina, who had lost her voice due to a throat disease, was healed.

Church of the Holy Trinity "Kulich and Easter"

A separate celebration has been established in honor of the icon - July 23 (August 5). Currently, the icon is in the Church of the Holy Trinity “Kulich and Easter” (St. Petersburg).

Other icon lists
IN XVIII-XIX centuries icons of the Mother of God with the title “Joy of All Who Sorrow” were revered as miraculous in many urban and rural churches throughout Russia. Their iconography repeats both Moscow and St. Petersburg icons. Most of the lists were decorated with rich frames and had numerous votive appendages (various jewelry: offerings that are brought to the shrine in gratitude for healing or during the making of a vow). With the most known lists associated with independent legends that served as the reason for their local veneration.

The icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the house is a guarantee that especially Hard time, when someone close to you falls ill, you can resort to the help of the Mother of God depicted on it, because She is waiting for one thing - our request for help. Anyone who comes to her with a persistent and sincere prayer request will certainly receive help and response.

N. I. Komashko

Our Lady "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

c. 22¦ Among the iconographic types of the Mother of God that developed in Russian icon painting in the 17th century under Western European “Latin” influence, “Joy of All Who Sorrow” is undoubtedly the most interesting, diverse and at the same time mysterious. This is the name of icons, sometimes very little similar to each other, and it can be difficult to understand what unites them all. In the process of its formation, the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” never received a single stable compositional scheme and exists in the form various options, the origin and characteristics of which we will try to understand. c. 22
c. 23¦

One of the most revered Russian Orthodox Church shrines - the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” - became famous in Moscow in 1688, when Euphemia Papina, who was the sister of Patriarch Joachim, received healing from her: the widow had a non-healing wound in her side. This event is described in detail in the Legend of the Icon, written immediately after the miracle occurred, literally hot on its heels. The newly glorified image was in the Church of the Transfiguration on Ordynka, of which Euphemia was a parishioner. When and under what circumstances the icon came to this temple, there is no exact information. Apparently, this happened in 1685, when the church was rebuilt in stone at the expense of Evdokia Vasilyeva Akinfova.

The miracle received great resonance because it happened to the closest relative of the late patriarch. In addition to the Legend, a service and prayers to the icon were compiled, and the isographers of the royal icon-painting workshop at the Armory began to create copies of it.

At the beginning of the 18th century, an event occurred that introduced uncertainty into the further history of the miraculous image. It is known for certain that around 1710–1711, in connection with the move of the royal court from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Princess Natalya Alekseevna, sister of Peter I, took the icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ordynka. At the same time, it remained unknown whether it was a list from the image or the original, the place of which was taken by the list. Confusion on this issue can be seen in all popular reference books on miraculous icons of the Mother of God since the 19th century: some authors adhere to the first version, others to the second. One way or another, both icons of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” - the one that remained in Moscow and the one that was taken to St. Petersburg - were equally revered as miraculous.

The icon of Natalya Alekseevna, decorated with a precious frame, was placed in her home Church of the Ascension behind the Foundry Yard. Then, after the death of the princess, her palace was rebuilt as an almshouse, which also included the church. Later it was completely rebuilt and received the name Sorrowful - after the shrine that was located in it. During Soviet times, when the temple was closed, this icon disappeared. In the Spaso-Preobrazhensky “All Artillery” Cathedral in St. Petersburg there is now an icon that is considered the image of Natalya Alekseevna, but this is nothing more than a misconception. An accurate lithographed image of the miraculous image of the princess has been preserved, which does not coincide with the icon from the Transfiguration Cathedral. In the Church of Sorrows there was a revered list from the shrine, also in a precious setting. Apparently, it was he who was moved to the cathedral when the church was closed.

The Moscow icon remained safely in the church on Ordynka until Soviet times. The church was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century by Vasily Bazhenov, and after the fire of Moscow in 1812 - by Osip Bove. In Moscow, it is better known not as Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya, but as Sorrowful in the chapel, c. 23
c. 24¦ dedicated to the miraculous image. Under Soviet rule, the church was closed and the icon was confiscated. The image that is now in the Church of Sorrows was donated by Patriarch Alexy I during the Great Patriotic War when services were resumed there. This is an exact copy of the Moscow miraculous icon, created, apparently, in the second half of the 18th century.

Despite the fact that both miraculous images were lost, we can quite confidently judge what they looked like thanks to the surviving accurate copies of the Moscow icon and the lithographic reproduction of the St. Petersburg icon. The most surprising thing is that these icons - one of which is a list of the other - are not at all identical in their iconography. Quite serious iconographic discrepancies between them partly answer the question of which of the images was the original. Most likely, it was St. Petersburg, with absolutely unique features indicating its originality. And although in the surviving image of him the image is reproduced in a frame that almost completely covers the painting of the icon, there is no doubt: the design of the frame exactly repeated the author’s composition.

On both icons the Mother of God was depicted full-length, standing in radiance and surrounded by angels with the Child on her left hand. Her head is slightly tilted to the left, her right arm is lowered and slightly to the side. The first important difference between the St. Petersburg icon and the Moscow one was that both the Mother of God and the Child on it were holding a rosary in their hands, and this justifies the gesture of Mary’s right hand. Secondly, on the St. Petersburg icon, the Lord of hosts was depicted above in the clouds, and not the New Testament Trinity, as on the Moscow one. This image seems more correct also because in the Moscow image Christ appears to be represented twice - in heaven and in the arms of the Mother of God. On the St. Petersburg icon, Mary stands on a crescent. And finally, the most important difference is that there is no image of the suffering. It is difficult to imagine that when creating a copy of the miraculous icon commissioned by the princess, the icon painter could have missed such an important detail, which later became almost decisive for the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”

On the Moscow icon, on the contrary, there is a detailed image of those suffering on both sides of the Mother of God, who are consoled by angels from Her face. This icon is also unique in its own way. Its peculiarity is the additional saints on either side of Mary and the Child, presented above the groups of sufferers. These are Sergius of Radonezh, Fyodor Sikeot, Gregory Dekapolit and Varlaam Khutynsky. The image of Varlaam Khutynsky here is no coincidence. In the Transfiguration Church there has long been a chapel dedicated to him. Reverends Varlaam of Khutyn and Sergius of Radonezh, as the most revered Russian saints, were often depicted together. As for such rarely depicted saints as Theodore Sikeot and Gregory Decapolis, their presence can only be explained by their patronal character. From all this it follows that the Moscow icon was painted specifically for the temple on Ordynka c. 24
c. 25¦ (as indicated by the image of Varlaam) by order of an unknown private person (for whose sake the images of rare saints were introduced).

The idea of ​​​​creating such an image could have arisen after the glorification of the icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The original was reproduced in an expanded compositional version with the suffering, since the very name of the miraculous icon encouraged their depiction. At the same time, some overtly “Latin” details were ignored, such as the moon under the feet of the Virgin Mary and the rosary in Her hands and the Child. Over time, this list took the place of the original icon, taken to St. Petersburg. It is very likely that he, too, began to enjoy veneration even when both icons were in the same church, since exact lists of the Moscow icon with additional saints began to appear even before Natalya Alekseevna moved to St. Petersburg.

In the 18th–19th centuries, the Moscow icon was repeated many times in lists, both exact (including repeating sizes) and free, where the composition of additional saints was arbitrarily changed or they were absent altogether. These lists were widely distributed throughout Russia. The spread of the Moscow version of iconography was also facilitated by engraved sheets made in the 18th century from the miraculous image.

The icon of Natalia Alekseevna, on the contrary, did not have a massive repetition. Lists from it are very rare and have a local St. Petersburg character. They can be easily identified by the absence of those suffering and, conversely, by the presence of rosaries in the hands of the Virgin and Child.

Where and when did the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” come into Russian icon painting practice? This, of course, happened even before the glorification of the image on Ordynka and was associated with the powerful flow of various Western European visual sources that poured into Russia. Poland played a special role in the export of “Latin” iconographies of the Mother of God, whose focus on artistic culture at the royal court reached its apogee during the reign of Princess Sophia.

“Joy of all who mourn” is the opening line of one of the Mother of God stichera. Apparently, the first icon with this name was an image known only from mention in documents, painted in 1683 by the court painter Ivan Bezmin. It is no coincidence that it was painted not by an icon painter, but by a painter who worked in European style. It was easier for such a master to reproduce the Western model, respecting both its unconventional iconography and style. There are references to the fact that icons with the same name were located until 1688 in the temple of the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow and the Alekseevsky Monastery in Arzamas. It even survived short description Arzamas icon, according to which it is reconstructed as an image of the Mother of God with the Child and two angels on the sides. Thus, the icon of Natalya Alekseevna, which did not have images of the suffering, was not alone in this iconographic series. The Virgin and Child surrounded by angels is a widespread c. 25
c. 26¦ in the Catholic world the image of the “Madonna in Glory” (“Gloria”). Apparently, the first Russian images of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” went back precisely to this Western European type and there were no sufferers mentioned in the title of the icon.

Other details of the St. Petersburg icon also indicate Western origin. Thus, the rosary of the Virgin and Child is an indispensable detail of the image of the “Rosarium”, or the vision of St. Dominic. The Virgin Mary appeared to him with the Christ Child in her arms and handed him a rosary for reading a special cycle Mother of God prayers, the so-called "Rosary". In the Polish tradition, the Mother of God “Rosarium” (or “Ruzhantsova”) was often depicted without Saint Dominic, and sometimes it was not only Mary who held the rosary, but also Christ. This is exactly how they are represented on the St. Petersburg icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The moon under the feet of the Mother of God and the radiance emanating from her correspond to the text of the Apocalypse, which mentions “a woman clothed with the sun; the moon is under her feet” (Apocalypse 11–1). Since the 14th century, images of the Virgin Mary with or without the Child in her arms, standing on the moon and surrounded by radiance, were widespread in the West, from where XVII century came to Russia, giving rise to several iconographies of the Mother of God, including - “ To the Blessed Heaven" and "Sunny".

After the glorification of the image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in 1688, this iconography was enriched with additional images of the suffering, which quickly became almost an obligatory feature of it. By that time, similar images were well developed in other iconographies of the Mother of God, from where they migrated to “Joy to All Who Sorrow.” One of these iconographies is the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring,” rediscovered in Russia during the years of Nikon’s patriarchate, already in an expanded Greek version of the compositional scheme, including images of all kinds of sick, old, wretched, etc. Another iconography, which also had images of the suffering, is “ An image of tenderness and visiting those suffering in trouble.” This type happened to become a kind of double of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” and over time dissolved in this iconography.

The first images of the Mother of God “Tenderness and Visits to the Suffering in Trouble” are found in the form of a separate mark on the icons of Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets, created by him in the 1680s for several Yaroslavl churches. One of them, “Our Lady of Cyprus with 40 marks” from the Yaroslavl Assumption Cathedral (Russian Museum), has the exact date creation - 1687. The main feature of this composition is the image of the Mother of God without the Child. Her arms are lowered and slightly spread to the sides, she holds a wand and a scroll. Below are the suffering, whom She, as it were, overshadows with her hands. There is no radiance around Her figure, but c. 26
c. 27¦ it is clearly indicated that the scene takes place in paradise - the background of the stamp is white, with herbs and flowers depicted on it. At the top is a blessing Christ, which seems quite logical, since there is no image of the Child here.

Of course, this iconographic scheme did not arise without Western influences. The basis of the composition was the Madonna “Misericordia” (“Merciful”), a kind of Western analogue of the Russian “Protection of the Virgin”. In such images, Mary appeared with her arms spread wide, extending her cloak over the praying people. It was this scheme that was used to depict the “Protection of the Virgin Mary” in the western and southern Russian lands after they became part of Russia. In meaning, the image of the Madonna “Misericordia” completely coincides with “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, expressing the intercession of the Mother of God for all suffering people who turn to her for help.

At the turn of the 17th–18th centuries in the Volga region, images of the Mother of God “Tenderness and Visits to the Suffering in Trouble” became especially widespread. There they are found not only in icons, but also in murals. Such an important semantic aspect of this composition as the Garden of Eden was gradually lost in them. White background changed to color, but the fantastic flowers on the sides of the figure of the Virgin Mary remained as a reminder of paradise.

The compositional scheme of “Tenderness and visitation to those suffering in trouble” gave a long independent iconographic line in Russian icon painting, but by the middle of the 18th century it had lost its original name. She became one of the variants of "Joy to All Who Sorrow", adopting someone else's name. The reason for this is the great semantic and compositional similarity of both iconographies.

Icons of this type were painted in great numbers in icon painting centers throughout Russia. The Old Believers were also not indifferent to him. In general, it remains a mystery how the iconography that developed after Patriarch Nikon and carried the obvious influence of “Latinism” took root in the Old Believer environment. Nevertheless, she enjoyed great popularity in it, both in the Moscow version and in the “Tenderness and Visitation” type. The “Misericordia” scheme goes back to numerous images of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” painted in the icon-painting workshops of the Old Believer village of Vetka in Belarus.

Often the scroll in the hand of the Mother of God was replaced with bread, which more accurately corresponded to the epithet of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” as “those hungry for satiety.” Such a noticeable detail, which appeared in the work of Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets, was often repeated, like the white cloth on the head of the Virgin Mary. In the 19th century, one of these icons in common writing was in a chapel at a glass factory near St. Petersburg, where several miracles occurred from it, glorifying this image throughout Russia. On July 23, 1888, the chapel was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm and caught fire. After the fire was extinguished, they noticed that the icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” had fallen from the icon case onto the scattered c. 27
c. 28¦ from the box of monetary donations, 12 coins stuck and it is unclear how they held on. In 1890 and 1891, two healings occurred from the icon - 14-year-old Nikolai Grachev, who suffered from seizures, and 26-year-old Vera Belonogova, who lost her voice due to a throat disease.

After the royal family visited the chapel at the glass factory in 1893, construction began on a temple for the newly glorified image. The project was developed by A. I. von Gauguin and A. I. Ivanov. Five years later, construction was completed. In 1932, the Sorrow Church was dismantled, and the image was transferred to the Trinity Church (1785), built according to the design of the architect Nikolai Lvov, better known as “Kulich and Easter”.

From icon to late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, many lists were created on which the coins on it were necessarily written. Sometimes these were real copper pennies that were attached to the image. Lists “with coins” were in wide circulation throughout Russia, and there were especially many of them in the St. Petersburg province.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the name “Tenderness and visits to those suffering in trouble” apparently meant not only icons like the “Misericordia”, but in general any image of the Mother of God without the Child, surrounded by the suffering. This is the name of the image of the early 18th century, originating from the Church of the Archangel Michael in Bronnitsy and apparently painted by the royal isographer Tikhon Filatyev (CMiAR). In this icon, the Mother of God is depicted not with her hands lowered, but with her hands folded in prayer on her chest. Her figure is surrounded by swirling clouds and cherubs floating in a golden glow. The Mother of God stands on a crescent, has a staff in her hand, and her head is crowned with the crown of the Queen of Heaven. The gesture of the hands of the Virgin Mary suggests that this image goes back to the Western iconographic type of the “Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary” (“Imaculata”). This symbolic image of the Virgin Mary developed in the Catholic pictorial tradition after the Council of Trent (1545–1563), where the dogma was developed that the Mother of God was immaculately conceived. In Western depictions of this subject, Mary, standing on the moon with her arms crossed on her chest, tramples on the winged serpent, personifying original sin humanity. On c. 28
c. 29 At the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, such a detail as a snake seemed, apparently, still too bold for Russian icon painters, but by the middle of the 18th century it would be firmly rooted in some life-size iconographies of the Mother of God.

Along with the types of iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” which have already been discussed, a number of its variants appeared in Russian iconography at the turn of the 17th–18th centuries. They are known from their large icons, which are now kept in various museum and church collections. All of them were created by masters of the icon-painting workshop of the Armory in the first years of the 18th century. The icons are similar to each other in their depiction of the suffering in the lower part of the composition, but differ in how the Mother of God is represented. Often the image on them is supplemented with verses glorifying the Mother of God.

Some of these icons go back to the engravings of the Moscow engraver Leonty Bunin, accurately repeating them in detail. Two engravings by Bunin have reached us, with the same title “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” but noticeably different from the miraculous image in the depiction of the Mother of God. On one of them, Mary is shown sitting on a throne, in right hand she has a staff, and with her left hand she supports the Child. They have crowns on their heads, and Christ has an orb in his hand. In the second engraving, the Mother of God is depicted standing. She supports the Baby with both hands, folded in the palms. This hand gesture goes back to the ancient image of Our Lady "Salus populi Romani" from the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In Russian icon painting at the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, such an image in the half-length version became known as “Our Lady of Rome.”

In connection with what were these engravings made, which gave new versions of the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” and were there more of them? After all, the surviving icons of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” from the beginning of the 18th century, belonging to other types, clearly go back to similar graphic samples. The scant information available allows us to assume the following (these considerations, of course, are in the nature of a hypothesis).

After the glorification of the icon in the temple on Ordynka, Patriarch Adrian conceived a whole series of acts designed to glorify this image. As already mentioned, the Legend of the Icon, its service and individual prayers were compiled. Obviously, it was also planned to write an Akathist to the newly glorified image. Moreover, the Akathist, together with the Legend and the service to the icon, was apparently intended to be published in a typographical manner, illustrated with engravings by Leonty Bunin. c. 29
c. thirty¦ For unknown reasons, this publication was not carried out then (the Akathist of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, which is now available, was compiled and published only in the 19th century). But Bunin managed to complete several engravings.

Since a series of illustrations glorifying the miraculous image of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was intended, Bunin used a special compositional scheme in the image of the Mother of God in each sheet. At the same time, it was a single series, where the image of mourners was present in each engraving. Obviously, there were not two, but more. The surviving icons of the early 18th century, associated with the masters of the Armory, make it possible to reconstruct the variants of this hypothetical cycle that have not reached us.

In addition to the Mother of God of the Throne and the Roman Mother of God, it should have included a sheet with the image of “Misericordia”, but not in the version of Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets, but in the real European edition. This diagram was reproduced on an icon of 1713 from the Chrysostom Monastery in Moscow (Church and Archaeological Office of the Moscow Theological Academy). There is no image of heaven here, but the Mother of God covers the mourners with her cloak.

It is possible that in Bunin’s cycle there could be an image of the Mother of God of the “Misericordia” type, but with angel wings. The only such icon has survived - small in size, distinguished by great delicacy of writing (in the same collection). Painted by an isographer from the Armory, it apparently originally belonged to one of the members of the royal family. An engraving with a Western, in its origin, image of the winged Mother of God at the end of the 17th century was published in the printing house of the Elias Monastery in Chernigov and, of course, could have been known in Moscow. This scheme was supplemented by the suffering, resulting in another version of “Joy to All Who Sorrow.”

In the Western tradition, the Misericordia Madonna had other iconographic branches. Among them is the “Madonna of the Seafarers”, which also left its mark in the Russian icons “Joy of All Who Sorrow”. In the “Madonna of the Seafarers,” Mary covered with her cloak not only the sailors praying to her, but also the ships depicted sailing on the sea waves at the bottom of the composition. It is very likely that in Russia the boat motif first appeared in Bunin. In any case, it was from the beginning of the 18th century that he came into the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The boat was placed either below, under the figure of the Mother of God, or on the side of it. It is curious that this motif is constantly present in the icons of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in those cities where residents were closely associated with travel by water, in particular in Veliky Ustyug. In this large merchant city there is an image of a boat c. thirty
c. 31¦ appeared just at the very beginning of the 18th century, both in those icons where the Mother of God is represented without the Child, and in those where she holds him in her arms.

Already at the beginning of the 18th century, there were generally very rare images where the Virgin Mary is depicted standing on a rainbow. This motif is present in some Western depictions of the Gloria, in which a coiled rainbow forms a radiance around Mary.

Another, very original version of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” which appeared at that time, is known from several icons, the first of which, apparently, was painted by the master of the Armory, Alexei Kvashnin, in 1707 (Tretyakov Gallery). The lower part of the composition is quite traditional for “Joy of All Who Sorrow” - angels comforting the suffering, but in the center of this group there is a building depicted, probably a temple of Italianizing architectural forms. The figure of the Mother of God is not highlighted compositionally here. She is depicted at the top of the icon, as if addressing Christ seated on the throne. The powers of heaven are represented around them. Between the upper and lower worlds, the master placed a symbolic image of the sky with stars and planets in their orbits. These are the so-called “heavenly runs” - a favorite theme for ceiling paintings in the chambers of royal palaces. Among the stars and planets, many angels are depicted flying down to help suffering people.

This original and complex image was repeated several times in icons at the beginning of the 18th century, both with and without “celestial runs”. Obviously, a similar composition was first used in one of the engravings, from which, in fact, the first icon was painted. It is difficult to say what specific visual source the Russian master used when creating this version. There were obviously several of them, and they were all also of Western origin. It is interesting to trace the evolution of the forms of the temple from icon to icon. If Kvashnin has this c. 31
c. 32¦ the building is of European Renaissance forms, then in subsequent icons it evolves through ancient ruins (obviously, a symbol of the Temple of Solomon) to a typical Ukrainian facade of the temple of the late 17th - early 18th centuries, reminiscent of the Assumption Cathedral rebuilt by that time Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The main semantic part of the composition of the icon is the Mother of God ascending to heaven. Such an ascent to heaven in a similar iconographic scheme was used in Russian icon painting in the illustration of the Word of the Dormition of the Mother of God and directly went back to the engraving of the Dutchman Hieronymus Wierix. Probably, this engraving was transformed in relation to another theme: the Mother of God ascends to heaven to her son, whom she prays to have mercy on those suffering on earth.

All these numerous original variants, which arose in Russian icon painting at the beginning of the 18th century under the general name “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” for the most part did not become widespread. Only a few of them produced a fairly long-lasting iconographic tradition, including the European-style Misericordia. Throughout the 18th–19th centuries, images of the Mother of God seated on a throne are also encountered. The remaining versions, which originated at the royal court after the glorification of the miraculous icon, are found only in isolated monuments.

The most popular types of depiction of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in traditional icon painting, focused on ancient examples, in modern times remained two: going back to the Moscow icon and the image of “Tenderness and visiting those suffering in trouble.” At the same time, in an icon oriented towards pictorial stylistics, on the contrary, completely new pictorial schemes arise, only partially related to the old versions. The depiction of those suffering in them can vary greatly in the number of characters, with a tendency to reduce them. The pose and gestures of the Virgin and Child are usually free from any rigid schemes, so the picturesque icons of Our Lady of the Joy of All Who Sorrow are almost impossible to classify in terms of stable iconography. But they are very dependent on the dominant style. If in the second half of the 18th century these were Baroque icons, then in the 19th century they were painted in the spirit academic painting, and at the turn of the century - in the neo-Russian style.

At the same time, important iconographic features of the prototypes were lost in the traditional icon. Already in the Moscow miraculous image, the Mother of God was depicted with her hand attached to her chest, and not lowered (in the St. Petersburg miraculous image, as we remember, she held a rosary in it). But sometimes the gesture of the lowered hand occurs later, and to justify it, a scroll was placed in the palm of the Mother of God.

The fact that the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in a type going back to the “Misericordia” was very close in composition and meaning to the iconography of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, became the reason for the appearance of peculiar iconographic hybrids. The Virgin Mary, for example, could c. 32
c. 33¦ write with a veil in spread hands, as in the Intercession, but below depict the suffering, as in “Joy to All Who Sorrow.”

The constant fragmentation and splitting of the iconographic versions of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was largely facilitated by the fact that the image was extremely popular - a great many local miraculous icons with that name were revered throughout Russia. Each of them gave birth to its own iconographic tradition, being repeated in copies, which, in turn, could also differ from the original in details. Unfortunately, in most cases we have no information about what the miraculous icons of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” scattered throughout numerous Russian churches looked like. Only a small part of them has survived. Meanwhile, knowledge compositional features revered icons could become today a good basis for the attribution of many monuments of this iconography.

Let us mention some of the icons of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” once revered in Russia, those whose iconographic features are partly known to us.

One of the common types among the venerated icons of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was the image of the Virgin Mary without the Child in the “Misericordia” type. Among them is an icon from the Church of the Resurrection in Tobolsk (XVIII century), copies of which were in all Tobolsk churches; an image from the village of Osipovo, Yaroslavl province (XVIII century), the fields of which were decorated with unusual ornaments; icon in the Trinity Akhtyrsky Monastery, Kharkov province (XVIII century). A curious feature of this image from the Church of Varlaam Khutyn in Pskov (before 1763) was the image of a flowering branch in the left hand of the Mother of God, borrowed from the iconography “ Everlasting Color", and on the icon from the Resurrection Cathedral in Vologda (mid-18th century) she holds a banner in her left hand (the icon has survived). A rare feature of the Vologda icon was the image of the Mother of God above Savior Not Made by Hands- instead of Hosts or the New Testament Trinity. An icon of this type from the Presentation Church in Kiev had easily recognizable individual features: the sufferers are depicted strictly on the sides of the Mother of God in three rows, the icon had a rounded top, as well as images of additional saints - Kirik and Julitta, obviously the same names as the customers of the image. The “Misericordia” type also included those made in academic style icon in the village of Star, Oryol province, to which over time an image of the Child was added according to the type of the Sign. This icon itself was a copy of a miraculous image from the village of Lyudinovo, Kaluga province.

The second widespread type is the image of the Mother of God with the Child, which goes back to the miraculous image. In this group, precise lists from the Moscow image are highlighted, such as icons from cathedral in Tambov, the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhov (preserved), in the village of Verderevshchina, Tambov province (1824), the Church of the Presentation in Voronezh, the Assumption Cathedral in Poltava. The last icon was c. 33
c. 34¦ one of the numerous lists created in 1888 in Moscow in connection with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the glorification of the icon. In general, apparently, many icons of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” enjoyed local veneration only because they were exact copies of the Moscow one. Among them are early ones - an icon from the Annunciation Monastery in Nizhyn, donated to him in 1716 by Stefan Yavorsky, and an image in the Ascension Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin (1732). The Kremlin icon, unlike the image from the temple on Ordynka, had an image of not six, but twelve groups of sufferers.

A free interpretation of Moscow iconography included revered icons from the Theological Church in Voronezh, a prison church in Vologda (18th century), as well as an icon from the village of Maykor, Perm province. The peculiarity of this icon is the image under the feet of the Mother of God of a rainbow, with its ends facing upward. The Maykor image was painted in 1823, but undoubtedly went back to an older model. The author of the article happened to see something similar on a large board of the early 18th century, but under a terrifying entry from the 20th century, in the same area - in the Theological Church in Cherdyn, Perm region.

The St. Petersburg icon “with coins” also had revered lists. This image was in the village of Rokhlino, Smolensk province.

In the 19th century, icons executed in the academic style were often given the title “Joy of All Who Sorrow” arbitrarily. In particular, the icon from the Dormition Dranda Monastery near Sukhumi, found during the restoration of the monastery in 1885, is known under this name. The Mother of God was depicted in the clouds without the Child, without the suffering, with two angels on either side. Initially, she was not classified as a type of “Joy of All Who Sorrow”; she acquired this name through the light hand of the authors of publications dedicated to the miraculous icons of the Mother of God.

The images we have listed do not exhaust the number of icons of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” that were revered in Russia. This list can be continued for a long time, but, unfortunately, we cannot say anything about what they looked like.

Thus, one cannot help but admit that the iconography of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was a kind of creative laboratory for the perception and adaptation of Western European innovations on Russian soil. This type was formed under the influence of several “Latin” iconographies, which in parallel could give rise to other versions that existed in Russia under their own name and were more stable compositionally. The omnivorous nature of this iconography, apparently due to specific historical circumstances associated with the failed publication of the Akathist to the Icon, became the reason that the process of forming a new version was never logically completed. This iconographic tree gave rise to many different shoots, existing under the single name “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” c. 34
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The icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” is one of the most popular and revered icons of the Mother of God. Correct prayers offered to her help get rid of many troubles and illnesses.

What does the icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow” look like?

Among believers, the icon of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” is considered miraculous. According to legend, thanks to a prayer service at the image of the Mother of God, the sister of the Moscow patriarch received healing from a serious illness. Since then, many sick and mourning people, turning to the Mother of God, received healing from their troubles, and the suffering were delivered from adversity.

The offended and oppressed, in despair and sorrow, pray before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, in search of consolation and protection, in case of incurable diseases, asking for the protection of an orphan.

The name already contains consolation. We turn to the Mother of God at a time when we despair of finding a way out of the current situation, without losing hope of help. In the Mother of God we see a protector who will always come to the rescue and guide us on the true path, washing away burdens from the soul and freeing it from the shackles of sorrow, healing the body and spirit through prayer to the Lord.

What to pray for in front of an icon

Many people go through difficulties, hardships, illnesses and sorrows throughout their lives. When you can’t find a time to visit church, and despair overwhelms you, remember that they pray and venerate not a specific icon, but the one depicted on it.

Select right time for prayer. It can be pronounced in your own words with sincere faith and pure thoughts, and then it will definitely be heard.

When asking the icon of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” for help and protection, you should remember your spiritual thoughts. You must be honest with yourself, not hold a grudge in your heart and not ask for revenge. A sincere request and repentance increase the chances of getting rid of hardships and worries as soon as possible.

Before turning to the Mother of God, light a candle and put on clean, loose clothes. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and say a prayer "Our Father". For convenience, write down the text of the appeal to the Mother of God by hand on a piece of paper. Make a request and pray using the following words:

Most Holy Lady Theotokos, my Queen, save me and shelter me from adversity, deliver me from illness and send down the joy of life, do not leave me as a rootless orphan, give me consolation and restore the joy of life.

There are many icons to which you can direct your prayers. You can turn to them for help in fulfilling your desires, ask them for help in choosing a life partner. There are no hopeless situations. Find the strength to strive for the light, and luck will not leave you. Love yourself and your loved ones and don’t forget to push the buttons and

05.11.2016 06:45

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