The icon of the Mother of God called "Seven Arrows" was painted more than five hundred years ago by a North Russian artist. It is considered miraculous, since many people received their healing before it. Few people know the true meaning of this icon and, in particular, the seven swords depicted on it …
Swords and Mother of God
Traditionally, the Mother of God is depicted on all icons with the little Jesus Christ or other saints. On the seven-shot icon, where seven swords pierce her, she is completely alone. Swords piercing the Mother of God from both sides and in the middle mean pain and sorrow that the Blessed Virgin Mary had to endure on earth. It is believed that this icon is capable of performing seven miracles - however, only for those people who have knowledge of the keys of Solomon. Those who know the king's Solomon's key can learn the future seven years in advance from the Seven-Shot Icon.
It is customary to light at least seven candles in front of the icon with the Mother of God pierced by seven swords.
The seven-arrow icon softens the hearts - therefore, they pray in front of it for peace during the war, for the pacification of irreconcilable enemies, the bestowal of patience, as well as healing from cholera and lameness. The number "seven" was not chosen for her by chance - Saint Simeon the God-Receiver prophesied about a test with a weapon through which the soul of the Mother of God must pass. The seven swords are the unbearable spiritual grief that Mary experienced during the crucifixion, torment and death of her divine son.
Miracles of the Seven-Shot Icon
For the first time, the "Seven Arrows" icon showed a miracle to a hopelessly lame peasant who heard a mysterious voice in a dream, telling him to go to the Theological Church and find the icon of the Mother of God on its bell tower. The ministers of the church did not believe the peasant, but he was persistent - therefore, from the third time, they nevertheless let him into the bell tower. Imagine the surprise of the clergy when one of the steps of the bell staircase turned out to be a trampled and dirty icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
After the cleansing and restoration of the icon, it was installed in the church, where the peasant prayed in front of her for his healing and received it.
Then the miraculous find was forgotten for many years. "Seven-shot" showed its second miracle at the time of the cholera epidemic raging in the Vologda region. The icon was transported to Vologda and placed in the church of Dmitry Prilutsky. Believers of the townspeople made a procession around the city with "Semistrelnaya" at the head of the procession, after which cholera suddenly stopped mowing down people and disappeared. After the revolution in 1917, the "Seven-arrow" icon was stolen from the church of St. John the Evangelist.
Today, the icon of the Mother of God, pierced with seven swords, is in the Moscow church of the Archangel Michael and from time to time it streams myrrh.
