The icon of the Kazan Mother of God is one of the most revered in Orthodoxy. All over the world, people pray for this image and ask the Mother of God for intercession. It is believed that the icon has great power, helps and bestows healing.
The history of finding the icon
The prototype of the icon was found back in 1579, it is not known who exactly and when it was painted. In the city of Kazan, there was a huge fire, whole streets were on fire, most of the wooden buildings were destroyed. According to a legend that has survived to this day, immediately after the terrible fire of the little daughter of the merchant Onuchin, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream and indicated the place where the miraculous image, untouched by fire, lay. The merchant dismantled the rubble of his burnt house and found under them an icon written on a cypress board.
The icon was not only beautiful, but also differed from other famous icons of the Mother of God. On the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the infant Christ is depicted on the left side of the mother, and his right hand is raised in a blessing gesture.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God possessed a mysterious healing power. Many people applied to the image in the hope of healing. There is evidence that the icon restored sight, relieved headaches and other ailments. It was installed in the Annunciation Church of Kazan. People in droves went to see and pray at the icon.
The news of the miraculous icon spread far beyond the city limits and reached the king. A copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was made and sent to Ivan the Terrible. She made a stunning impression on the entire royal family. Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a nunnery at the site of the holy image.
The role of the icon in the history of Russia
In addition to miracles of healing, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan has played an important role in the history of the Russian state. At the beginning of the 17th century, misfortunes fell upon Russia, the throne was left without a ruler. The Poles took advantage of the turmoil and captured Moscow, and made their prince Vladislav tsar. The prince did not want to change his Catholic faith for the Orthodox and honestly rule the Russian people. As a result, Patriarch Hermogenes called on the people to revolt, overthrow the Poles and put an Orthodox tsar on the throne.
In 1612, a copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to Moscow by Kazan militias, it was in the chambers of Prince D. I. Pozharsky. Before battles, the warriors prayed to the image and asked the Mother of God for help.
After the victory over the Poles, Pozharsky assigned the icon to the Church of the Introduction on the Lubyanka. In gratitude for the victory and salvation in the battles, the prince erected the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, where they transferred the wonderful image of the Mother of God.
The triumph of the Russian troops in the battle of Poltava in 1709, as well as the victory in the war with Napoleon, is associated with the prototype of the Kazan Mother of God. It is noteworthy that before the Battle of Poltava, Peter the Great prayed with his army in front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
Great Catherine II ordered to make a precious crown and personally crowned the holy image with it.
In 1812, during the First Patriotic War, leaving Moscow to the French, Field Marshal Kutuzov took the icon from the cathedral and took it out on his chest under his greatcoat. After the victory, the icon returned to its place.
The third copy of the image of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to St. Petersburg by order of Paul I in 1708. First, she was placed in a wooden chapel on the Petersburg side, and then transported to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Nevsky Prospect. The icon stayed here until 1811, then it was transferred to the constructed Kazan Cathedral, where it is still located today.
The holy image also played a huge role during the Great Patriotic War. According to historical records, the icon was secretly delivered to besieged Leningrad. She was carried through the streets of the city, and he survived. Also, during the war, the icon was taken to Moscow, and in Stalingrad a prayer service was served in front of it. It is believed that the Mother of God is the protector of Russia and helps the country to withstand its enemies.
Miracles of Moscow
It is interesting that in the first days of the icon's stay in Moscow, many miracles and healings took place. The story of Savva Fomin has reached our time. This Kazan Posad, who lived in Moscow, decided to commit a terrible crime. He called upon the devil and promised to give him his immortal soul. But after the committed atrocity Savva was struck by a serious illness, and over time he wanted to repent of his crime. Preparing for death, he confessed to the priest, after which the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to arrive on July 8 at the Kazan Cathedral. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich heard about this and ordered to deliver the sick Savva on the carpet to the cathedral. During the divine service, Savva began to experience severe pains, he began to cry out to the queen of heaven, and the Mother of God appeared to him and ordered him to enter her church. To the amazement of the parishioners, Savva got up and walked on his own feet into the Kazan Cathedral. He fell to his knees in front of the icon and promised to devote his life to serving God. Subsequently, he distributed all his property and tonsured a monk at the Chudov Monastery.
The mystery of finding the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God
Currently, many copies of the miraculous icon have been written, but the location of the original of the sacred image still remains a mystery.
There are several versions about the disappearance and secret storage of the icon. The original was lost at the beginning of the 19th century. At that time there were rumors about the theft of the icon from the Mother of God Monastery. Allegedly, together with the Mother of God, the image of the Savior and valuable church utensils were also stolen. A prize of 300 rubles was awarded for the capture of thieves or information about the location of the icon.
The thief was caught some time later in Nizhny Novgorod. It turned out to be an experienced thief - a recidivist with 43 years of hard labor behind a certain Chaikin. His "specialization" was church robbery. During interrogations, he changed his testimony several times, at first he claimed that he had burned the icon, then he began to say that he had chopped it up with an ax. However, neither the court nor the people believed him, since even such an inveterate criminal could not be ignorant of the value of the relic. But Chaikin, until 1917, claimed that he had destroyed the icon of the Virgin.
The churchmen thought that the icon fell into the hands of the Old Believers. The fact is that the Old Believers believed that having acquired the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, they would receive freedom of religion. In fact, this practically happened, in 1905 a law on religious tolerance was issued and the Old Believers were restored to their rights. The people began to say that this was a bad sign and that Russia was in for trouble. After the bloody events of 1917, the trace of the icon was lost forever.
According to the second version, only a copy of the icon was stolen, and the original was at the time of the crime in the chambers of the Mother Superior of the monastery.
Historian Khafizov conducted his own investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the holy image. He believes that the icon was taken out of Russia in 1920 during the Civil War and sold at an underground auction to an English collector. After that, the icon passed into the hands of new owners several times and was eventually bought by the Blue Army and transferred to the Vatican, from where it returned to Russia in 2004.
There is another version: the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God was not destroyed and was never taken out of the country. The face is safely hidden in a secret place.
An interesting fact: even modern copies from the icon are very powerful and there are many eyewitnesses who claim that they have experienced its miraculous power.
How to refer to the icon
You can refer to the icon both in the church (temple) and at home. For conversions and prayers, you need an image; you can buy an icon in any church shop. Light a candle in front of the icon and focus. The most important condition is sincerity, prayer should come from your heart. Most often, the Mother of God is prayed for the health of children and loved ones, they ask for help and intercession in family and everyday affairs. It is customary to bless young people with this icon for a lasting and happy marriage.
In troubled times, before the Mother of God, they pray for intercession, the success of the soldiers in battles and the liberation of the country from enemy forces.
There is a wonderful maternal custom - to put the icon of the Kazan Mother of God at the head of the crib, thereby protecting the child from hardships and serious illnesses.
There are special appeals for reading in front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God:
- prayer;
- kontakion;
- troparion.
The celebration of the image in Russia takes place two days a year: July 21 and November 4. The summer holiday is timed to coincide with the appearance of a wonderful face, and in the fall, to the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612. At present, services are held every day in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, and the eyes of the parishioners turn to the holy image.
