Memorial Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, celebration day, meaning, photo

Story

The celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos, in honor of Her icon, called “Kazan”, was established in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow and all of Russia from the invasion of the Poles in 1612. The end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries are known in Russian history as the Time of Troubles. The country was attacked by Polish troops who mocked Orthodox faith, robbed and burned temples, cities and villages. They managed to capture Moscow by deception. At the call of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes (May 12), the Russian people stood up to defend their homeland. A miraculous image was sent from Kazan to the militia, which was headed by Prince Dimitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky Holy Mother of God.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21) in the “Sermon on the Day of the Appearance of the Icon” Mother of God in Kazan" (celebration on July 8) said: "The Mother of God delivers from great troubles and evils not only the righteous, but also the sinners, but which sinners? You and I, who return to the Heavenly Father like the prodigal son, those who beat their breasts sigh, like a publican, weep at the feet of Christ, like a sinner who has wet His nose with tears, they bring confession to Him, like a thief on the cross. The Most Pure Mother of God looks upon such sinners and hastens to help them, and delivers them from great troubles and evils.”

Knowing that the disaster was allowed due to sins, the entire people and militia imposed a three-day fast on themselves and prayerfully turned to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for heavenly help. The prayer was answered. From Saint Arseny (later Bishop of Suzdal), who was in captivity among the Poles, news came that it was revealed to him in a vision that God’s judgment would change to mercy, through the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin. Inspired by the news, Russian troops liberated Moscow from the Polish invaders on October 22, 1612. The celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established in 1649. And to this day this icon is especially revered by the Russian Orthodox people.

Appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Kazan (1579). On October 1, 1552, on the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, at night, John IV, the leader of the Russian soldiers preparing for a decisive assault on Tatar Kazan, suddenly heard the sound of Moscow bells. The Tsar realized that this was a sign of God’s mercy: through the prayers of the Elected Voivode, the Lord wanted to convert the Kazan people to Himself.

The conquest of Kazan under the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos completed the work begun in 1164 by the holy Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky († 1174; commemorated July 4). The Volga, the country's main waterway, became a Russian river. 60,000 Russian people were freed from Tatar captivity. The enlightenment of the Tatars with the light of the Gospel truth began. The first martyrs appeared - Saints Peter and Stephen (March 24). The newly established Kazan diocese became part of the Russian Church and soon shone with its archbishops: St. Gury († 1563; commemorated December 5) and St. Herman († 1567; commemorated November 6).

But the phenomenon in the city of Kazan on July 8, 1579 especially contributed to the rise of Orthodoxy among the Volga Mohammedans. miraculous icon Mother of God.

The work of preaching the Gospel in the conquered kingdom among hardcore Muslims and pagans was difficult. The Most Holy Theotokos, the patroness of preachers of the Word of God, who even in Her earthly life shared evangelistic labors with the holy Apostles, seeing the efforts of Russian missionaries, did not hesitate to send them Heavenly help by revealing Her miraculous icon.

On June 28, 1579, a terrible fire that started near the Church of St. Nicholas of Tula destroyed part of the city and turned half of the Kazan Kremlin to ashes. The fans of Mohammed gloated, thinking that God was angry with the Christians. “The Faith of Christ,” says the chronicler, “has become a byword and a reproach.” But the fire in Kazan was an omen of the final fall of Islam and the establishment of Orthodoxy throughout the Golden Horde land, the future East of the Russian state.

The city soon began to rise from the ruins. Together with other fire victims, archer Daniil Onuchin was building a house not far from where the fire started. The Mother of God appeared in a dream vision to his nine-year-old daughter Matrona and ordered her to retrieve Her icon, which had been buried in the ground under the rule of Muslims by secret confessors of Orthodoxy. They did not pay attention to the girl’s words. The Mother of God appeared three times and pointed out the place where the miraculous icon was hidden. Finally, Matrona and her mother began to dig in the indicated place and found the holy icon. Archbishop Jeremiah arrived at the place of the miraculous discovery at the head of the clergy and transferred the holy image to the nearby church in the name of St. Nicholas, from where, after a prayer service, they transferred it with a procession to the Annunciation Cathedral - the first Orthodox church city ​​of Kazan, erected by Ivan the Terrible. During the procession, two blind men were healed - Joseph and Nikita.

A copy of the icon revealed in Kazan, a statement of the circumstances of its discovery and a description of the miracles were sent to Moscow in 1579. Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God at the site of the apparition, where they placed the holy icon, and to found convent. Matrona and her mother, who contributed to the acquisition of the shrine, took monastic vows in this monastery.

In the St. Nicholas Church, where the first prayer service was held before the Kazan Icon, the future Patriarch Hermogenes, Saint of Moscow (†1612; commemorated February 17) was a priest at that time. Fifteen years later, in 1594, already being Metropolitan of Kazan, he compiled a legend about the sacred events of which he was an eyewitness and participant: “The Tale and Miracles of the Most Pure Mother of God of Her honest, glorious appearance in Kazan.” The story describes with great factual accuracy many cases of healing that took place from the miraculous icon through the prayers of believers. Manuscript of “The Tale” - autograph His Holiness Patriarch Hermogen - reproduced in its entirety in a facsimile edition: The Legend of the Miraculous Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With a foreword by A. I. Sobolevsky, M., 1912.

A small icon, found by the girl Matrona on the recently annexed foreign outskirts of the Russian kingdom, soon became a national shrine, a sign of the Heavenly Protection of the Mother of God, revealed to the entire Russian Church, for the soul of the Orthodox people felt the special participation of the Most Pure Lady in the historical destinies of the Motherland. It is no coincidence that the Kazan image is a copy of the ancient Blachernae icon (celebration of July 7), written, and according to its iconographic type it belongs to the icons called Hodegetria the Guide. Many times “Mother of Kazan” showed the path to victory for Russian Orthodox soldiers in fulfilling their sacred duty to God and the Motherland.

In the year of her appearance in Kazan (according to other sources, two years later), the famous campaign “for Kazan” (for the Ural Mountains) of Blessed Herman, Cossack ataman Ermak Timofeevich Povolsky (†1584), began, culminating in the annexation of Siberia. The blessed energy emitted in a miraculous manner was enough for Russian explorer-missionaries to travel east, “meeting the sun,” many thousands of kilometers in a few decades, and on the Feast of the Intercession in 1639 they set out on their first voyage across Pacific Ocean, preaching salvation to the surrounding nations.

Orthodox soldiers and missionaries went east, apostates fled to the west. The Jesuits tried to flood Rus' with a wave of impostors and “thieves’ people” at the beginning of the 17th century. By the providence of God during the period of the Polish invasion (1605-1612), which the people called the “Time of Troubles,” the Russian Church was led by the great confessor of Orthodoxy - Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', admirer of the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, author of the “Tale” about her and the Service to her.

In difficult days, when Moscow was occupied by the Poles, and strife and disorder were spreading throughout the country, an unyielding sufferer for the Holy Faith and the Fatherland, while in custody, managed to secretly send an appeal to Nizhny Novgorod: “Write to Metropolitan Ephraim in Kazan, let him send to the regiments to a teaching letter to the boyars and the Cossack army, so that they would stand firmly for the faith, stop robbery, preserve brotherhood, and as they promised to lay down their souls for the house of the Most Pure One and for the miracle workers and for the faith, they would do so. And write to all cities... speak my name everywhere.” The people of Nizhny Novgorod responded to the call of the high priest. The assembled militia was headed by Prince Dimitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky.

The Kazan squads that joined the militia brought with them a copy of the Kazan miraculous icon, which was handed over to Prince Demetrius in Yaroslavl. The Most Holy Lady took the militia under Her protection, and Russia was saved through Her intercession.

The Russian troops experienced enormous difficulties: internal hostility, lack of weapons and food. In the autumn bad weather, the Russian army moved to storm Moscow, which was in the hands of the Poles.

Three days of fasting and fervent prayer before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God brought the Lord to His mercy. In the besieged Kremlin at that time, Archbishop Arseny of Elasson (later Archbishop of Suzdal; † 1626; April 13), who had arrived from Greece, was in captivity, seriously ill from shocks and experiences. At night, the cell of St. Arseny suddenly illuminated with Divine light, he saw St. Sergius of Radonezh (July 5 and September 25), who said: “Arseny, our prayers are heard; through the intercession of the Mother of God, God’s judgment on the Fatherland was transferred to mercy; "Tomorrow Moscow will be in the hands of the besiegers and Russia will be saved."

As if to confirm the truth of the prophecy, the archbishop received healing from his illness. The saint sent news of this joyful event to the Russian soldiers. The next day, October 22, 1612, Russian troops, inspired by the vision, won a major victory and took China Town, and 2 days later the Kremlin.

On Sunday, October 25, Russian squads solemnly, with a procession of the Cross, went to the Kremlin, carrying the Kazan Icon. At the Place of Execution the procession of the Cross was greeted by Archbishop Arseny, who emerged from the Kremlin and carried the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he had preserved in captivity. Shocked by the accomplished meeting of two miraculous icons of the Mother of God, the people prayed to the Heavenly Intercessor with tears.

After the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, Prince Dimitry Pozharsky, according to the Nikon Chronicle, placed the holy Kazan icon in his parish church of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Lubyanka, in Moscow. Later, at the expense of the patriot prince, the Kazan Cathedral was erected on Red Square. The holy icon, which was in Pozharsky’s troops during the liberation of Moscow, was transferred to the newly built church in 1636. Now this holy image is in the Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow.

In memory of the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, it was established that on October 22 a special celebration would be held in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. At first this celebration took place only in Moscow, but since 1649 it was made all-Russian.

In 1709, before the Battle of Poltava, Peter the Great and his army prayed before the icon of the Kazan Mother of God (from the village of Kaplunovka). In 1721, Peter transferred one of the copies of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God from Moscow to St. Petersburg, where the icon was first placed in the chapel, then in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and from 1737 in the church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Nevsky Prospekt. In 1811, before the Patriotic War, the holy icon of the Heavenly Intercessor was moved to the newly created Kazan Cathedral.

In 1812, the Kazan image of the Mother of God overshadowed Russian soldiers who repelled the French invasion. On the feast of the Kazan Icon on October 22, 1812, Russian troops led by Miloradovich and Platov defeated Davout’s rearguard. This was the first major defeat the French after leaving Moscow, the enemy lost 7 thousand people. That day snow fell, severe frosts began, and the army of the conqueror of Europe began to melt.

The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg was built from 1801 to 1811 - as if specifically to become a temple-monument of Russian glory in Patriotic War 1812. The iconostasis of the main altar of fine chased work is made of one hundred pounds of silver: forty of them were donated to the temple by the Don Cossacks, who recaptured this silver from the French in 1812. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with trophies taken from the French in 1812. Enemy banners bowed at the sacred tomb of Prince Mikhail Kutuzov-Smolensky, savior of the Fatherland, buried in the cathedral. Bronze statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly stand in front of the temple at the ends of the colonnade, which hugs the cathedral square in a semicircle...

In numerous miraculous lists from the Kazan Icon, the Most Pure Mother of God, Patroness of the Orthodox Russian people, is glorified in Rus'. Of the many icons of the Mother of God revered in Russian Orthodox Church, none is as widespread as Kazan. She is sacredly revered by all Orthodox Russia; people most often turn to her in troubles and illnesses, crying out: “O zealous intercessor, Mother of the Lord Most High, pray for all of Your Son Christ our God... grant to all what is useful and save everything, Virgin Mother of God, You for Thou art the Divine protection of Thy servant.”

The icons of the Most Pure Mother of God are spread across the face of our Fatherland in a blessed overshadowing, truly forming the Veil of Heaven. Through her tireless intercession, the Divine Son was sent down, sacrificing Himself for the salvation of humanity. The ancient Vladimir holy image of the Mother of God protects and blesses our northern borders, the Smolensk and Pochaev icons protect the west, and to the east, to the ends of the earth, the miraculous Kazan image of our Most Pure Mother shines with rays of inescapable grace.

Prayers

O zealous intercessor,/Mother of the Lord Most High,/pray for all Thy Son, Christ our God,/and cause all to be saved,/to those who flee to Thy sovereign protection./Intercede for all of us, O Lady, Queen and Lady,/those in adversity, and sorrowful, and in illness, burdened with many sins,/ coming and praying to You with a tender soul/ and a contrite heart/ before Your most pure image with tears/ and those who have irrevocable hope in You,/ deliverance from all evils,/ grant useful to everyone/ and save everything, Mother of God Virgin // For You are the Divine protection of Your servant.

Troparion of the Mother of God before the Icon of Her Kazan

O zealous intercessor, / Mother of the Lord Most High, / pray for all of Your Son, Christ our God, / and cause all to be saved, / in Your sovereign protection for those who come running. / Intercede for all of us, O Lady Queen and Lady, / who are in adversity and sorrow , and in illness, burdened with many sins, / standing and praying to You / with a tender soul and a contrite heart, / before Your most pure image with tears, / and those who have irrevocable hope in You / deliverance from all evils. / Grant useful to everyone / and save everything, Virgin Mary // For You are the Divine protection of Your servant.

Greatness

We magnify You,/ Most Holy Virgin,/ and honor Your holy image,/ from it flows gracious help// to all who flow to it with faith.

Prayer of the Mother of God before the Icon of Her Kazan

O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! With fear, faith and love, falling before Thy honorable icon, we pray to Thee: do not turn Thy face away from those who come running to You, pray, O Merciful Mother, Thy Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He may keep our country peaceful and His holy Church unshakable. May he preserve and deliver from unbelief, heresies and schism. There are no other imams of help, no other imams of hope, except You, Most Pure Virgin: You are the all-powerful Helper and Intercessor of Christians. Deliver all those who pray to You with faith from the falls of sin, from slander. evil people, from all temptations, sorrows, illnesses, troubles and from sudden death; Grant us the spirit of contrition, humility of heart, purity of thoughts, correction of sinful lives and the remission of sins, so that all of us, gratefully chanting Your greatness and mercy, manifested over us here on earth, we will be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom and there with all the saints we will glorify the most honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Traditionally, on November 4, Rus' celebrates the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The holiday, which has a long history, is dedicated to the day of the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1916. It is believed that it was the miraculous icon that helped the militia led by Prince Pozharsky overcome a lot of difficulties and defeat the enemy.

In the old days, this holiday was considered a state holiday and enjoyed special love among the people. Nowadays, the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is widely celebrated by Orthodox citizens of the country. In 1993, on this day on Red Square, the opening of the restored Kazan Cathedral, destroyed by Soviet power in 1936, took place. The liberator icon is kept in it.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered icons; it is responsible for a long list of miracles and healings. First magical power was assessed by two blind men who were entrusted with transferring the icon to the temple. Immediately after completing the assigned work, they began to see clearly.

Let the Kazan icon
Today he will bless you,
Will cover up troubles,
It will protect you from all diseases!

I wish you warmth on this day,
There is calm and peace in the soul,
To happy life was
And it brought only joy!

Let Mother of God protects you
Protects from troubles and worries.
Goodness, love and peace promise
And he will keep faith in his heart!

Let the icons have a bright face
It will illuminate your entire family,
Doesn't allow enemies or illness into the house
And it helps you all in life!

On the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, I sincerely wish you peace and prosperity, health for the whole family and prosperity, bright hopes and good thoughts, strong faith and incredible strength. May the Kazan Icon always protect you from life’s disasters and enemies, may the Mother of God never allow you to fall and lose your soul.

A short

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Let him help and find the answer to everything.
Let him protect with his grace,
Bring love and joy to your home!

Let the Kazan icon
Protects from misfortune
Let the Mother of God help,
Let it ignite faith in your heart.

Know that miracles are possible
Always pray sincerely
Heaven will always help
Make your wishes come true.

Today we honor the Kazan Icon.
May the Mother of God protect you.
And now the bells are ringing
Let your soul thunder with happiness.

I also wish you peace of mind
And strong, sincere, great faith.
Let him surround the world with his beauty
And the Mother of God will always be with you.

Let the Kazan icon bring
Welcome, good luck, joy in fate!
Let everyone who asks her for a miracle,
Suddenly he will experience a miracle!

Let the icon protect everyone from troubles,
And gives everyone magical salvation,
The icon does the impossible,
And there is no explanation for these miracles!

Let the Kazan icon
Will protect you from harm.
Peace and happiness will be at home,
And there is light in the soul of hope.

Let the Mother of God help,
Heal all illnesses.
Let problems not bother you,
And love reigns all around.

There are special holidays in the world,
Which bring only grace.
They are revered by adults and children.
They are protected by the Mother of God.

People pray to her not in vain.
She will always help everyone who is waiting.
Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan
Let joy and peace come to your home!

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God revered by Orthodox Christians. Read about all the details of its appearance in the article.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: history

1579 White mercilessly scorching sun, dust in a column on the roads of Kazan. Dust and ashes from a recent fire - a terrible fire burned here a week ago. It started near the Church of St. Nicholas and spread to the Kazan Kremlin. The glow blazed for long hours, women were wailing, children were crying - but how will it spread to the houses, what will happen?! And many laughed maliciously - where was your God that the church burned down? Apparently, all your priests are lying - it was so blazing. And what do you say to this? And it’s true that many in those days doubted their faith - perhaps God did not like that they were turning to Christ from Islam? “The Faith of Christ,” says the chronicler, “has become a byword and a reproach”...

In that fire, many families were left homeless, but there was nothing to do, no one would return what was burned, and they had to build soon - in time for winter. The archer Daniil Onuchin, among other fire victims, also hurried with the construction. Daniel had a daughter, Matrona. Parental sorrows were less understandable to her - for children even a fire is quite funny - so much remains after - where the glass is beautiful, where the pebble is unprecedented. Only in the evening, when you go to bed, do you remember that after the fire everything is different, unusual.

One night Matryosha woke up from something unprecedented - the Mother of God Herself, the Most Holy Theotokos, appeared to her in a dream. And she didn’t just appear, but commanded to get Her icon out of the ground. It shone with a bright light - and the girl woke up. You still have dreams and visions, you imagine everything, all your miracles are endless - the skeptic reading these lines will say. And it will anticipate our story, because this is exactly how the family answered nine-year-old Matryosha. “Dreams sometimes come from God, but only saints have visions, so it’s better not to attach importance to dreams,” said the parents. And they were right. But that dream was still a vision, because it was repeated a second time and on the third night. Then the parents decided to check the girl’s words.

Matryosha and her mother went to the place where, as the girl remembered from the dream, the icon should have been located. We started digging. Even deeper, even more - is it really her! And sure enough – an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. They cleared it of dust and earth... But how did it end up there? Apparently, long ago the secret confessors of Christianity in the camp of other faiths hid the icon of the Queen of Heaven in this way. The news about miraculous acquisition The icon flew faster than the fastest bird, and now the priests of the surrounding churches are rushing to this wondrous place, Archbishop Jeremiah, reverently receiving the icon, solemnly transfers it to the church of St. Nicholas, from where, after a prayer service, she was transferred with a procession to the Annunciation Cathedral - the first Orthodox church in the city of Kazan, erected by Ivan the Terrible. It immediately became clear that the icon was miraculous - already during the religious procession, two Kazan blind men regained their sight. We even know their names: Joseph and Nikita.

And those who just a few days ago mocked the Orthodox faith, embarrassedly hurried to the icon - with requests - Queen of Heaven, help, enlighten, heal!

These miracles were the first in a long list of miracles and healings. The story of the discovery of the icon so impressed Tsar Ivan the Terrible that he ordered the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and the founding of a convent. There, after some time, Matrona and her mother took monastic vows.

The image of the Kazan Most Holy Theotokos is similar in type to the icons of Hodegetria - the Guide, and indeed, she more than once showed the right path to many of our compatriots. So, with the Kazan Icon, the militia moved to Moscow, liberating the city from the impostors of the Time of Troubles. In the besieged Kremlin at that time, Archbishop Arseny of Elasson (later Archbishop of Suzdal; † 1626; April 13), who had arrived from Greece and was seriously ill from shocks and experiences, was in captivity at that time. At night, Saint Arseny’s cell suddenly illuminated with Divine light, he saw St. Sergius of Radonezh (July 5 and September 25), who said: “Arseny, our prayers have been heard; through the intercession of the Mother of God, God’s judgment on the Fatherland was transferred to mercy; Tomorrow Moscow will be in the hands of the besiegers and Russia will be saved.” The next day Kitay-Gorod was liberated, and 2 days later the Kremlin.

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow - one of the most famous Moscow churches was built in 1636. The liberator icon was moved there, and now the image is kept in the Epiphany Cathedral.

Before the Battle of Poltava, Peter the Great and his army prayed before the icon of the Kazan Mother of God (from the village of Kaplunovka). In 1812, the Kazan image of the Mother of God overshadowed Russian soldiers who repelled the French invasion. On the feast of the Kazan Icon on October 22, 1812, Russian troops led by Miloradovich and Platov defeated Davout’s rearguard. This was the first major defeat of the French after leaving Moscow; the enemy lost 7 thousand people. That day snow fell, severe frosts began, and the army of the conqueror of Europe began to melt.

The icon showed the way not only to statesmen and squads - according to good tradition, it is with this icon that young parents bless their marriage, long list miracles are accompanied by this image of the Mother of God - one of the most beloved in Rus'.

Troparion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, tone 4

O zealous intercessor, / Mother of the Lord Most High, / pray for all Thy Son Christ our God, / and cause all to be saved, seeking refuge in Thy sovereign protection. / Intercede for all of us, O Lady Queen and Lady, / who are in adversity and in sorrow, and in illness, burdened with many sins, / standing and praying to You with a tender soul and a contrite heart, / before Your most pure image with tears, / and having irrevocable hope on Thee, / deliverance from all evils, / grant useful things to everyone / and save everything, Virgin Mary: // For You are the Divine Cover of Your servant.

Kontakion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, tone 8

Let us come, people, to this quiet and good refuge, / the quick Helper, the ready and warm salvation, the protection of the Virgin. / Let us hasten to prayer and strive for repentance: / for the Most Pure Mother of God exudes boundless mercies to us, / advances to our aid, and delivers from great troubles and evils, // her well-behaved and God-fearing servants.

Prayer before the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! With fear, faith and love, falling before Thy honorable icon, we pray to Thee: do not turn Thy face away from those who come running to You, beseech, Merciful Mother, Thy Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He may preserve our country in peace, and may He establish His holy Church May he preserve the unshakable from unbelief, heresies and schism. There are no imams of any other help, no imams of other hope, except You, Most Pure Virgin: You are the All-Powerful Helper and Intercessor of Christians. Deliver all those who pray to You with faith from the falls of sin, from the slander of evil people, from all temptations, sorrows, troubles and from vain death; Grant us the spirit of contrition, humility of heart, purity of thoughts, correction of sinful lives and the remission of sins, so that we all praise Thy greatness with gratitude, let us be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom and there with all the saints we will glorify the Most Honorable and Magnificent Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

21 July. Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

This icon appeared in 1579, shortly after the capture of the Kazan kingdom from the Tatars by Ivan the Terrible. The Most Holy Theotokos revealed her miraculous icon here in order to further confirm in it the newly converted from the local residents; those who did not believe will no longer be favored Christian faith. She Herself appeared in a dream to one pious maiden named Matrona, the daughter of an archer who was burned during a terrible fire in Kazan, and ordered that the archbishop and the mayor be informed to take Her icon from the ground, and at the same time indicated the very place. The girl told her mother about her dream, but she explained it as an ordinary childhood dream. The dream repeated itself twice more.

The third time miraculous power Matrona was thrown out of the window into the courtyard, where she saw an icon on which such menacing rays emanated from the face of the Mother of God that she was afraid of being burned by them, and a voice came from the icon: “If you do not fulfill my command, then I will appear in another place, and you will die." After this, mother and daughter went to Archbishop Jeremiah and the mayor, but they did not believe them. Then on July 8, in deep grief, both of them, in the presence of the people, went to the indicated place. The mother and the people began to dig the ground, but the icons were not found.

But as soon as Matrona herself began to dig, the icon was found. It was wrapped in a piece of cloth and shone with a wonderful light, as if it were completely new, just written. It is believed that the icon was buried even before the conquest of Kazan, by one of the Christians who hid their faith from the haters of the faith, the Mohammedans. The rumor about the appearance of the icon spread throughout the city, many people flocked, and the archbishop, in the presence of the mayors, carried the icon with a procession to the nearest church of St. Nicholas, and from there to the Annunciation Cathedral. When the icon was brought to the temple, many sick people, especially the blind, received healing.

One might think that this primary purpose of blindness served as a sign that the holy icon appeared to enlighten with spiritual light those darkened by the blindness of Mohammedan false teaching. A copy of the icon was sent to Moscow, and Tsar John Vasilyevich ordered the construction of a church and a nunnery on the site of the appearance of the icon. The first nun and then abbess in the monastery was the maiden Matrona. In 1768, Empress Catherine II, listening to the liturgy in the monastery, decorated the crown of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God with a diamond crown.

November 4. Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

In 1611, in winter, St. The miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was sent back to Kazan, but on the way there, in Yaroslavl, it was met by a militia from Nizhny Novgorod, collected by Minin, over whom Prince Pozharsky took charge and who, having learned about the miracles performed from the icon in Moscow, took it with him and constantly prayed before it, asking the zealous Heavenly Intercessor of the Christian race to send them help. The Most Holy Theotokos showed Her mercy, took the faithful sons of the fatherland under Her Protection, and with Her help Russia was saved from its enemies. The militia that arrived in Moscow with Prince Pozharsky encountered many obstacles that were insurmountable for human forces, namely: it was necessary to take a well-fortified city stubbornly defended by the Poles, to repel the fresh, numerous Polish army that had approached Moscow, to pacify the willfulness and riot of the Russian troops who met the arriving militia almost with hatred and showed them only enmity and treason. In addition, the lack of food in the devastated area and the lack of weapons caused a strong decline in courage in the arriving army. And many of the faithful sons of the fatherland, losing their last spark of hope, exclaimed in deep sorrow: “Forgive me, freedom of the fatherland! Sorry, sacred Kremlin! We have done everything for your release; but it is clear that God is not pleased to bless our weapons with victory!”

Deciding on a last attempt to liberate our dear fatherland from enemies, but not hoping for own strength, the entire army and people turned in prayer to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, establishing a special solemn prayer service for this and strictly observing a three-day fast. God heard the prayerful cry of those who cared for the fatherland and the inviolability of the Orthodox Church and showed them His mercy. To the sick Archbishop of Elasson Arseny, who was in grave captivity among the Poles, in the Moscow Kremlin occupied by them, who came to Russia with the Greek Metropolitan Jeremiah, appeared in a dream Venerable Sergius and announced that, through the prayers of the Mother of God and the great wonderworkers of Moscow Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip, the Lord would overthrow the enemies the very next day and return saved Russia to her sons, and to ensure the fulfillment of his words, he granted healing to Arseny. Encouraged by the joyful news, the Russian soldiers called on the Queen of Heaven for help and courageously approached Moscow, and on October 22, 1612 they liberated Kitay-Gorod, and two days later they took the Kremlin itself. The Poles fled. The next day, Sunday, the Russian army and all the residents of Moscow, in gratitude for their deliverance from enemies, performed a solemn ceremony procession to the Place of Execution, carrying the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, sacred banners and other Moscow shrines. This spiritual procession was met from the Kremlin by Archbishop Arseny with the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he had preserved in captivity. Seeing this icon, the soldiers and people bowed their knees and with tears of joy kissed the holy image of their Intercessor.

In memory of such a miraculous deliverance of Moscow from the Poles, with the permission of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich and the blessing of his father, Metropolitan, later Patriarch Philaret, the Church established annually on October 22 in Moscow the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with a procession of the cross. First, the procession took place at the Church of the Presentation of the Mother of God, on Lubyanka, where the house of Prince Pozharsky was located, and after the construction of a new church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, built at the expense of Prince Pozharsky (which is now the Kazan Cathedral, on Resurrection Square), the procession took place is already taking place in the cathedral. The miraculous icon that was with him in the ranks of the army was also transferred there by Prince Pozharsky himself.

Tobolsk Icon of the Mother of God

This miraculous icon is located in Tobolsk in cathedral. She appeared in 1661. This year, on July 8 in Tobolsk, in the Znamensky Monastery, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon, at Matins, when Hierodeacon Ioannikiy read the legend about the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kazan and reached the place where it is said that the Archbishop of Kazan did not previously believe the appearance of the icon , then in front of all the people he prayed to the Most Pure Lady for forgiveness of his sin, he suddenly fell unconscious on the floor along with the lectern.

When he came to his senses, he immediately asked for a confessor and revealed the following to him:

“On June 21st, after Matins, I came to my cell and fell asleep. Suddenly I see a saint coming to me in full vestments, like John Chrysostom; I considered him to be Metropolitan Philip. The saint said to me: “Get up and tell the archimandrite, the governor and all the people, so that not far from the Church of the Three Hierarchs in the city they build a church in the name of the Kazan Mother of God, they would build it in three days, and on the fourth they would consecrate and bring into it the image of the Mother of God of Kazan - that the one that now stands in the porch of this Church of the Three Hierarchs in a closet, facing the wall. Tell this image to be celebrated in the city. Because of your sins I am angry with you, you use foul language and fill the air with your foul language, like a stench: it is a stench to both God and people; but our Lady, with all the saints, prayed to His Son Christ our God for your city and for all the people, so that He would turn away His righteous anger.” But I, getting up from sleep, was amazed, and didn’t say anything to anyone. A little later, when I was in my cell and began to write irmos: Adorned with divine glory, suddenly the same saint came to me and graciously said to me: “Why didn’t you tell what was said to you from the Most Holy Theotokos through me, Her minister? – and he disappeared. I fell to the ground out of fear, glorified God, but was afraid to talk about the vision, lest it cause confusion among the people, and for fear that they would not believe me. A few days later, during my sleep, the saint appeared to me again and said with anger: “Why didn’t you say what was commanded to you? Because of your neglect, the wrath of God will come upon your city for your sins. Your bread is rotting and your water is drowning - get up quickly and tell the archimandrite, the governor and all the people; If you don’t say it, you’ll soon lose your life. If the townspeople obey, then the mercy of God will be in your city and its surroundings; If they don’t listen, then it will be hard for your city: your cattle will die, the rain will destroy your houses, and you will all disappear like worms, and the image of the Mother of God will be glorified in another place.”

But I didn’t tell anyone about this third phenomenon either, and on July 6th, when after evening singing I came to my cell, went to bed, fell into a light sleep and heard in the monastery the wonderful ringing of two bells and the singing of extraordinary voices: Let us exalt Thee, Immaculate Mother of our God. One of the singers told me: “Because you did not say what was commanded to you, tomorrow you will be punished before all the people.” And so, when at Matins I began to read about the appearance of the miraculous image of the Mother of God in Kazan, I saw that the saint who had appeared to me before was coming from the porch and blessing the people on both sides; Having come to the meal, also blessing the people, he came up to me and said: “Are you reading this and why don’t you believe it yourself? That image was in the ground, and this one stands in the porch facing the wall; why didn’t you tell about him?” And he, shaking his hand at me, said: “Be from now on decrepit until the divine deed is accomplished.” Having said this, he became invisible, and I fell to the ground out of fear and now I’m telling you.”

The people, having learned about the miraculous phenomena, glorified the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos with tears, and everyone with zeal and a procession of the cross carried the icon to the place where it was indicated to build the Church, and the church was built in three days and consecrated on the fourth. Before the church was built, the narrator notes, there were torrential rains and the water rose in the rivers, as if in spring time, and when they started building the church, it became a bucket; breads and vegetables have since recovered.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Images

• Kaplunovskaya-Kazan icon
• Karpov-Kazan icon
• Katashinskaya-Kazan icon
• Ascension-Kazan icon
• Pavlovsk-Kazan icon
• Irkutsk-Kazan icon
• Kargopol-Kazan icon
• Yaroslavl-Kazan icon
• Kazan, located in the Moscow Simonov Monastery
• Kazanskaya, located in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage
• Kazan, located in the Tambov Cathedral
• Kazan, located in Suzdal

Kaplunovskaya-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the village of Kaplunovka, Kharkov diocese. Appeared in 1689 as follows. To the priest of this village, who was distinguished by his especially pious life, John Umanov, someone, an old man adorned with gray hair, appeared in a dream and told him that icon painters would soon come to him from Moscow with icons and that he should buy for himself the eighth from a bunch of icons from the oldest of them in years. account, the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “From her you will receive grace and mercy,” added the elder. The priest did so, but before doing this he strictly fasted. Soon a new vision followed in a dream to priest Umanov: the Most Holy Theotokos herself appeared and ordered the icon to be placed in the church. The priest reported his vision to the people and triumphantly transferred the icon to the church, and from that time miracles began to be performed from the icon. The icon was called Kaplunovskaya. In 1709, when Emperor Peter the Great was at war with the Swedish king Charles XII, he summoned a priest with the Kaplunovskaya icon to his army in Kharkov and ordered it to be carried in front of the regiments, while he himself prayed with tears to the Queen of Heaven for help. Meanwhile, King Charles, stopping with his army near Kaplunovka, stayed with the traitor Hetman Mazepa in the house of the priest John. Then some of his violent warriors wanted to burn the church. They covered it with straw and wood, but no matter how hard they tried to set it on fire, neither the wood nor the straw caught fire. Having learned about such a miracle and also that St. The icon is in the Russian camp, Karl told Mazepa: “If they could not light the church without the icon, then where it is located will be unreliable for us.” This is exactly what happened. The Battle of Poltava brought Great Peter victory over Charles. There is a miraculous Kaplunovskaya icon in the settlement of Kozeevka, 80 miles from Kharkov.

Nizhnelomovskaya-Kazan icon. This icon appeared in 1643 at a spring two miles from the city of Nizhny Loma, Penza province. At the site of her appearance, a chapel was first erected, and then a church and a monastery.

Karpov-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the Kursk Znamensky Monastery. It was brought here in 1725 from the Karpov Desert.

Katashin-Kazan icon. This icon appeared in 1622 in a grove near the village of Bely Kolodezya, Chernigov province, to the local priest and was placed by him in village church. In 1692 it was established here monastery, called Katashinsky.

Ascension-Kazan icon. It is located in the Ascension Convent in Moscow, in the Kremlin. She first became famous in 1689. Twice it was in danger of burning, but was miraculously preserved. This year, after a prayer service in front of this icon, they forgot to put out the candle, the candle fell, and it burned the lectern on which the icon lay, and the icon itself, despite the fact that it was painted on canvas, remained completely unharmed. Another time, when in 1701, on June 19, there was a fire in the Moscow Kremlin and the royal palace and Ascension Monastery burned down, the icon was miraculously preserved. When they took out the utensils and icons from the cathedral monastery church, they did not take it out, but meanwhile it ended up with other icons that were taken out; when, after the fire was over, they began to bring things into the cathedral, they saw that the icon was already in its place, although no one had brought it in. And there were many miraculous healings from this icon.

Pavlovsk-Kazan icon. This icon is located in the village of Pavlovskoye, Moscow province, Zvenigorod district. She appeared on a tree near the village where a chapel was built in memory of the apparition; Inside the chapel there is a well, popularly called holy. The first miracle from the icon was the following. One of the peasants in the village of Pavlovskoye fell into a severe illness from an intemperate life. At this time, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to another pious peasant in a dream and commanded him to tell the sick man to pray to Her for healing and to go and wash himself at the holy well. Then he would give up his intemperate life, otherwise he might perish. The patient with great effort went to the well, washed himself and completely recovered.

Irkutsk-Kazan icon. It is located in Irkutsk in the Epiphany Cathedral and became famous for many miracles. Every year in April or May, after sowing spring grain, it is carried in a religious procession through neighboring rural peasant fields to consecrate the crops. This religious procession has long been established on the occasion of frequent grain harvest failures in the surrounding villages of the city of Irkutsk.

Kargopol-Kazan icon. This miraculous icon is located in the city of Kargopol, Olonets diocese, in the Church of the Ascension. She became famous in 1714. The icon was in the house of the pious widow Martha Ponomareva, who once, while praying before the icon, saw a tear flowing from the right eye of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in fear reported this to the priest. The icon was transferred to the church, and here twice in a short time, in the sight of everyone, streams of tears appeared from the eyes of the Mother of God, which was reported to the then Metropolitan Job of Novgorod.

Yaroslavl-Kazan icon. This icon is located in Yaroslavl in the Kazan convent. The story of her glorification is as follows. In 1588, on July 2, a certain pious man named Gerasim, while he was in Kazan, had a miraculous vision of the Mother of God Herself, and after that, when he wished to purchase Her icon for himself, in a dream he heard a voice indicating where and what icon purchase, and then go to the city of Romanov and tell the residents there to build a temple in the name of the icon. Gerasim found the icon and just took it in his hands when right hand he, who had been ill for a long time, was healed. The temple was built in Romanov, and the icon stood there until 1604, when Romanov was taken by the Lithuanians. At this time, one of them took a miraculous icon from the church and took it with him to Yaroslavl. Here the Mother of God Herself appeared to a certain deacon Eleazar and commanded that a temple be erected in Her honor. A temple was erected, and then a monastery was attached to it. The inhabitants of Romanov wanted to return the miraculous icon to themselves, but the citizens of Yaroslavl asked Tsar Vasily Ioannovich to leave it in their city, and the tsar, on the advice of Patriarch Hermogenes, approved the desire of the latter with a letter on his behalf, but so that they would do exact list from the miraculous icon for Romanov. And the miraculous icon itself is carried every year from Yaroslavl to Romanov.

Kazan, located in the Moscow Simonov Monastery. This icon was donated to the monastery by those who received it for blessing from the bishop Voronezh Tikhon. On its sides are depicted St. Tikhon, the angel of the saint, and Martha, the angel of the saint’s sister, Martha. She first became famous for the healing of a maiden, the wanderer Natalia, to whom an icon appeared three times in a dream, but she did not know where to find it. Finally, the hieroschemamonk of the Simonov Monastery, Alexy, appeared to her in a dream with the image itself and said that the icon stood in the monastery in cathedral church on the right side. The icon was found, and the sick woman, after praying before it, received healing. Subsequently, a special chapel was built in her honor and for her at the cathedral monastery church. There were many miracles from the icon.

Kazanskaya, located in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. This icon was brought from Moscow to the Tambov Ascension Convent in 1812 by the nun Miropia, who, on the occasion of the ruin of the capital, moved there. The pious old woman heard a voice from the icon three times in reality, commanding it to be transferred to the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, and after her death, according to her will, the icon was transferred. In addition to many healings from the icon, the Vyshensky monks sometimes at night saw a bright light spilling from it throughout the church.

Kazan, located in the Vysochinsky Kazan Monastery. The monastery was named after the icon, and the icon after the village of Vysochino, where it became famous for its miracles. The icon appeared in early XVII I century, during the reign of Emperor Peter I. The village of Vysochino did not yet exist, but there was a government Pinery. On the banks of the swampy Mzhi River, which flowed through a forest and surrounded by swamps, a watchman and his family lived in a hut. The icon appeared to this watchman standing on a marshy hummock. Light rays emanated from the icon. The watchman, with reverence and prayer, took it and placed it in his hut with icons on a shelf. Here the icon soon marked itself with a sun-like radiance emanating from it and at the same time with the healing of a blind and lame old man, the watchman’s father. Then they took the icon to the nearest church in the village of Artyukhovka, but the icon returned three times to the watchman’s hut. The people, having learned about the revealed icon, began to come in large numbers to worship it, and many received healing and consolation. Then the centurion Vysochin, to whom the emperor gave land with a forest - a forest, where a miraculous icon stood in the guard's hut, for his services during the Battle of Poltava, built a village here, which was named after his surname, Vysochino, and from the village of Artyukhovka he moved a church here, where and the miraculous icon was delivered. Subsequently, a monastery was built here. And in the monastery there were many miracles from the icon.

Kazan, located in the Tambov Cathedral. This icon is richly decorated. Her first miracle was in 1695 on December 6 during all-night vigil tears that wet the veil and lectern.

Kazan, located in the Temnikovsky Transfiguration Cathedral. It was in the pantry among unusable utensils. The icon appeared three times to a lady who suffered from pain in her legs, and promised healing if she found her. The patient demanded that she be taken to the Temnikov Cathedral. As soon as she saw the icon in the storeroom, she immediately felt relief and, after prayer, was completely healed.

Kazanskaya, located in the city of Vyazniki. It stands in the cathedral church. This icon marked itself with miracles at the beginning of the 17th century.

Kazan, located in Suzdal. It stands in the parish Church of the Resurrection. This icon, as a result of the appearance of the Mother of God Herself, was painted by one pious monk of the Shartom St. Nicholas Monastery, Joachim, who lived in the 17th century. A monk lived near the Kazan Church in a hut, where he was buried.

“Miracle-working icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their history and images,” compiled by Archpriest I. Bukharev. Moscow, “Caravel”, 1994. Published according to the publication: Miraculous Icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Their History and Images). Compiled by Archpriest I. Bukharev. Moscow, Typo-Lithography G.I. Prostakova, Balchug, village of Simonov Monastery. 1901

Orthodox Christians reverence the icon of the Mother of God. This is explained by the numerous miracles that are associated with the miraculous icon. Temples and churches of the same name were built in honor of the Kazan icon. And in church calendar The appearance of the icon is marked by holiday dates, one of which falls on July 21 - the day of the feather apparition in Kazan.

July 21 is the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the story of a miraculous appearance

The story of the miraculous appearance of the icon took place in 1579. The faith of Christians was not yet strong enough to resist trials. An unmerciful test falls on the shoulders of Kazan residents.

The rays of the scorching sun are not able to break through the columns of dust and ash. A terrible fire that burned here for a week mercilessly destroyed the Church of St. Nicholas.

The Kazan Kremlin was also engulfed in flames. No matter how hard the men tried, they could not put it out - and the glow stood over the hail for many hours. Horror gripped the women and children. what will happen if it is not possible to stop the disaster and the flames spread to houses. After all, winter is coming very soon, and there is no way to have time to rebuild a new home.

And the opponents of the church grinned sarcastically, why did your god allow a fire - he did not protect his temple. And many doubted their faith. Maybe this is a sign of God’s displeasure that people turned to Christ.

The efforts were in vain - and the fire was still able to destroy many houses. Construction has begun.

There is no time to grieve, and there is no one to expect help from.

Very soon it will be cold - and work will begin to boil at an accelerated pace. The days of fire victim Daniil Onuchin also passed in worries.

But the daughter of the Sagittarius Matrona was completely incomprehensible to parental worries. The nine-year-old girl was glad that her mother and father did not prohibit interesting fun. And the little ones had something to get carried away with.

We spent the whole day conducting research excavations at the fire site. Either you find an interesting pebble, or an outlandish piece of glass. Only in the evening, having calmed down, Matrona ran home and quickly fell asleep.

But one night the little girl woke up from an unusual dream.

The Virgin Mary herself came to her, illuminating bright light. And she told me where to find the miraculous icon at the fire. The little girl was frightened and couldn’t understand whether it was a dream or a vision.

Tired parents swore at their daughter. Dreams are not all from God, and only saints have visions. So I stayed unusual dream The sailors are ignored.

But the vision is repeated the next night, and the next day. Nevertheless, the parents decided to check, and what if it was not without reason that Matrona sees the Mother of God every night.

And Matrona and her mother went to the fire in the indicated place. We started digging. A little more, and, lo and behold, is it really an icon? They took out a package, and there, indeed, was an icon of the Mother of God.

How did the icon end up in the ground? Most likely, in this way the first Christians saved the icon from the encroachments of infidels.

News of the discovery quickly spread to neighboring villages. And the priests hurried to the wonderful place.

Archbishop Jeremiah accepted the icon and ordered it to be transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas.

After holding a prayer service, the icon is transferred in a procession to the first Orthodox church in the city of Kazan - the Annunciation Cathedral.

The miraculous power of the icon manifested itself on the way. Two blind men from Kazan, Nikita and Joseph, regained their sight during the procession of the Cross. And lines of sufferers hurried to the icon, and even those who had grinned yesterday, doubting their faith.

The pilgrims asked the icon to return health, goodness for great deeds, and help in important events.

Ivan the Terrible himself was so amazed by the story of the discovery of the icon that he immediately ordered the construction of the Kazan Cathedral and a convent to begin.

It was in this monastery that Matrona and her mother subsequently took monastic vows.

Miracles of the Kazan Mother of God Icon

The icon of the Mother of God is a guide, and many Orthodox believers have found their way thanks to the holy image.

With the Kazan icon, the militia marched towards Moscow during the Time of Troubles and was able to liberate the city from impostors.

In 1636, the most significant temple was erected in Moscow - the Kazan Cathedral. It was to that temple that the miraculous icon was later transferred.

Peter I with his soldiers ahead important battle– During the Battle of Poltava, he turned specifically to the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which was located in the village of Kaplunovka.

In the war with Napoleon, soldiers went into battle with the image of the Kazan Mother of God. It was on October 22, on the day of celebration of the appearance of the Kazan Icon, that the major victory over the French after they left Moscow. The day began with snowfall and severe frosts, which was one of the reasons for the melting of the enemy army.

But the holy image shows the way not only to warriors and liberators. It is with this icon that parents bless young people for their life together. Many miracles are associated with the icon, which became beloved in Rus'.

Celebration of the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God

First of all, from this day harvesting began in the villages.

But for villages and cities where the icon was the throne, July 21 was a holiday and a non-working day.

It was a sin to work on such a day.

Therefore, festive celebrations were organized, to which residents of neighboring villages also gathered. Treats and songs accompanied by an accordion were obligatory.

They sang short songs and ditties. Young people danced in the streets. The holiday could last for several days.

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God twice a year - in the fall, on November 4, and in the summer, on July 21. This is due to the fact that Our Lady of Kazan is the most revered and beloved holy image in Russia. She is considered the defender of the Russian land and the patroness of all righteous believers. Read on to learn about the history of the origin of the holiday, the peculiarities of the celebration, the creation of a postcard with the image, as well as signs and stories.

The history of the appearance of the holy face

The Kazan icon has interesting story phenomena to the Orthodox. This happened back in 1579. Then Kazan was on fire, the fire destroyed part of the city, leaving ashes behind. A terrible fire left the merchant and his family without a home. When people were left without a roof over their heads, the Mother of God herself came to their nine-year-old daughter Matrona in a dream. She ordered to come to the ashes to pick up her holy image from the ruins. At first, the adults did not believe the child, but the messages began to repeat themselves. The family went to ruins. There they found an icon that was no different from the new image - fresh and bright colors amazed people. Residents of the city began to pray. They decided to take the image to the church. When the Kazan Icon was transferred, it showed its miraculous power, granting sight to two destitute blind men.

It is still unknown how the face of the Mother of God ended up under the burnt ruins. Presumably, it was buried there by Christian confessors who were fleeing the Tatar invasion. When the fire started, the icon appeared outside.

At the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, Kazan residents built a convent. There the girl Matrona, to whom the Saint turned, was tonsured, as well as her mother.

Within a matter of time, the news of miraculous icon flew around all the cities, they began to pray for her and highly venerate her. By the time the Time of Troubles, wars and revolutions began in Russia, the Kazan Face was considered the main defender. However, the original face has not reached our time; all that is kept in churches are lists. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the icon was stolen for profit and then burned.

The essence of the holiday

The Day of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God is celebrated on November 4 - this is the date of the appearance of the Most Holy One to Christians in burnt Kazan. However, there is another date that is no less revered by the Orthodox - July 21. Then the holy image helped the Russians rid their native land from the invasion of the Poles, who had captured Moscow by deception. They burned churches, destroyed shrines, and mocked the Orthodox. Patriarch Hermogenes called on the people to rise up to fight the invaders. From Kazan the defenders were sent the face of the Most Holy Theotokos. People began to fervently pray to the Holy One, fasted, and Russian army won. July 21, 1649 radically changed the course of history. Since then, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God has been especially revered by the people of Russia: people give each other postcards with the image of the Virgin Mary, say warm words, pray for salvation, happiness and healing.

You need to turn to the Kazan Mother of God for a miracle; she will help you make a fateful decision and protect you during any disaster. The Mother of God covers the person asking with a light veil, protecting him. You can only come to the Virgin Mary with an open heart and clear thoughts. Then the Christian will receive what he asks for. It is also recommended to carry postcards with the image of Our Lady of the Protector.

Signs and traditions

With the holiday of the Kazan icon, new rituals and signs came into the life of Orthodox Christians. At two solemn day Believers always went to church with the whole family, where they asked the Intercessor for protection, protection and guidance. The congratulations were celebrated on a grand scale: after church service people made a religious procession - with the faces of the Mother of God they walked around cities and villages. This process symbolized protection from adversity and troubled times. Today Christians do not go into passages, but limit themselves to walking along the main streets of the city. Some believers simply send postcards with the holy image to their relatives and friends.

In ancient times, the Mother of God was considered exclusively a female protector. Therefore, there were many rituals that women had to do during these days. For example, taking care of your beauty. It was believed that it was necessary to pick a birch leaf on the feast of the Kazan Mother of God. The main condition is that it is already covered with frost. You should bring it home and look at it like in a mirror. It was believed that in this way the woman would become even more beautiful and would not age.

The holiday was considered an excellent time for marriages and weddings. According to legends, new family created during this period will be happy. Those who wanted to unite their destinies before God tried to time the celebration to coincide with the autumn holiday. This promised a cloudless life.

Church ministers recommend that those who want to find peace and receive support should always celebrate the triumph of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. It is worth sending postcards with the face of the Holy One to your family and friends, and praying for their health.