In the distant 1383, not far from the town of Tikhvin, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God appeared. Its significance was very important, and it was for her that a beautiful temple and a small monastery were erected. But first things first.

History

There is an ancient legend, according to which, the Tikhvin significance of which is difficult to overestimate, is closely connected with the famous evangelist Luke. The image was painted by this Holy Apostle during the earthly life of the Mother of God.

Later, Luke presented the icon to Theophilus, who ruled Antioch at that time. It is known that the Holy Apostle attached the text of the Gospel to the image.

A few years later, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, the meaning of which has not changed at all over time, ended up in Constantinople. Here a magnificent Blachernae reliquary church was built for her, which later became a real repository of the most expensive relics of Byzantium.

The further fate of the shrine

Further, according to legend, in 1383 this icon appeared on the Tikhvin land. According to eyewitnesses, this happened in an absolutely incredible way: she was transported by air from Constantinople to Holy Russia. In the sky over Ladoga she was noticed by local fishermen, who, of course, were, to put it mildly, surprised by what they saw.

The fact that it was precisely a Byzantine shrine was confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. He explained such a miracle as follows: “She irrevocably departed from Byzantium. For the pride, hatred and untruths of the people. "

How the miracle happened

In the morning, a crowd of people gathered on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, led by local priests. They all began to pray fervently, and soon the icon "The Tikhvin Mother of God" came straight into their hands. The significance of this truly miraculous event was enormous. After all, from Byzantium itself, this shrine "floated" through the air! On the same day, they decided to build a church. We decided on the place, cut down the forest, and began the construction of the temple. And in the evening, the tired people began to go home. But the icon was not just abandoned. A guard was assigned to the construction site and to the icon.

But the watchmen fell asleep, and when they woke up, they found that neither the construction began, nor the icon. People gathered. They mourned the loss for a long time, and then decided to go in search of the shrine.

What was their surprise when they discovered that all the prepared logs and tools were waiting for them on the other side, and at the head of all this was the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God! The meaning of what happened was hard not to understand - thus the Mother of God chose a place for her temple. Soon it was here that the beautiful Church of the Assumption stood out.

Later, the wooden structure was replaced by a stone one, and a small monastery was added next to it.

The abduction of the icon

During the Second World War, the Germans mercilessly ravaged villages, villages, towns, temples and monasteries. They did not spare this church either. The invaders took out many icons from the devastated church, including the Tikhvin one.

In 1944, when the Nazis reached Riga, the icon ended up in a local church. The Germans "gave out" her for the duration of the services to the priests, hoping that they would begin to support them. It is not known what would have happened to this shrine if the Nazis had not accidentally forgotten it during the retreat.

Back to Russia

The image returned to the city of Tikhvin only on June 23, 2004. By this time, the destroyed monastery was restored. On July 9 - it was on this day many centuries ago that the shrine appeared over Tikhvin - a solemn liturgy was held, led by Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia.

It is believed that the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God helps with childhood illnesses, with restless sleep and whims. In addition, at an older age, when a child goes to school and makes friends, the image protects him from bad choices and helps to improve relations with his parents.

Tearing Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on Athos:

Who did Stalin pray to during the war:

Will the Tikhvin icon help Vladimir Putin become president?: http://rublev-museum.livejournal.com/283680.html

About bringing the miraculous Tikhvin Icon to Moscow, see the article "Medvedev bowed to the main Russian icon":
TIKHVIN MIRACLE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD: http://www.rusinst.ru/articletext.asp?rzd=1&id=1127

Troparion before the icon of the Mother of God "Tikhvin", tone 4 :

Today, like the blazing sun, / Thy all-honorable icon is raised to us in the air, Lady, / by rays of mercy, the world is enlightening, / the great Russia is south, / like a divine gift, / you are reverently received from above, / glorifies Thee, Bogomati, all the Lady, / and from Thee born Christ our God magnifies joyfully. / Pray to Him, for the Lady the Queen of the Theotokos, / may he preserve all the cities and countries of Christianity / safe from all enemy libel / and save by faith those who worship His Divine / and Your most pure image, // Virgin Insecure.

Kontakion in front of the icon of the Mother of God "Tikhvin", tone 8 :

As a priest, people, to the Virgin Mary the Queen, / thanks to Christ God, / and, to Thy miraculous icon, tenderly gazing, we will fall down and cry to Her: / about the Lady Mary, / having visited this country of Your honest image, it is a miraculous phenomenon, / save in the world and good times, our fatherland and all Christians, / heirs showing Heavenly life, / Bo loyally call you: // Rejoice, Virgin, salvation of the world.

Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God "Tikhvin" :

Thank You, O All-blessed and Most Pure, Most Blessed Virgin, Lady, Mother of Christ of our God, about all your good deeds, she has already shown you to the human race, especially to us, the Christ-named people of the Russian people, about them, below the most angelic language will be pleased with praise, as if even now you have amazed your ineffable mercy on us, unworthy of your servant, by the natural self-coming of your most pure icons, with it you have enlightened the entire Russian country. The same we, sinners, worshiping with fear and joy, cry out to Ty: O Most Holy Virgin, Queen and Mother of God, save and have mercy on Thy people, and grant them victory over all their enemies, and preserve the reigning cities, and all the cities and countries of Christianity, And deliver this holy temple from every slander of the enemy, and grant everything to everyone for the benefit, to those who have come in faith and to Your praying servant, and to those who worship Your Most Holy Image, as blessed are you with the Son and God born of You, now and ever and ever and ever. ... Amen.

Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God with miracles.
1560 BC
143, 8 x 116.
The Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art. Inv. KP 3397.

One of the most wonderful traditions of our Church is associated with the acquisition of the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God. According to legend, this holy image arrived on the bank of the Tikhvinka River by air! So the northern borders of our land were consecrated by his procession. In the assurance of people that such a miracle was really possible was witnessed by many townspeople, its repetition. When the icon was transferred to the other side of the river and began to build a temple-chapel for it, it miraculously returned by air to the bank where it was first found. The preservation of the holy image after the fire was also a miracle - both the temple and all the utensils in it burned to the ground, but the icon survived. Miracles accompanied this icon throughout its stay in Tikhvin - it streamed myrrh, shed tears, the sick were healed from it, the mourners were comforted, the sinners received admonition.

And now the miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the functioning monastery attracts thousands of pilgrims. And not only, but the city of Tikhvin itself, which in 1983 turned 600 years old! The old buildings have been preserved in the city, many houses of the 19th century were built on the site of those buildings that stood in Tikhvinsky Posad (the old building plan has been preserved) in the 16th century. Tikhvin silence, comfort, abundance of greenery make you want to stay here longer - to take a break from the “rhythms of modern life” (Tikhvin is 218 km away from St. Petersburg).

The age of the city, built on a tributary of the Syas River - Tikhvinka - was determined by the first mention in the Chronicle - in 1383 it is referred to as a shopping center located at the intersection of trade routes to Novgorod, Moscow, Staraya Ladoga and Ustyuzhna. Since the 15th century, special attention has been paid to the city located on the northern border of the Russian state. With the generous donations of Sovereign Vasily III in 1507-1515. the first stone Assumption Cathedral is being built on the site of a burnt wooden one. In 1560, by the decree of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich IV, the large Tikhvin Assumption Monastery was founded, which from the very beginning was built as a border fortress. The monastery justified this purpose in 1613. At a time when the Swedes destroyed almost all the monasteries in the Ladoga area, on Valaam and Konevets, the Tikhvin Monastery not only withstood the siege of the Swedes, but also utterly defeated the detachment led by Delagardie. This accelerated the conclusion of the peace Treaty of Stolbovo with Sweden in 1617. Moreover, at that time the walls of the fortress were still wooden! Only after 1699 they began to be replaced by stone ones. The construction and reconstruction of the stone walls continued until 1801. It was at this time that the monastery acquired that form - a stone fortress with 9 battle towers and stone cells, in the form of a square, located around the Assumption Cathedral - which we see now.

The Assumption Cathedral itself was rebuilt many times and almost lost its original appearance. Helmet-shaped domes were replaced by bulbous ones, kokoshniks disappeared, two limits were added. However, the interior of the temple retains the features of antiquity. The main thing is that the four-tiered iconostasis, erected in 1624, has been preserved in the cathedral, and the fresco painting by Tikhvin masters has also been preserved. The monastery had its own icon-painting workshop. One of the wonderful images painted in this workshop is now one of the highly valued exhibits of the Andrei Rublev Museum in Moscow - this is the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God with stamps (there are no stamps on the prototype), telling about the history of the finding of the icon ... Other icons of the Tikhvin school are kept in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Here the believing heart has to sigh - there are so many shrines in the storerooms of museums, shrines from Russian northern monasteries, mainly in the Russian Museum. And there is no hope for the return of at least analogous images (small size) or altar crosses ...

The second construction of the monastery - a two-story refectory chamber with a warm Church of the Nativity, erected in 1581 - it occupies the southwestern corner of the courtyard. Historians of architecture note the skillful solution of complex engineering problems in the construction of cells, buildings and chambers, among which they note the refectory chamber, located on the second floor of the south-western building, with an area of ​​300 square meters.

Another temple of the monastery is located above the Holy Gates at the entrance to the monastery - consecrated in honor of the Ascension of the Lord. This is the third stone building in time (1591-1593). Archimandrite and kelar cells, adjacent to the holy gates, were built a whole century later.

The architectural symbol of the Tikhvin Monastery has recently become its five-hipped belfry, built at the end of the 18th century. The belfry is adjoined by a two-storey building of state cells, in the 18th century, converted into bishops' chambers.

At the end of the 18th century, gate churches were built on the ancient towers of the monastery. One of them is Tikhvin, rebuilt in 1861-1863. architect N.L. Benois - survived. The same architect added to the tower a chapel with a covered staircase called "The Porch". N.L. Benois also rebuilt the ancient Church of the Intercession of the monastery, after the reconstruction it was rededicated and became the Holy Cross Church.

On the whole, the Tikhvin Monastery gives the impression of a “city within a city”. He has such a vast courtyard and so many residential buildings on it, there is even his own lake, called Syrkovo.

Before the revolution, the Tikhvin monastery was one of the largest in Russia - both in size and in the number of brethren, and in the number of pilgrims who came here from different parts of Russia to worship the miraculous image of the Tikhvin Mother of God. In 1812, a copy of the Tikhvin icon was made in the monastery, they blessed the Tikhvin militia that was leaving for the war, four decades later this icon, now called the Militia, was in Sevastopol during the days of its defense. In the 19th century, Tikhvin monks took care of the Russian navy. Before the 1917 revolution, the monastery participated in many charitable foundations that supported the wounded and families of those killed in the war.

After the revolution, new “masters of life” began to plunder the monastery; in the mid-1920s, the monastery was closed. Many priests of the monastery suffered martyrdom during the hard times.

In the summer of 1995, a decision was made to resume monastic life at the monastery. On July 9, 1997, the first metropolitan service took place in the Assumption Cathedral.

Pilgrims get to Tikhvin as part of pilgrimage groups, but you can get to the monastery and "on their own" - From St. Petersburg to Tikhvin there is an electric train from the Moscow railway station, and from the bus station there is a regular bus.

Monastery address: 167500, Leningrad region, Tikhvin, Tikhvinskaya st., 1

Blog of the research team of the Andrei Rublev Museum.

The icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God belongs to the type of Hodegetria, which means a Guide. For the first time, this image is mentioned in the most ancient manuscript "The Legend of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God." Its appearance dates back to 1383 in the manuscript. She appeared to fishermen in an unearthly glow on Lake Ladoga. They tried to pick it up six times, but the miraculous icon moved from one place to another until it stopped over the Tikhvin River. The few Orthodox pilgrims in those days gathered on the shore and began to pray. Only after that was the icon given into the hands.

For the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built. The wooden church was burned several times, but the holy image was never damaged. Upon learning of this, the father of Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a stone church in Tikhvin itself, to transfer the icon there.

Many rulers of the Russian land came to pray before the miraculous icon: from Ivan the Terrible to Catherine II. The entire numerous royal house of the Romanovs also venerated the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.

After the 1917 revolution, scientists studied the image, then it was transferred to the local history museum of Novgorod. When the Great Patriotic War began, she was sent to Pskov. Then she ended up in Riga and ended up in the territory liberated by American troops. After the end of the war, she was found in Chicago, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Only after the departure of the Communist Party in Russia from the ruling seat, it was decided to return the Tikhvin icon to its homeland. She arrived at the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery in 2004.

Where is the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God now

During the entire stay of the icon in Russia, many copies were made from it, almost all of them were recognized as miraculous.

• In Suzdal there is a list of the icon with which Ksenia Ivanovna Romanova blessed her son, Mikhail Fedorovich, for the kingdom. This image resides in the church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius.
• In Novgorod, in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, there is an amazing list, which back in 1643, after the vision of the Most Holy Theotokos, was bought by two Baltic sailors from a Latin pastor and sent to the Novgorod region.
• In St. Petersburg, the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God, famous for its numerous miracles, stays in St. Isaac's Cathedral.
• Many lists were distributed throughout the country: in the vicinity of Kazan - the city of Tsivilsk, in Staraya Russa, in the Borisov women's monastery near Kursk and in many other places.

There are also many places in the capital where you can pray at the holy image of the Queen of Heaven. This is, first of all

Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent

Athos chapel at the Vladimir gate

Church of St. Nicholas on Shchepakh

and many other Orthodox places.

What they pray for in front of the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God

Despite the fact that the image of the Tikhvin Mother of God has saved Russian cities from foreign invaders many times, she is considered a "children's" icon.

• Couples often come to her asking for Fr.
• Mothers ask for good, trusting relationships with their teenage children and to keep them safe from bad influences.
• People ask for getting rid of mental illnesses, especially despondency, feelings of depression, and being lost in life. will always show you the right path in life.

But always remember - like any Her face - helps only those who come with strong faith and pure thoughts. It is noticed that She helps sick children especially quickly. And do not forget to thank the Holy Virgin after solving your problems.

They pray to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God for the enlightenment of the blind, in case of illnesses of children, relaxation of joints, with paralysis, from the invasion of aliens.

It is considered the patroness of babies, it is also called the nursery.She helps children with illness, calms the restless and disobedient, helps them in choosing friends, protects them from the bad influence of the street. It is believed to strengthen the bond between parents and children. Helps women during childbirth and pregnancy. Prayer is also addressed when there are problems of conception.

According to an ancient legend, the miraculous Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God was written by the holy Apostle Luke during the life of the Virgin Mary and sent by him with the Gospel to Antioch. In the 5th century, the icon was pompously moved to Constantinople, where the Blachernae Church was erected in her honor, which later became a repository of the most important shrines of Byzantium.

In 1383, the icon disappeared incomprehensibly, which was considered an omen of the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, which fell in 1453 from the Ottoman Turks. But in the same year a miracle happened - the icon appeared in Russia. The amazed fishermen who hunted in Lake Ladoga saw her soaring over the waters of the lake. And now she appears again in the vicinity of the same lake!

The image of the Mother of God was shown many times in different places, until he finally chose something godly for himself - near the future city of Tikhvin, where he appeared by air and hung over the mountain. The people who saw this miracle fell prostrate before her with prayers for forgiveness, mercy and help. The icon heeded the prayers and smoothly descended, where the locals enthusiastically greeted it and subsequently built a chapel for it. The Patriarch of Constantinople, after listening to the testimony of Novgorod merchants, confirmed the authenticity of the icon and blessed it.

Construction began immediately, and the blockhouse was already ready by the evening. But in the morning, the guards left for the night did not see either the started log house or the image. They urgently gathered the people and took all actions to search for the missing icon, praying and bitterly mourning the loss. And suddenly, in a miraculous way, the icon, together with the started frame, was found on the other bank of the Tikhvinka River - this is how the icon indicated the place for its final stay. In this place, a temple was erected for her, and the icon was named in honor of the Tikhvin area. This temple burned down one night seven years later, but the icon was found in the nearby thickets safe and sound. Three more times there was a fire, and all three times the icon was miraculously saved.

The fame of the properties of the Miraculous Icon spread far beyond the borders of the region, and in 1613, when Russia was fighting for its independence and freedom, the icon saved the Tikhvin monastery with its miraculous properties. When Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov came to power and his brave troops liberated the Novgorod lands from the insidious Swedes, they decided to take revenge and destroy the shrine of the Tikhvin monastery. The novice Mary, whom the icon had healed from blindness in due time, the Mother of God appeared in a prophetic dream and ordered to take her icon and go around the city walls. And the people went, proudly carrying the image before them. When the Swedes saw this procession, they were overwhelmed by such panic that they fled without looking back. When the enemy troops decided to attack the Tikhvin Monastery for the second time, they saw a huge army pressing directly on them, and again fled in fear from the scene of the battle. And again, the Swedish troops, led by the cruel commander Dalagardi, threw all their strength into not only destroying the monastery, but also necessarily destroying the icon. Then the defenders of the monastery decided to take it away and bury it in Moscow, but the icon seemed to have grown into the wall - they could not move it even a millimeter. And again, the advancing Swedes saw a large Russian army marching in their direction, and they finally fled.

What is significant - exactly a year later, it was in the Tikhvin monastery, in front of the icon of the Mother of God, that an armistice agreement was signed with the Swedes. From that time on, the worldwide veneration of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God began, and the day of its celebration became June 26 (July 9).

After the October Revolution in 1924, the Tikhvin Monastery was closed, and the miraculous icon was moved to one of the temples of Tikhvin. After the Second World War, the miraculous Tikhvin icon took an honorable place in the iconostasis to the right of the Savior, and only once a year, on the patronal feast, is it taken out for a great divine service and carried in a procession with the cross around the church.
According to legend, it was from the Tikhvin Church that Stalin took a wonderful icon before the battle for Moscow and ordered him to go around the capital by plane, thanks to such a blessing, the enemy was defeated.

In 1944, the future Archbishop of Chicago and Minneapolis John and a layman named Sergius, saving the miraculous icon, took it to Europe, and then to the United States in general. Before his death, Archbishop John bequeathed to his adopted son to preserve the icon as the apple of his eye and return it to Russia only when the Soviet authority reveres the Church in the country and the Tikhvin Monastery is reconstructed.

In 2004, the long-awaited return of the miraculous icon to its homeland took place. And to this day, those who suffer from serious mental illnesses, paralysis, joint diseases, blindness pray in front of the icon, but especially the Mother of God protects and heals children and women suffering from infertility.

It is located in the Temple in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in Alekseevsky, Moscow.

Sometimes there are situations in life when a person can only rely on God's help. But it is never out of place to simply pray for the benefit of family and friends. Often coming to a temple or church, we see many icons in front of us. All depict saints who are prayed for different things. It is believed that each icon needs to be prayed with certain requests. But people who are not versed in religious rules rarely know the purpose of each icon. We will tell you which icon to pray for:

"Trinity"- one of the miraculous Orthodox icons, the most important shrine of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. They pray around her about the most important and important thing in life, about what can affect the whole future fate of a person. People who have lost hope and cannot find a way out of a difficult situation need to pray near her. Before praying, think carefully about your request. It is necessary to pray to the Trinity after repentance and praise to the Lord.

"Savior Not Made by Hands." It depicts the Savior, who should be addressed with requests to save the soul, show the true path, be healed and get rid of bad thoughts. You can ask for mercy both for yourself and for others, but first you need to repent and read Our Father.

"Savior the Almighty"... She is asked to keep family members.

"Crucifixion" helps protect your home from thieves and criminals.

"Savior in a crown of thorns" helps to overcome all obstacles to the salvation of the soul.

Icon of the Mother of God "Vladimirskaya" - it is customary to pray for deliverance from the invasion of aliens, for the strengthening of the Orthodox faith, for the preservation from heresies and schisms, for the pacification of the warring ones, for the preservation of Russia - the day of celebration is June 23 (6).

Icon of the Mother of God "Kazan"- pray for the enlightenment of blind eyes, for deliverance from the invasion of aliens, is an intercessor in difficult times, she is blessed by those entering into marriage - the day of celebration is July 8 (21), October 22 (4).

Icon of the Mother of God "Iverskaya" - pray for deliverance from various misfortunes and for consolation in troubles, from fire, for the multiplication of the fertility of the earth - the day of celebration on February 12 (25) (celebrated on Tuesday of Bright Week).

Icon of the Mother of God "Tikhvin"- pray for the enlightenment of the blind, the healing of the possessed, with diseases of children, relaxation of joints, with paralysis, epilepsy, from the invasion of aliens - the day of the celebration is June 26 (9).

Icon of the Mother of God "Ostrobramskaya" helps to find and maintain the happiness of a married couple. They also pray to her that strangers do not interfere in the relationship of the newlyweds.

Icon "Faith, Hope, Love" gives people wisdom, helps to strengthen faith, hope and love in people's hearts, and also gives strength to overcome difficult life obstacles.

Icon "Recovery of the lost". They pray to her for the health, well-being and happiness of children, as well as for the return of lost children to the family (children who fell into the sect, were subjected to strong drug and alcohol addiction, etc.).

"Peter and Fevronia". Prayers around her help to find family happiness and well-being, and she can also be asked for the birth of a child.

"Guardian angel" helps to get rid of need and illness for every baptized Christian. Praying to this icon, a person turns to his Guardian Angel, who saves him from sins, troubles and misfortunes.

"Seraphim of Sarov". Those who need support and support pray to this icon. Helps to heal from diseases, gives consolation.

"Blessed Matrona". A revered icon of our time. You can ask her for help on any difficult issue.

The Inexhaustible Chalice. This icon is asked for healing from harmful addictions, such as drunkenness, drug addiction, gambling.

"Nicholas the Pleasant the Wonderworker". One of the most famous and revered icons in the world. She needs to pray to those who travel a lot in life or at work or are often on the road. Sailors, fishermen, pilots, travelers and sailors pray to her. In addition, Nicholas the Wonderworker is the defender of the unjustly offended, women, children, beggars, unjustly convicted and prisoners. Therefore, all these categories of the population can turn to the Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with their requests.

"Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon". People pray to this icon for healing from diseases.

"Sergius of Radonezh". This saint is the patron saint of all who study. You can ask this icon for blessing for the new school year, as well as help in mastering new knowledge.

Icon "St. Catherine of Alexandria" helps those who strive for knowledge. Contact her if you want to get a good education. It contributes to success in any sciences, especially in the study of languages, mathematics. The icon helps to find new approaches in pedagogy. In Europe, many educational institutions bear the name of St. Catherine. Lawyers, prosecutors and judges ask for support in court cases. Saint Catherine also pray for marriage and help during pregnancy and childbirth.