Vladimir icon Mother of God depicts the Virgin Mary. It is one of the most revered relics of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: legend
According to pious tradition, the image of the Mother of God of Vladimir was written by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior dined with the Most Pure Mother and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: “From now on, all my people will please Me. May the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with this image.”
Until the middle of the 5th century, the icon remained in Jerusalem. Under Theodosius the Younger, it was transferred to Constantinople, from where in 1131 it was sent to Rus' as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverkh. The icon was placed in a nunnery in the city of Vyshgorod, not far from Kyiv, where it immediately became famous for its many miracles. In 1155, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, St. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, wanting to have a famous shrine, transported the icon to the north, to Vladimir, and placed it in the famous Assumption Cathedral, which he erected. From that time on, the icon received the name Vladimir.
During the campaign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky against the Volga Bulgarians, in 1164, the image of the “Holy Mother of God of Vladimir” helped the Russians defeat the enemy. The icon survived during terrible fire April 13, 1185, when the Vladimir Cathedral burned down, and remained unharmed during the ruin of Vladimir by Batu on February 17, 1237.
The further history of the image is entirely connected with the capital city of Moscow, where it was first brought in 1395 during the invasion of Khan Tamerlane. The conqueror with an army invaded the borders of Ryazan, captured and ruined it and headed his way to Moscow, devastating and destroying everything around. While Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich gathered troops and sent them to Kolomna; in Moscow itself, Metropolitan Cyprian blessed the population for fasting and prayerful repentance. On mutual advice, Vasily Dmitrievich and Cyprian decided to resort to spiritual weapons and transfer the miraculous icon of the Most Pure Mother of God from Vladimir to Moscow.
The icon was brought into the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The chronicle reports that Tamerlane, having stood in one place for two weeks, suddenly became afraid, turned south and left the Moscow borders. A great miracle happened: during procession with a miraculous icon, heading from Vladimir to Moscow, when countless people were kneeling on both sides of the road and praying: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!” Tamerlane had a vision. A high mountain appeared before his mental gaze, from the top of which saints with golden rods were descending, and above them the Majestic Woman appeared in a radiant radiance. She ordered him to leave the borders of Russia. Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision. They answered him that the radiant Woman is the Mother of God, the great Defender of Christians. Then Tamerlane gave the order to the regiments to go back.
In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Rus' from the invasion of Tamerlane, a solemn ceremony was established on the day of the meeting in Moscow of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on August 26 / September 8 religious holiday The meeting of this icon, and at the meeting place itself a temple was erected, around which it was later located Sretensky Monastery.
For the second time, the Mother of God saved Rus' from ruin in 1480 (commemorated on June 23 / July 6), when the army of the Khan of the Golden Horde, Akhmat, approached Moscow.
The meeting of the Tatars with the Russian army took place near the Ugra River (the so-called “standing on the Ugra”): the troops stood on different banks and were waiting for a reason to attack. In the front ranks of the Russian army they held an icon Our Lady of Vladimir, which miraculously put the Horde regiments to flight.
The third celebration of the Vladimir Mother of God (May 21 / June 3) remembers the deliverance of Moscow from the defeat of Makhmet-Girey, Khan of Kazan, who in 1521 reached the borders of Moscow and began to burn its suburbs, but suddenly retreated from the capital without causing harm to it.
Before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, many of the most important events in Russian church history took place: the election and installation of St. Jonah - Primate of the Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (1589), His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1917), and also in all centuries before her, oaths of allegiance to the Motherland were taken, prayers were performed before military campaigns.
Iconography of the Vladimir Mother of God
The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God belongs to the “Caressing” type, also known under the epithets “Eleusa” (ελεουσα - “Merciful”), “Tenderness”, “Glycophilus” (γλυκυφιλουσα - “Sweet kiss”). This is the most lyrical of all types of iconography of the Virgin Mary, revealing the intimate side of the Virgin Mary’s communication with Her Son. The image of the Mother of God caressing the Child, his deep humanity turned out to be especially close to Russian painting.
The iconographic scheme includes two figures - the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ, their faces clinging to each other. Mary's head is bowed towards the Son, and He puts his hand around the Mother's neck. Distinctive feature The Vladimir icon differs from other icons of the “Tenderness” type: the left leg of the Infant Christ is bent in such a way that the sole of the foot, the “heel,” is visible.
This touching composition, in addition to its direct meaning, contains a deep theological idea: the Mother of God caressing the Son appears as a symbol of the soul in close communion with God. In addition, the embrace of Mary and the Son suggests the future sufferings of the Savior on the cross; in the Mother’s caressing of the Child, his future mourning is foreseen.
The work is permeated with completely obvious sacrificial symbolism. From a theological point of view, its content can be reduced to three main themes: “the incarnation, the predestination of the Child to the sacrifice and the unity in love of Mary the Church with Christ the High Priest.” This interpretation of Our Lady of Caress is confirmed by the image on the back of the icon of the throne with the symbols of the Passion. Here in the 15th century. they painted an image of the throne (etimasia - “prepared throne”), covered with an altar cloth, the Gospel with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, nails, a crown of thorns, behind the throne there is a Calvary cross, a spear and a cane with a sponge, below is the floor of the altar flooring. The theological interpretation of etymasia is based on Holy Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers. Etymasia symbolizes Christ's resurrection and His judgment over the living and the dead, and the instruments of His torment are the sacrifice made to atone for the sins of mankind. The juxtaposition of Mary caressing the Child and the turnover with the throne clearly expressed sacrificial symbolism.
Arguments have been put forward in favor of the fact that the icon was double-sided from the very beginning: this is evidenced by the identical shapes of the ark and the husks of both sides. In the Byzantine tradition, there were often images of a cross on the back of Mother of God icons. Starting from the 12th century, the time of the creation of the “Vladimir Mother of God,” in Byzantine murals, the etymasia was often placed in the altar as an altar image, visually revealing the sacrificial meaning of the Eucharist, which takes place here on the throne. This suggests the possible location of the icon in antiquity. For example, in the Vyshgorod monastery church it could be placed in the altar as a double-sided altar icon. The text of the Legend contains information about the use of the Vladimir icon as an altar icon and as an outside icon that was moved in the church.
The luxurious attire of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which she had according to the news of the chronicles, also does not testify in favor of the possibility of its location in the altar barrier in the 12th century: “And there were more than thirty hryvnias of gold on it, in addition to silver and in addition to expensive stones and pearls, and Having decorated it, put it in your church in Volodymeri.” But many of the external icons were later strengthened precisely in iconostases, like the Vladimir Icon in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, originally placed to the right of the royal doors: “And having brought in<икону>to the successor temple of her glorious Dormition, which is the great Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Russian Metropolis, and put it in an icon case on the right side, where to this day it stands visible and worshiped by all" (See: Book Degree. M., 1775. Part 1 552).
There is an opinion that the “Vladimir Mother of God” was one of the lists of the icon of the Mother of God “Caressing” from the Blachernae Basilica, that is, a list with the famous ancient miraculous icon. In the Legend of the Miracles of the Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, she is likened to the Ark of the Covenant, like the Virgin Mary herself, as well as her Robe, which was kept in the rotunda of Agia Soros in Blachernae. The Legend also speaks of healings that are accomplished mainly thanks to the water from the ablutions of the Vladimir Icon: they drink this water, wash the sick with it, and send it to other cities in sealed vessels to heal the sick. This miracle-working of waters from the washing of the Vladimir icon, emphasized in the Legend, could also be rooted in the rituals of the Blachernae sanctuary, the most important part of which was the chapel of the spring dedicated to the Mother of God. Constantine Porphyrogenitus described the custom of washing in a font in front of a marble relief of the Mother of God, from whose hands water flowed.
In addition, this opinion is supported by the fact that under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in his Vladimir principality, the cult of the Mother of God, associated with Blachernae shrines, received special development. For example, on the Golden Gate of the city of Vladimir, the prince erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Mother of God, directly dedicating it to the relics of the Blachernae Temple.
Style of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
The time of painting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the 12th century, refers to the so-called Komninian revival (1057-1185). This period in Byzantine art is characterized by the extreme dematerialization of painting, carried out by drawing faces and clothes with numerous lines, whitening slides, sometimes whimsically, ornamentally placed on the image.
In the icon we are considering, the most ancient painting of the 12th century includes the faces of the Mother and the Child, part of the blue cap and maforium border with a gold assist, as well as part of the ocher chiton of the Child with a gold assist with sleeves to the elbow and the transparent edge of the shirt visible from under it, a brush left and part right hand The baby, as well as the remains of the golden background. These few surviving fragments represent a high example of the Constantinople school of painting of the Komnenian period. There is no deliberate graphic quality characteristic of the time; on the contrary, the line in this image is nowhere opposed to volume. The main remedy artistic expression built on “the combination of insensible fluids, giving the surface the impression of not being made by hands, with a geometrically pure, visibly built line.” “The personal letter is one of the most perfect examples of “Comnenian floating”, combining multi-layered sequential modeling with the absolute indistinguishability of the stroke. The layers of painting are loose, very transparent; the main thing is in their relationship with each other, in the transmission of the lower ones through the upper ones.<…>A complex and transparent system of tones – greenish sankira, ocher, shadows and highlights – leads to a specific effect of diffused, flickering light.”
Among the Byzantine icons of the Komnenian period, the Vladimir Mother of God is also distinguished by its characteristic the best works this time deep penetration to the region human soul, her hidden secret suffering. The heads of Mother and Son pressed against each other. The Mother of God knows that Her Son is doomed to suffer for the sake of people, and sorrow lurks in Her dark, thoughtful eyes.
The skill with which the painter was able to convey a subtle spiritual state most likely served as the origin of the legend about the painting of the image by the Evangelist Luke. It should be recalled that the painting of the early Christian period, the time when the famous evangelist icon painter lived, was flesh and blood of the art of late antiquity, with its sensual, “life-like” nature. But, in comparison with the icons of the early period, the image of the Vladimir Mother of God bears the stamp of the highest “spiritual culture”, which could only be the fruit of centuries-old Christian thoughts about the coming of the Lord to earth, the humility of His Most Pure Mother and the path they traversed of self-denial and sacrificial love.
Revered miraculous lists with icons of the Vladimir Mother of God
From the Vladimir Icon Holy Mother of God Many lists have been written over the centuries. Some of them became famous for their miracles and received special names depending on their place of origin. This:
- Vladimir - Volokolamsk icon (memory of Mr. 3/16), which was the contribution of Malyuta Skuratov to the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery. Nowadays it is in the collection of the Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art named after Andrei Rublev.
- Vladimirskaya - Seligerskaya (memory D. 7/20), brought to Seliger by Nil Stolbensky in the 16th century.
- Vladimir - Zaonikievskaya (memory M. 21. / John 3; John 23 / Ill. 6, from the Zaonikievsky monastery), 1588.
- Vladimirskaya - Oranskaya (memory M. 21 / John 3), 1634.
- Vladimirskaya - Krasnogorskaya (Montenegorskaya) (memory M. 21 / John 3). 1603
- Vladimir - Rostov (memory Av. 15/28), XII century.
Troparion to the Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, tone 4
Today the most glorious city of Moscow is shining brightly, / as the dawn of the sun has received, O Lady, Your miraculous icon, / to which now we flow and pray to You we cry out to You: / O, most wonderful Lady Theotokos, / pray to You, our incarnate God, / may He deliver the city this and all Christian cities and countries are unharmed from all the slander of the enemy, // and our souls will be saved by the Merciful.
Kontakion to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, tone 8
To the chosen victorious Voivode, / as those who were delivered from the evil ones by the coming of Your honorable image, / Lady Theotokos, / we brightly celebrate the celebration of Your meeting and usually call You: // Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
Prayer to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanking Thee for all the great blessings that the Russian people have received from Thee throughout the generations, before Thy most pure image we pray to Thee: save this city (or: this whole, or: this holy monastery) and Thy coming servants and the whole Russian land from famine, destruction , land of shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare. Save and save, O Lady, our Great Lord and Father Kirill, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and our Lord (name of the rivers), His Eminence Bishop (or: Archbishop, or: Metropolitan) (title), and all Your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops. May they govern the Russian Church well, and may the faithful sheep of Christ be preserved indestructibly. Remember, O Lady, the entire priestly and monastic order, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen them to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all Thy servants and grant us the path of the earthly journey without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for More Orthodox Church, put into our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of humility, give us patience in adversity, abstinence in prosperity, love for our neighbors, forgiveness for our enemies, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility, and on the terrible day of Judgment, grant us through Your intercession to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God. To Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
______________________________________________________________________
These long and numerous movements of the icon in space are poetically interpreted in the text of the Legend of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which was first found by V.O. Klyuchevsky in Milyutin’s Chetya-Minea, and published according to the list of the collection of the Synodal Library No. 556 (Klyuchevsky V.O. Tales of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. - St. Petersburg, 1878). In this ancient description, they are likened to the path that the sun's luminary takes: “When God created the sun, he did not make it shine in one place, but, going around the entire Universe, illuminates with rays, and so this image Holy Lady Our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary is not in one place... but, going around all countries and the whole world, she enlightens..."
Etingof O.E. TO early history icons of the “Vladimir Mother of God” and the traditions of the Blachernae cult of the Mother of God in Rus' in the 11th-13th centuries. // Image of the Mother of God. Essays on Byzantine iconography of the 11th-13th centuries. – M.: “Progress-Tradition”, 2000, p. 139.
There, p. 137. In addition, N.V. Kvilidze unveiled the painting of the deacon of the Trinity Church in Vyazemy late XVI century, where on the southern wall there is a liturgy in a church with an altar, behind which is an icon of the Vladimir Mother of God (N.V. Kvilidze. Newly discovered frescoes of the altar of the Trinity Church in Vyazemy. Report in the Department ancient Russian art at the State Institute of Art Studies. April 1997).
Etingof O.E. To the early history of the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir”...
Throughout its history it was recorded at least four times: in the first half of the 13th century, at the beginning of the 15th century, in 1521, during alterations in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and before the coronation of Nicholas II in 1895-1896 by restorers O. S. Chirikov and M. D. Dikarev. In addition, minor repairs were carried out in 1567 (at the Chudov Monastery by Metropolitan Athanasius), in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Kolpakova G.S. Art of Byzantium. Early and average periods. – St. Petersburg: Publishing house “Azbuka-Classics”, 2004, p. 407.
There, p. 407-408.
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What does the Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God help with: how to pray to the Vladimir Icon correctly
The Lord’s favor and disposition towards our sinful, suffering world is great, and it is hard not to notice this. You need to take a closer look, and you can see it in the ordinary confession of every Christian, in the humble shine of immaculate faces, in the course of our history and the fate of leaders. And also the goodwill and favor of God are presented to us in the form of sacred icons, of which ours is so rich Orthodox church. As before, so today it has a special significance and respect among people who believe in God has a face.
The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God is the patroness of the Russian people and the most Russian Federation. According to legend, this appearance was described by the Evangelist Luke during the period of Her earthly existence. And seeing her own image, the Virgin Mary said:
From now on, everyone will please me. The grace of the one born from me, and mine will arrive with this face.
Throughout the entire history of the appearance of the Most Holy One, a lot of amazing deeds and amazing incidents have been recorded that affected not only the Russian Federation, but also thousands of people who believe in the Lord the Creator. The significance, how the Vladimir image of the Immaculate can help, how to offer prayer and beg for her support - our publication will tell you about absolutely everything.
The meaning of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and how it helps
Prayer before any of the revered images of the Most Holy Guardian and Patroness of the human race before our Creator is of great importance. After all, it can protect each of us and our souls from misfortune. The population of the earth was presented with many of its miraculous icons, and the stories of their acquisition testify to the fact that in various everyday moments we can rush to its diverse forms.
The Most Pure Mother of God of Vladimir can help any person who believes in God and turns to her with a sincere prayer. She is a patron and protector, protects the home and can help in resolving a large number of everyday matters. Any pious Christian is simply obliged to have this miraculous face in his own home.
And about the history and significance of the icon for the Russian people, many cases have been recorded that happened in ancient times and are happening right up to the present day.
In addition to the fact that the icon saved the Russian lands from enemy invasions three times, the Most Pure Virgin expressed her will through her own appearance. So, for example, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, at the moment of prayer, received information about where the image was supposed to be located on the territory of Vladimir.
Also on the territory of Vyshgorod, in the cathedral, the icon independently moved from one place to another. As a result, Prince Andrei, at the end of the prayer, took the icon with him to the Rostov lands.
Subsequently, a fairly large number of miraculous cures of Christians were witnessed. Eye and heart ailments were especially susceptible to frequent healing.
A clergyman named Mikula had a pregnant wife. She miraculously managed to escape from a horse that went berserk after offering prayers.
Parishioner Mary was able to be healed from an eye ailment after she prayerfully drank water from her immaculate appearance.
Once upon a time, in a city called Vladimir, a misfortune happened. The golden gate of the passage tower fell and killed twelve people. The ruler of the city continuously offered prayers before the face of the Mother of God, and all the people not only remained alive, but also got out without a single scratch.
The newborn was saved from the evil eye after he was washed with holy water.
Christian Efimiya was diagnosed with a heart disease. As soon as she was told about the miraculous cures from the face of the Most Pure One, she, together with the clergyman Lazarus, sent a large number of gold items to the cathedral to the image. And later he brought her holy water. She offered a prayer, drank it and recovered.
There are many similar stories. They relate both to the original appearance of the Most Holy Patroness, and to a large number of her lists and prayers directed towards her.
How does the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God help?
The icon bears witness to the most important incidents in the history of the Russian Federation. Namely: military campaigns, appointments of patriarchs, the coronation of the monarch and the oath of allegiance to the homeland were carried out before the face of the Most Holy Mother of God. Prayer directed to the shrine is salvation in troubled times and splits in the state. It helps eliminate hostility, anger, and calm passions.
Numerous people who believe in God flock to the Immaculate One for support in making important decisions, in the presence of illnesses, in order to strengthen the spirit. If you are wondering what help can be provided Orthodox Christian icon the answer will be as follows:
Assists in the search true path, making the right decision.
Gives strength in the most difficult moments of existence, helps strengthen faith.
Heals from physical illness. In particular, prayers are often offered to her to cure heart and eye ailments.
Protects against attacks from enemies, sinful thoughts and despondency.
The patroness helps the marriage remain happy, as well as maintain the strength of family ties, eliminating quarrels and discord. After all, this is precisely the key to a strong state.
Prayer before the Vladimir icon
**“O Mother of God, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Patroness, our shameless Hope! Thanking you for all your great blessings, throughout the generations of generations the Russian people who were from you, before your immaculate appearance, we send up a prayer: protect this city and your servants and all the Russian lands from floods, fires, destruction, earthquakes, internecine wars, alien invasions. Protect and help, Most Holy One, our Most High (name of rivers), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and the entire Russian land, and our Lord (name of rivers), Most Holy Bishop (title), and all the Most Reverend metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops. Give them the Russian Church as a good steward, the faithful sheep of Christ bend down to keep. Remember, O Lady, the entire priestly and monastic order and preserve them, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen everyone to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all your servants and grant us the path of the earthly field to pass without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for the Orthodox Church, put into our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of humility, endow us with patience in adversity, abstinence in prosperity, understanding towards our neighbors, forgiveness towards the enemy, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every sinful act and from petrified insensibility, on the terrible day of Judgment grant us, through Your intercession, to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God, and to Him belongs all glory, respect and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever forever and ever. Let it be so".**
The original of the Most Pure Image is located on the territory of the city of Tolmach in the Tretyakov Gallery of the Cathedral - Museum of St. Nicholas. You are allowed to travel to the miraculous list that is located in the cathedrals, named in honor of the Most Holy Mother of God:
In the village of Novovasilyevka, Berdyansk district,
The village of Bykovo, which is located in the Ramensky district,
You can also see lists in the village of Vilna in the Moscow region,
South Butovo has lists of icons,
City of Vinogradovo,
and of course in the capital.
On the territory of Ukraine, you can pray in the temple named in honor of Our Lady of Vladimir in the capital.
May our almighty creator and patron be with you!
According to church tradition, the icon of Eleus, from which numerous revered lists were made, was painted during the life of the Mother of God by the Evangelist Luke on two boards of unequal width from the tabletop at which the meal was served Holy family– Maria, Joseph, children. However, L.A. Uspensky in his book “Theology of the Icon of the Orthodox Church” writes that the personal authorship of the Evangelist Luke is better understood as the authorship of the prototype of these later copies. However, the legend about this original authorship is confirmed by an example from the text of the litia, in the sticheron of the 6th tone of Vespers on the days of the celebration of some icons of this type, including the Vladimir one, where the words of the service are pronounced: “First of all the gospel mysteries written to your icon, and to Brought to You, the Queen, so that you may assimilate that, and do a mighty job of saving those who honor You, and you rejoice, as you are the merciful Creator of our salvation, as the mouth and voice of the icon that was, as you always conceived God in the womb, you sang a song: behold, from now on They will all please Me. And to that sight you spoke with authority: with this image is My grace and strength. And we truly believe that this is what you said, O Lady, thus you are with us...”
And at Matins, in the first song of the canon: “Having written Your all-honorable image, the divine Luke, the inspired writer of Christ’s Gospel, depicted the Creator of all in Your hands.” Next L.A. Uspensky writes: “If the second of these texts only points to the very fact of painting the icon of the Mother of God by Saint Luke, then the first text, in addition, asserts that the Mother of God herself not only approved of Her icon, but also imparted Her grace and power to it.” This emphasizes the continuity of grace that the Mother of God herself imparted to this icon.
If you follow the version of the history of this image outlined by L.A. Uspensky - and we, of course, have reason to fully trust this wonderful historian, writer, theologian, then the most ancient historical evidence attributed to the Byzantine historian Theodore the Reader, who lived in the first half of the 6th century, the reader of the Constantinople Church of Hagia Sophia. He talks about the sending of the icon by Empress Eudokia to the wife of Emperor Theodosius II the Younger, his sister Saint Pulcheria. Under Theodosius the Younger it was transferred to Constantinople. At the beginning of the 12th century, Patriarch Luke Chrysoverg sent a special list (copy) of it as a gift to the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yuri Dolgoruky around 1132(?).
Further, the icon, which later received the name Vladimir, secretly from his father, as stated in the chronicle, was taken from Kiev, where it was located in the Mother of God Monastery in Vyshgorod, by the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who decided to create possessions in the north independent of the Kyiv principality . This happened, according to the chronicle, in 1155. The prince carried the icon all the way, offering fervent prayers to it. After the road to Rostov, the horses that were carrying the icon stopped dead in front of Vladimir-on-Klyazma. We tried to change the harness, but it was no use. Only after another long and heartfelt prayer did the Mother of God appear to the prince and order him to leave the icon in Vladimir and build a cathedral for it. This became a sign for the prince, a sign that the icon should remain in Vladimir. So the Vyshgorod list received the name of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
The city of Vladimir became the Mother See, and for the icon Andrei Bogolyubsky erected the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, where the icon was transferred. A rich robe of gold and silver was created for the icon, decorated precious stones and pearls, but it was subsequently lost. After the death of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Prince Yaropolk Rostislavovich removed the frame from the image, and as a result of the princely feud, it ended up with his ally Gleb Ryazansky along with the frame. When did Prince Mikhail Yuryevich younger brother Andrei Bogolyubsky, defeated Yaropolk, then Gleb returned both the miraculous icon and the precious setting to Vladimir. In 1237, the troops of Khan Batu took Vladimir. The city was plundered, the Assumption Cathedral did not escape the same fate, the Horde marauders tore off the frame from the icon, but the shrine itself survived, and after the restoration of the cathedral by Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, worship of the shrine continued.
Briefly about the iconography of the image
As we said above, iconographically belongs to the Eleus type - “Tenderness”, otherwise it is also called “Glycophilus” - “Sweetly kissing”. The Baby touchingly laid his cheek against the Mother’s cheek, she bowed her head to the Son, seeing His whole life, all the future sufferings on the cross, and in Her face, subtly painted by the icon painter, all the maternal pain that can only exist in our world is concentrated.
The most famous revered lists - and there were a great many of them from the prototype sent to Yuri Dolgoruky by the Byzantine Patriarch: the Vladimir Volokolamsk Icon, which was Malyuta Skuratov’s contribution to the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, is now in the collections of the Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art named after Andrei Rublev; Vladimir Seligerskaya, brought to Seliger in the 16th century by Nil Stolbensky; Vladimirskaya Zaonikievskaya from the Zaonikievsky Monastery, list of 1588; Vladimir Krasnogorskaya (Chernogorskaya), list of 1603; Vladimir Oranskaya, list of 1634.
Over time, the appearance of the Byzantine prototype was greatly changed by later copying - the Vladimir icon was registered at least four times: in the first half of the 13th century, then - at the beginning of the 15th century, when it was written on the back side of the icon or created anew - art historians found it difficult give a precise definition - an ancient image of estimasia, the throne with the instruments of the passion of Christ.
The icon was renewed once again in 1514, during alterations in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and before the coronation of Nicholas II in 1895-1896, all this - not counting minor repairs.
Thus, from the ancient image only the faces of the Mother and Child, part of the blue cap and the border of the purple maforium (omophorion) with a gold assist, part of Christ’s chiton, painted in ocher, with sleeves up to the elbow, and the remains of a gold background, have been preserved. Purple in Byzantium was the color of clothes worn by persons of imperial rank, which is why art historians are now confident that already in the 5th century the Mother of God was revered as the Queen of Heaven.
As we have already said, later renovations changed the general palette of the image and its composition - the renovation of the 15th century introduced into the icon the thrown back head of the Child, His heel turned out, and the elongated hem of the tunic. In 1514, when repairing the ancient image, where the old gesso no longer held, a new one was laid, and the torso, head and left hand of the Mother of God were painted anew in a darker palette. Moreover, I.E. Grabar believed that initially the Baby was depicted not sitting, but standing on his mother’s hand.
In the end it turned out to be an iconographic fusion of a typically Byzantine basis with later layers of classical Russian icon painting. In 1918, a scientific restoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was carried out, and then the original fragments of the original list were discovered.
What a miracle happened
The history of the Russian Middle Ages has collected a lot of evidence of miraculous properties . In 1395, when Khan Tamerlane advanced with his hordes to the Russian borders, the shrine was moved with a prayer service from Vladimir to Moscow. They carried her in their arms for ten days and met her in Moscow at the place where, in memory of this event, Metropolitan Cyprian subsequently erected the Sretensky Monastery, named so from Slavic word"meeting" - meeting. The monastery exists and operates to this day, and the street in Moscow is called Sretenka. So, the miracle was that after the icon was transferred to Moscow, Tamerlane, who reached Yelets, suddenly turned his troops and fled, fearing the power of the Queen of Heaven.
In 1451, when the Nogai troops, led by Tsarevich Mazovsha, approached the Moscow walls, Metropolitan Jonah carried out a religious procession along the city walls with the icon. The next morning there were no more enemies at the walls of the Mother See. They heard a great noise, decided that Prince Vasily Dmitrievich was approaching, and chose to retreat.
Finally, during the “great stand on the Ugra” in 1480, which put an end to Tatar-Mongol yoke, was in the camp of the Russian army. Historians believe that after this the image was finally transferred to the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Tsar Ivan the Terrible is the author of the stichera for the celebration of the Icon of Vladimir on July 23, 1480; he composed them later, but the fact that the shrine inspired the theological creativity of one of the greatest despots of Russian history is interesting.
The departure of the troops of Khan Makhmet-Girey from Moscow in 1521 is also attributed to the action of the miraculous icon, after which a third holiday was established in its honor. When the Khan's troops approached Moscow, everyone was horrified, but there were few who prayed for the salvation of the Vladimir image of the Mother of God, although they knew about the great miraculous saving power of this Her icon.
According to legend, St. Basil the Blessed saw how She left her place in the Assumption Cathedral, a voice was heard saying that people had angered the kindly God, and She wanted, at the command of Her Son, together with the saints, to leave this city. At the same time, the cathedral was filled with the brightest light - fire shining through the windows and doors of the temple, then the light disappeared, and the blind nun from the Kremlin Ascension Monastery saw with her feelings and with her own eyes how the luminous figures of the Mother of God and the saints were moving away through the Spassky, then they were called Florovsky, gates . Another evidence in the legend: a young girl in adolescence saw how Sergius of Radonezh and Vasily Khutynsky tearfully begged the saints not to leave the capital. The saints and saints also prayed in front of the Vladimir Icon and returned at the command of God to the capital, and the Tatars immediately left from Moscow.
With this icon, the people went to the Novodevichy Convent to call Boris Godunov to the throne, and with it, Metropolitan Arseny met the regiments of Minin and Pozharsky, who liberated the Moscow Kremlin from the Polish occupiers in 1613.
There were other miracles. She also became famous for her miraculous healings with water from washing the icon, described in the chronicles of different periods of history.
In 1163–1164, the Legend “On the Miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Volodymyr Icon” was compiled. Historians claim that its initiator was Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, and its compilers were the priests of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir Lazar, Nestor and Mikula, who came with the prince from Vyshgorod, which he received from his father Yuri Dolgoruky after he occupied Kiev.
The Legend contains 10 miracles that happened according to prayer appeal to the Mother of God in front of Her Vladimir Icon.
First miracle: On the way of Prince Andrei from Vyshgorod to Pereslavl on the Vazuza River, the guide was looking for a ford, but stumbled, began to drown, but was miraculously saved through the prince’s fervent prayer in front of the icon he was transporting.
Second: the wife of priest Mikula, who was expecting a child, saved herself from a mad horse by offering a prayer to the Vladimir icon.
Third: in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, a man with a withered hand turned to Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with a tearful prayer. Witnesses - Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, priest Nestor saw how the Most Pure One herself took the sick man by the hand and held him until the end of the service, after which he was completely healed.
Fourth: Prince Andrei's wife carried the child heavily, and the birth was difficult. This was on the day of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God They washed it with water and gave this water to the princess to drink, after which it was easily resolved by her son Yuri.
Fifth: saving a baby from a spell cast over him by washing him with water from Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
Sixth: healing of a heart patient from Murom with water from this icon.
Seventh: healing from blindness of Abbess Maria from the Slavyatin Monastery near Pereslavl-Khmelnitsky (Ukraine); her brother, Boris Zhidislavich, who was the governor of Prince Andrei, asked the priest Lazar for water from the icon, the abbess drank it with prayer, anointed her eyes and received her sight.
Eighth: the woman Efimiya suffered from heart disease for seven years. Having learned about healing properties water from Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, and the priest Lazar told her, she sent many gold jewelry with him to Vladimir to the icon; Having received holy water, she drank it with prayer and was healed.
Ninth: a certain noblewoman from Tver could not give birth for three days and was already dying; on the advice of the same Lazarus, she made a vow to the Holy Mother of God of Vladimir (as it is said in the description of miracles), and the birth ended with the successful birth of a son. Fulfilling her vow, the noblewoman sent many precious decorations to the Vladimir image.
Tenth: It so happened that the Golden Gate of the Vladimir passage tower - it is still located in the city, in its center, fell, 12 people were trapped under them. Prince Andrey appealed to the Most Pure One in prayer in front of the Vladimir Icon, and all 12 people were miraculously saved, even without injury.
This is the oldest of the legends recorded in chronicles. Until the beginning of the 20th century, many stories were written down, as well as princely books, where miraculous actions were repeatedly witnessed Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, its creative power to strengthen Orthodox faith and the Russian state and many other miracles performed through prayers before miraculous copies from the original image, captured through the efforts of the Evangelist Luke with the permission of the Most Pure One.
Meaning of the icon
Icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov wrote several copies of this wonderful icon, and although he did not choose the classic range of colors for all of them, they preserved the main thing - all maternal love, all the suffering of the Mother, all the endless tenderness of the human heart, elevating human feeling to Divine heights, blood connecting God with man. Thanks to the radiance of Kuznetsov’s letter, through the great sadness of the Mother of God we still feel the unfading Easter joy, which promises the Mother the Eternal Joy of being with the Son, and for us the coming Resurrection.
Today, when the Russian state is degenerating before our eyes, and this degeneration is accompanied by a huge number of disagreements, contradictory judgments about the future of Russia - from the golden age to the most dramatic development options, we cannot influence the outcome only by participating in public life, or predict it. But something else is available to us: we know Who to turn to for help, Who will not leave Russia, will protect the Fatherland in unity, in public understanding, Who will not allow heresies or other faiths, respected like any other, but foreign faith, to penetrate and introduce into the primordially Orthodox lands .
The image of the Mother of God, which has a special meaning for our state and its capital: the Queen of Heaven, Her cover is our protection, as faithful and reliable as in the old days. If, feeling like a Russian, you pray, hope and ask Her not only for yourself, for help in your private problems, but also offer prayers for the entire Motherland, She will hear that all Her concerns are about Russia, all Her prayers to the Son for prosperity our country is divided by us. This common prayer with Her will help Russia to withstand all the collisions and troubles that are still inevitable in the history of our state, but we have Someone to prayerfully trust in, and thank God!
What reviews do they leave about the icons of Kuznetsov’s writing?
| This unusual story began quite normally. A man called on the phone wanting to order for himself an icon with the image of the Vladimir Mother of God. I invited him to come to the gallery, see the icons live and get acquainted. He arrived and we started talking. The guest said that he would like an image in turquoise tones. I talked about how each icon is painted individually by our icon painters, which determines its ornamental and color scheme. The guest asked which icon would be right for him? Icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov determined that turquoise would have just what was needed. That's what we decided. When the customer received the icon, his delight knew no bounds, and he said that he would definitely show the icon to his female icon painter friend, who is right now planning to paint some special image of the Mother of God, for which she has been preparing for a long time, but has not yet decided to do it reveal. A few hours later he called: “Can you imagine, I’m showing the icon to my friend, and she’s in tears. This, he says, is exactly the image I wanted to paint!” Here's the story. Kristina Kondratieva I did not intend to deliberately distract the children from their activities. But when I took out the icon to show it to the adults, the children themselves came up to us, not just wary or simply subdued, as happens to them when a new person appears, to whom they need to take a closer look, to determine their attitude towards him. No, now it was different! Even if they did not realize it, they certainly felt the presence of the Mother of God; they experienced and perceived the penetration of the light of Her appearance into their souls. Soon they were distracted and returned to their abandoned activities, it could not be otherwise with the children. But the invisible impulse of the transformation that happened to them has already directed them to the right life path, from which, I believe, they will not turn away, no matter what trials they have to endure. |
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A low bow to Marina Yuryevna for her generous heart and blessed talent. Thank you, Kristina Leonidovna, for your responsiveness and kind participation.” |
Vladimir icon Mother of God, icon painter Marina Filippova |
K.K.:
“Your words are a balm on the heart of both me and the icon painter!
This is exactly what I see as the task: to give a person an impulse to harmonious deeds and actions.
And I thought: what can I give to these children?
Knowledge in English- of course not, but I can give them a little goodness, which, perhaps, will play a role and at a critical moment tip the scales in positive side and maybe even save someone's life. I also now believe in icons, which have helped me a lot, since in them the grace of God is concentrated in a small spatial area, which influences us, directing us in the direction we need.
Recently I watched a film about a man’s dream to invent a drug that would help him concentrate on the main thing in his life, always find the right solution in all matters and therefore be successful and happy. So I see that the icons of Kuznetsov’s writing perform this function.
So I wish your children (grandchildren, as I understand it) to find their path in life, and therefore their happiness.”
Sincerely,
Kristina Kondratieva
The most famous and valued image of the Mother of God is the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.
It has been significant for Russia in all eras.
Prayer addressed to the Mother of God has protected the country from enemies many times.
History of the icon
According to legend, the image was painted by the Apostle Luke during Mary’s lifetime. The image was created on the tabletop where her family ate.
Initially, the face was in Jerusalem, then in 450 it was transported to Constantinople. The icon was kept there until about the middle of the 12th century. Then the icon was presented as a gift to Prince Mstislav, the then ruler of Kievan Rus.
The image was kept for some time in the Mother of God Monastery of Vyshgorod, a settlement not far from Kyiv. After a while, Andrei Bogolyubsky took her to Vladimir.
On the way to locality he was given the sign of the Mother of God, and this is how the name of the icon arose. Then she was in the Assumption Cathedral.
Where is the icon
In 1237, as a result of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the cathedral was destroyed and revived again under the reign of Prince Yaroslav. In the 14th century, at the behest of Vasily, 1 image was transported to Moscow. This was necessary for the Mother of God to save the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane. The face was installed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
In 1918, the icon was sent for reconstruction, in 1926 - to the History Museum, in 1930 - to the Tretyakov Gallery, in 1999 - to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is located at the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye.
Meaning and how the icon helps
They always prayed before the image when it was necessary to protect the Motherland from adversaries. And, every time salvation occurred, people’s faith became more and more strengthened.
But the Mother of God is also addressed in “everyday” cases:
- women ask for childbirth to be easy and quick;
- young families about strengthening relationships;
- patients about healing from illnesses;
- Orthodox Christians whose faith has been shaken, spiritual strength to restore it;
- travelers talk about the vast road and protection from accidents;
- doubters ask to guide them on the right path;
- people who lend money ask that it be returned.
To pray in front of an icon, you don’t have to go to church; you can do it at home. A special prayer is said or a prayer is expressed in any form.
For requests to be heard, they must be made from the heart. When saying a prayer, you cannot think about outsiders.
Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
It is believed that the image saved Rus' from enemies three times. In addition, other miraculous cases have been recorded.
- In the Vyshgorod monastery, the icon was moved to different places without human intervention.
- In Vladimir, a gate fell on several people. One of the Christians offered a prayer addressed to the Mother of God, and all the people remained alive.
- Prince Andrei's wife had a difficult labor. Before the icon, the husband asked for relief from the pangs of labor. His prayer was heard: the princess immediately gave birth to a healthy child, without being harmed herself.
- On one of the campaigns, Prince Andrei was prevented from further travel by a boundless river. He sent a servant to find a shallow place in the river, but he began to drown. The prince began to offer a prayer, and the servant emerged alive and unharmed.
- Legend says that during the Great Patriotic War To save Moscow, the image was placed on a plane, and it flew around the entire capital. After the flight, the fog descended and snow began to fall. The invader was disoriented.
There are many copies of the icon. The Orthodox have noticed that amazing things happen from prayers before all images.
Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
St. Petersburg is famous for its beautiful buildings. Tourists and pilgrims come here from all over the world to see the beauty of the architecture and worship the holy places.
One of the architectural monuments is the Cathedral of the Vladimir Mother of God. This two-story building with 5 domes, built in Baroque style. It looks especially majestic against the backdrop of the surrounding buildings.
The main value of the church is the iconostasis. It was designed by Rastrelli himself. The iconostasis is considered one of the unique works of church art.
There are many rare icons in the Vladimir Church, but one of the most revered is the image of the Mother of God, brought to Russia in the 12th century. Tourists are interested in the cathedral as an architectural monument; for believers, it is the center of spiritual life.
The Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God is venerated 3 times a year: May 21, June 23, August 26. You can pray like God's temple, and at home in front of the iconostasis.
It was written by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior dined with the Most Pure Mother and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed.
The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: “From now on, all my people will please Me. May the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with this image.”Until the middle of the 5th century, the icon remained in Jerusalem. Under Theodosius the Younger, it was transferred to Constantinople, from where in 1131 it was sent to Rus' as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverkh. The icon was placed in a nunnery in the city of Vyshgorod, not far from Kyiv, where it immediately became famous for its many miracles. In 1155, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, St. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, wanting to have a famous shrine, transported the icon to the north, to Vladimir, and placed it in the famous Assumption Cathedral, which he erected. From that time on, the icon received the name Vladimir.
During the campaign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky against the Volga Bulgarians, in 1164, the image of the “Holy Mother of God of Vladimir” helped the Russians defeat the enemy. The icon survived the terrible fire on April 13, 1185, when the Vladimir Cathedral burned down, and remained unharmed during the destruction of Vladimir by Batu on February 17, 1237.
The further history of the image is entirely connected with the capital city of Moscow, where it was first brought in 1395 during the invasion of Khan Tamerlane. The conqueror with an army invaded the borders of Ryazan, captured and ruined it and headed his way to Moscow, devastating and destroying everything around. While the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich was gathering troops and sending them to Kolomna, in Moscow itself, Metropolitan Cyprian blessed the population for fasting and prayerful repentance. On mutual advice, Vasily Dmitrievich and Cyprian decided to resort to spiritual weapons and transfer the miraculous icon of the Most Pure Mother of God from Vladimir to Moscow.
The icon was brought into the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The chronicle reports that Tamerlane, having stood in one place for two weeks, suddenly became afraid, turned south and left the Moscow borders. A great miracle happened: during a procession with a miraculous icon, heading from Vladimir to Moscow, when countless people were kneeling on both sides of the road and praying: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!”, Tamerlane had a vision. A high mountain appeared before his mental gaze, from the top of which saints with golden rods were descending, and above them the Majestic Woman appeared in a radiant radiance. She ordered him to leave the borders of Russia. Waking up in awe, Tamerlane asked about the meaning of the vision. They answered him that the radiant Woman is the Mother of God, the great Defender of Christians. Then Tamerlane gave the order to the regiments to go back.
In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Rus' from the invasion of Tamerlane, on the day of the meeting in Moscow of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on August 26 / September 8, the solemn church holiday of the Presentation of this icon was established, and at the meeting place itself a temple was erected, around which the Sretensky Monastery was later located.
For the second time, the Mother of God saved Rus' from ruin in 1480 (commemorated on June 23 / July 6), when the army of the Khan of the Golden Horde, Akhmat, approached Moscow.
The meeting of the Tatars with the Russian army took place near the Ugra River (the so-called “standing on the Ugra”): the troops stood on different banks and were waiting for a reason to attack. In the front ranks of the Russian army they held the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, which miraculously put the Horde regiments to flight.
The third celebration of the Vladimir Mother of God (May 21 / June 3), remembers the deliverance of Moscow from the defeat of Makhmet-Girey, Khan of Kazan, who in 1521 reached the borders of Moscow and began to burn its suburbs, but suddenly retreated from the capital without causing harm to it.
Before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, many of the most important events in Russian church history took place: the election and installation of St. Jonah - Primate of the Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (1589), His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1917 .), and also in all centuries, oaths of allegiance to the Motherland were taken before her, prayers were performed before military campaigns.
Iconography Vladimir Mother of God
The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God belongs to the “Caressing” type, also known under the epithets “Eleusa” (ελεουσα - “Merciful”), “Tenderness”, “Glycophilus” (γλυκυφιλουσα - “Sweet kiss”). This is the most lyrical of all types of iconography of the Virgin Mary, revealing the intimate side of the Virgin Mary’s communication with Her Son. The image of the Mother of God caressing the Child, his deep humanity turned out to be especially close to Russian painting.
The iconographic scheme includes two figures - the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ, their faces clinging to each other. Mary's head is bowed towards the Son, and He puts his hand around the Mother's neck. A distinctive feature of the Vladimir Icon from other icons of the Tenderness type: the left leg of the Infant Christ is bent in such a way that the sole of the foot, the “heel,” is visible.
This touching composition, in addition to its direct meaning, contains a deep theological idea: the Mother of God caressing the Son appears as a symbol of the soul in close communion with God. In addition, the embrace of Mary and the Son suggests the future sufferings of the Savior on the cross; in the Mother’s caressing of the Child, his future mourning is foreseen.
The work is permeated with completely obvious sacrificial symbolism. From a theological point of view, its content can be reduced to three main themes: “the incarnation, the predestination of the Child to the sacrifice and the unity in love of Mary the Church with Christ the High Priest.” This interpretation of Our Lady of Caress is confirmed by the image on the back of the icon of the throne with the symbols of the Passion. Here in the 15th century. they painted an image of the throne (etimasia - “prepared throne”), covered with an altar cloth, the Gospel with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, nails, a crown of thorns, behind the throne there is a Calvary cross, a spear and a cane with a sponge, below is the floor of the altar flooring. The theological interpretation of etymasia is based on Holy Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers. Etymasia symbolizes Christ's resurrection and His judgment over the living and the dead, and the instruments of His torment are the sacrifice made to atone for the sins of mankind. The juxtaposition of Mary caressing the Child and the turnover with the throne clearly expressed sacrificial symbolism.
Arguments have been put forward in favor of the fact that the icon was double-sided from the very beginning: this is evidenced by the identical shapes of the ark and the husks of both sides. In the Byzantine tradition, there were often images of a cross on the back of Mother of God icons. Starting from the 12th century, the time of the creation of the “Vladimir Mother of God,” in Byzantine murals, the etymasia was often placed in the altar as an altar image, visually revealing the sacrificial meaning of the Eucharist, which takes place here on the throne. This suggests the possible location of the icon in antiquity. For example, in the Vyshgorod monastery church, it could be placed in the altar as a double-sided altar icon. The text of the Legend contains information about the use of the Vladimir icon as an altar icon and as an outside icon that was moved in the church.
The luxurious attire of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which she had according to the news of the chronicles, also does not testify in favor of the possibility of its location in the altar barrier in the 12th century: “And there were more than thirty hryvnias of gold on it, in addition to silver and in addition to expensive stones and pearls, and Having decorated it, put it in your church in Volodymeri.” But many of the external icons were later strengthened precisely in iconostases, like the Vladimir Icon in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, originally placed to the right of the royal doors: “And having brought in<икону>to the supreme temple of her glorious Dormition, which is the great Cathedral and Apostolic Church Russian Metropolis, and placed it in an icon case on the right side of the land, where to this day it stands visible and worshiped by all” (See: Book Degree. M., 1775. Part 1. P. 552).
There is an opinion that the “Vladimir Mother of God” was one of the copies of the icon of the Mother of God “Caressing” from the Blachernae Basilica, that is, a copy of the famous ancient miraculous icon. In the Tale of the Miracles of the Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, she is likened to the Ark of the Covenant, like the Virgin Mary herself, as well as her Robe, which was kept in the rotode of Agia Soros in Blachernae. The Legend also speaks of healings that are accomplished mainly thanks to the water from the ablutions of the Vladimir Icon: they drink this water, wash the sick with it, and send it to other cities in sealed vessels to heal the sick. This miracle-working of waters from the washing of the Vladimir icon, emphasized in the Legend, could also be rooted in the rituals of the Blachernae sanctuary, the most important part of which was the chapel of the spring dedicated to the Mother of God. Constantine Porphyrogenitus described the custom of washing in a font in front of a marble relief of the Mother of God, from whose hands water flowed.
In addition, this opinion is supported by the fact that under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in his Vladimir principality, the cult of the Mother of God, associated with Blachernae shrines, received special development. For example, on the Golden Gate of the city of Vladimir, the prince erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Mother of God, directly dedicating it to the relics of the Blachernae Temple.
Style
The time of painting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the 12th century, refers to the so-called Komninian revival (1057-1185). This period in Byzantine art is characterized by the extreme dematerialization of painting, carried out by drawing faces and clothes with numerous lines, whitening slides, sometimes whimsically, ornamentally placed on the image.
In the icon we are considering, the most ancient painting of the 12th century includes the faces of the Mother and the Child, part of the blue cap and maforium border with a gold assist, as well as part of the ocher chiton of the Child with a gold assist with sleeves up to the elbow and the transparent edge of the shirt visible from under it, brush the left and part of the right hand of the Child, as well as the remains of the golden background. These few surviving fragments represent a high example of the Constantinople school of painting of the Komnenian period. There is no deliberate graphic quality characteristic of the time; on the contrary, the line in this image is nowhere opposed to volume. The main means of artistic expression is built on “the combination of insensible flows, giving the surface the impression of not being made by hands, with a geometrically pure, visibly built line.” “The personal letter is one of the most perfect examples of “Comnenian floating”, combining multi-layered sequential modeling with the absolute indistinguishability of the stroke. The layers of painting are loose, very transparent; the main thing is in their relationship with each other, in the transmission of the lower ones through the upper ones.<…>A complex and transparent system of tones – greenish sankira, ocher, shadows and highlights – leads to a specific effect of diffused, flickering light.”
Among the Byzantine icons of the Komnenian period, the Vladimir Mother of God also distinguishes the deep penetration into the area of the human soul, its hidden secret sufferings, characteristic of the best works of this time. The heads of Mother and Son pressed against each other. The Mother of God knows that Her Son is doomed to suffer for the sake of people, and sorrow lurks in Her dark, thoughtful eyes.
The skill with which the painter was able to convey a subtle spiritual state most likely served as the origin of the legend about the painting of the image by the Evangelist Luke. It should be recalled that the painting of the early Christian period - the time when the famous Evangelist-icon painter lived, was flesh and blood of the art of late antiquity, with its sensual, “life-like” nature. But in comparison with the icons of the early period, the image of the Vladimir Mother of God bears the stamp of the highest “spiritual culture”, which could only be the fruit of centuries-old Christian thoughts about the coming of the Lord to earth, the humility of His Most Pure Mother and the path they traversed of self-denial and sacrificial love.
Revered miracle-working lists from icons Vladimir Mother of God
Over the centuries, many copies have been written from the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some of them became famous for their miracles and received special names depending on their place of origin. This:
Vladimir - Volokolamsk icon (memory of Mr. 3/16), which was the contribution of Malyuta Skuratov to the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery. Nowadays it is in the collection of the Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art named after Andrei Rublev.
Vladimirskaya - Seligerskaya (memory D. 7/20), brought to Seliger by Nil Stolbensky in the 16th century.
Vladimir - Zaonikievskaya (memory M. 21. / John 3; John 23 / Ill. 6, from the Zaonikievsky monastery) 1588.
Vladimirskaya - Oranskaya (memory M. 21 / John 3) 1634.
Vladimirskaya - Krasnogorskaya (Montenegorskaya) (memory M. 21 / John 3). 1603.
Vladimir - Rostov (memory Av. 15/28) 12th century.
Troparion to the Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, tone 4
Today the most glorious city of Moscow is shining brightly, / as the dawn of the sun has received, O Lady, Your miraculous icon, / to which now we flow and pray to You we cry out to You: / O, most wonderful Lady Theotokos, / pray to You, our incarnate God, / may He deliver the city this and all Christian cities and countries are unharmed from all the slander of the enemy, // and our souls will be saved by the Merciful.
Kontakion, tone 8
To the chosen victorious Voivode, / as those who were delivered from the evil ones by the coming of Your honorable image, / Lady Theotokos, / we brightly celebrate the celebration of Your meeting and usually call You: // Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
Prayer Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir
O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, Heavenly Queen, All-Powerful Intercessor, our shameless Hope! Thanking Thee for all the great blessings that the Russian people have received from Thee throughout the generations, before Thy most pure image we pray to Thee: save this city (or: this whole, or: this holy monastery) and Thy coming servants and the whole Russian land from famine, destruction , land of shaking, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare. Save and save, O Lady, our Great Lord and Father Kirill, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and our Lord (name of the rivers), His Eminence Bishop (or: Archbishop, or: Metropolitan) (title), and all Your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops. May they govern the Russian Church well, and may the faithful sheep of Christ be preserved indestructibly. Remember, O Lady, the entire priestly and monastic order, warm their hearts with zeal for God and strengthen them to walk worthy of their calling. Save, O Lady, and have mercy on all Thy servants and grant us the path of the earthly journey without blemish. Confirm us in the faith of Christ and in zeal for the Orthodox Church, put into our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of humility, give us patience in adversity, abstinence in prosperity, love for our neighbors, forgiveness for our enemies, success in good deeds. Deliver us from every temptation and from petrified insensibility, and on the terrible day of Judgment, grant us through Your intercession to stand at the right hand of Your Son, Christ our God. To Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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These long and numerous movements of the icon in space are poetically interpreted in the text of the Legend of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which was first found by V.O. Klyuchevsky in Milyutin’s Chetya-Minea, and published according to the list of the collection of the Synodal Library No. 556 (Klyuchevsky V.O. Tales of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. - St. Petersburg, 1878). In this ancient description, they are likened to the path that the sun's luminary takes: “When God created the sun, he did not make it shine in one place, but, going around the entire Universe, illuminates with its rays, so this image of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is not on one place... but, going around all countries and the whole world, it enlightens...".
Etingof O.E. On the early history of the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” and the tradition of the Blachernae cult of the Mother of God in Rus' in the 11th-13th centuries. // Image of the Mother of God. Essays on Byzantine iconography of the 11th-13th centuries. – M.: “Progress-Tradition”, 2000, p. 139.
There, p. 137. In addition, N.V. Kvilidze unveiled the painting of the deacon of the Trinity Church in Vyazemy at the end of the 16th century, where on the southern wall the liturgy in the temple with an altar is depicted, behind which the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God is presented (N.V. Kvilidze Newly discovered frescoes of the altar of the Trinity Church in Vyazemy. Report in the Department of Ancient Russian Art in State Institute of Art Studies, April 1997
Etingof O.E. To the early history of the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir”...
Throughout its history it was recorded at least four times: in the first half of the 13th century, at the beginning of the 15th century, in 1521, during alterations in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and before the coronation of Nicholas II in 1895-1896 by restorers O S. Chirikov and M. D. Dikarev. In addition, minor repairs were carried out in 1567 (at the Chudov Monastery by Metropolitan Athanasius), in the 18th and 19th centuries..
Kolpakova G.S. Art of Byzantium. Early and middle periods. – St. Petersburg: Publishing house “Azbuka-Classics”, 2004, p. 407.
