What kind of measure of grief and suffering is able to bear the earth's woman? Early orphanhood, life at the temple, suspicion of the spouse about treason is the beginning of the life path of the Blessed Virgin. Many grief and suffering suffered the Virgin Mary ... The mockery of the crowd over the son, his martyrdom and for many years of life demonstrates the suffering of the mother. Her sacrificial love and endless patience helped climb the highest spiritual step.

The icons of the Most Holy Mother of God seem to be shining and humble. The experience, deprivation, suffering was replaced by the heavenly glory and the joy of the reunification of the mother with his son. Miraculous Icons of Our Lady are honored in many cities and countries. They make it easier for sorrow and bring faith, heal from diseases and award for forgiveness. Prayers from the image of the Mother of God helps soldiers on the battlefields, save from enemies. At the same time, they give simple family joy and consolation in the troubles.

Four views of the Icons of the Virgin

IN orthodox calendar Many days marked the worship of the miraculous icons of Our Lady. Through his face she creates good deeds, changes the fate of people, saves the fallen. Icons of the Blessed Virginity are different from each other. There are 4 main types of such icons.

Odigitria (translated from Greek - guide). On the icon of this kind, the Mother of God holds the baby of Christ, pointing at him with his hand. In her eyes the whole life path of the Christian is reflected. The most famous images of this species - Smolensk, Georgian and Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Elyus (translated from Greek - Milic). Here the Mother of God sniffed to the infant, they hug each other. This image is a symbol of the love of mother and son, their unity. The most famous icons of Elyus - Vladimirskaya, the Don Lady Mother.

Oranta (translated from Greek - sign). In the iconography of this species, the Virgin Major made hands to the sky in a prayer impulse. The baby is not yet born, but is already present on the medallion, symbolizing the divine and human principle. The most famous icons are "an inspired bowl", "Yaroslavl Oranta".

Akafiste view icons - collective image. It is created in iconography under the impression of Evangelical texts. It looks more like the illustration of the actions of the Virgin, participation in her son's fate. The bright icons of this species is "inappropriate joy", "unhappy bunk", "about you the delighted whole creature."

Patronage icons

The icons of the Virgin in Russia had the wider distribution. This explains such an abundance of the images of the Mother of God. Her face love and worship in the people. It is considered a protector, comforter and intercession. The image of the Mother of God carries love, forgiveness to all the sinful and reworked.

The holy image is treated in grief and illness, asking to protect against enemies and ill-wishers. Prayers in front of the icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary helps women in pregnancy, give light childbirth and health to children. Men come for the patronage and consolation. Each miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary can help after sincere prayer.

Before the "recovery of the dead" pray with head, dental pains, about dying children, a gracious marriage, about disgusting from alcohol addiction.

Before the Icon of the Theodore God's Mother, asking for the facilitation of difficult labor. The Ostrarmian Virgin will protect marriage from evil forces, will make it prosperous. The "unalitable bundle" will save the house from fires. The "sign of the Most Holy Virgin" protects against the nationwide misfortunes, protects the mothers, helps mothers, gives happiness to their children.

The image of the Vladimir Mother of God brought victory by Russian troops over Tamerlane in 1395. It is said that the miraculous icon frightened the enemy, and Horde Hang just fled.

The image of the Don Mother of God helped on the day of the Kulikov battle in 1380. And in the 1558th Ivan the Terrible prayed for a long time before going to Kazan. Icon gave the victory by Russian troops and the capture of the city.

How to pray before the icon of the Virgin

There are many ready-made prayers that are read before the face of the Virgin. These are requests for help, making a mother during church holidays, akathists. They are so simple that with constant reading they are easy to learn by heart.

There are prayers:

• when hunger;
• in grief and ailment;
• with the danger of saccination;
• during injury and pain;
• with eye diseases and blindness;
• when protecting the house from the fire;
• in severe diseases and deafness;
• in cancerous diseases;
• about low-cost drunkenness;
• on the date of patience;
• on relief from thoughts about suicide.

This is only a small part of the prayers with whom the people turn to the image. The icons of the Most Holy Bogoroditsynar are considered miraculous. The facts are known when the image helped in cure from severe diseases, gave faith, patience.

Virgin Mary - Defender and Intercession. If to approach the image with a clean heart, light thoughts, then the remuneration will not make yourself wait. Prayers can be read at home before the home iconostasis. Or in the church, after the service. Formal text pronouncing text does not give a miracle. Only sincere faith due to God will help the execution of a request.

The priests assure that if the text of the prayer is difficult to learn, it can be read in the recorded form. Or give a request in your own words. We should not forget that after the fulfillment of desire it is necessary to come to the icon, thank.

Miraculous icons

Icon personifies the relationship between God and man. This is an opportunity to join the grace and get it. This is a faith in a happy getting rid of flour and sinfulness. This understanding is that only suffering is capable of cleaning the soul, bring calm in the heart, teach patience and all.

Miraculous icon - the concentration of divine power. Not all images have been preserved to this day. And not all icons, being miraculous, recognized as church administration. There must be indisputable facts of healing, the evidence of force so that the image is officially recognized. Only after that icon gets the status of the miraculous. Basically such evidence narrates on the healing during the epidemic, the salvation of the state from enemies or cure from various diseases.

The miraculous icons of the Blessed Virgin Moor Find in different cities and countries of the world. They come with requests, prayers, hopes. Combines their strength of the image that is capable of ordinary human life Make a miracle.

Icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin"

Certificates about the audit of (physical resettlement) of the Virgin Mary can be found in different sources. However, in the Holy Scripture, nothing is said. Only the facts are known that during the VI of the Universal Cathedral, it was decided to open the tomb. It saw only funeral clothes and holy belt. The latter can be found on the Holy Mount Athos (Greece) in the monastery watoped.

Before his death, Archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin with the news that her life path would end in 3 days. After the Lord will take her to her. The funeral of the Virgin Mary took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Patients, touching her Odra, healed. And after 3 days after the funeral, the apostles did not find her body in the cave, there were only funeral clothing.

On August 28, there is a celebration of the image "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Icon is exhibited in the temples of Moscow, Kiev.

The image helps to cope with the fear of death. You can ask for strengthening faith, humility. Getting rid of diseases also gives the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin". Icon, among other things, helps to comprehend your acts, strengthen in virtues, worthy of passing your life path.

"The sign of the Blessed Virgin"

This name of the image is associated with the events of 1170. The troops were besieged Veliky Novgorod. The townspeople constantly prayed for salvation. Archbishop Novgorod during a request for help heard the commandment of the Virgin Mary, so that the icon would be raised to the city walls. Lick was taken to the wall, turned to the enemy troops. One of the arrows hit the image. The miraculous icon was angry from the attackers, depriving those light and grace. Turned to besieged, giving them a miracle of salvation. In the same moment, confusion happened in the enemy's mill, their fear, and the enemies were defeated.

• Velikiy Novgorod;
• Moscow;
• St. Petersburg;
• Barnaul;
• MUROM;
• Belgorod;
• Severodvinsk;
• Nizhny Tagil;
• Kursk.

The miraculous icon "The Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary" protects the soldiers and the population in military conflicts. Helps traveling, reconciles the warring. Savings from diseases during epidemics, heals with eye diseases, blindness.

Annunciation - good news. Archangel Gabriel informs the Virgin Mary that she was visited by grace. She will give birth to the Son of God and charts by Jesus. The day of the celebration of this miraculous icon comes on April 7.

There is a legend on which on the wall of one of the Kremlin towers at the board of Ivan the Terrible was the phenomenon of the Icons "Annunciation." It was in this tower who was unjustly accused of the governor. He prayed and asked for a miracle. In confirmation of his innocence and was the phenomenon of the Lika Mother of God.

Icon "Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary" survived in the fire in 1737. Then the Annunciation of the Church and King Bell burned. But icon remained intact flame. It can be found in the temples of such cities:

• Moscow;
• St. Petersburg;
• Pereslavl-Zalessky;
• Nizhny Novgorod;
• Kazan.

The miraculous icon is praying for deliverance from imprisonment and unfair attacks, about the healing of spiritual and bodily diseases, about the sorces and temptations.

By legend, this image was written by the Apostle Luka. Allegedly even during the life of the Virgin, with her blessing, Luka created from 3 to 70 facilities of the mother.

Four cars were at the Virgin Mary - Iberia (Georgia), Athos, Kievan Rus, Diveev Resident. She had to bear the word of God and sermons. Not everywhere in life managed to visit the Virgin. But after death, it was a sign, visions participated in the spread of Christian faith.

Iberian icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "The goiter" is a symbol of protecting all truly believers. She appears by the intercession, a keeper, comforter in all troubles and misfortunes.

Iverly icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the temples of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Orel. She is in the churches of the Novgorod, Kursk, Pskov, Tambov regions. Days of the celebration fall on February 25, October 26 and on Tuesday, bright weeks.

There are many written and oral testimony about healing after prayer. Icon helps to find strength for repentance, cleansing. Her sinners come to the search for the righteous road, with requests for protection and consolation. Icon eliminates bodily and mental illnesses. It can be prayed for preserving the house from fires, floods and other disasters.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "Goatanitsa" leaves riddles to this day. In 1981, a Greek monk was created an image written off from the original. Icon turned out to be peaceful. Her 1982 brought Joseph Munos Cortes to Montreal (Canada). After akathists, severe, incurable diseases (leukemia, paralysis) were healed in front of the way. Icon returned people to spiritual life, got rid of disbelief. In 1997, the keeper of the Cortes image was killed. Icon disappeared.

"Uming the Most Holy Virgin"

There are several famous miraculous icons "Templement". They made a lot of lists that do not lose their fertile strength.

Smolensk icon "Uming the Most Holy Virgin" appeared in 1103. Polish invaders precipitated the city. As many as 20 months, Smolensk were held by Smolensk with the help of a miraculous image, did not pass it with enemies.

Pskovo-Pechora icon is famous with its wonderful healing. In the chronicles of Pskov and Veliky Novgorod, testimonies dated 1524 were preserved.

Seraphimo-Diveevskaya icon "The Umunition of the Most Holy Mother of God" was located in the Sarley Sarah Sarrefima Sarahm to death. After several lists were made, which later also turned out to be miraculous. We can eat from the lamp, which was burning in front of the icon, the old man Sarovsky smeared patients, and they were cured.

The Novgorod icon "Uming" in 1337 batted in the air over the church doors. Tears drip out of her eyes. Later, on the same year began in the city of shine tetree. Citizens prayers asked the Holy Image to stand up for them. Soon the disease retreated.

Prayer before the icon helps in troubles and misfortunes. Ensures temptations, keeps marriage. Gives pregnancy and light childbirth. This image is considered female and helps in many diseases and sophors. Eliminates eye diseases, blindness. Almost all miraculous images of Virgo are able to heal bodily and mental illnesses after prayers and acafirs.

"Christmas of the Blessed Virgin"

The prophecies about the birth of the Virgin, which will become the Mother of the Messiah, is heard in the Old Testament. It originated from an ancient kind, which he had many high priests, patriarchs, kings. Andokim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin, have not had children for a long time. They prayed Easto to the family appear in the family. After 50 years of life in marriage, they were granted a happy news of the conception and birth of the Queen of Heaven.

Icon "Christmas Blessed Virgin" tells about a joyful event. Birth and the entire subsequent life of Mary are imbued with faith, calmness, patience. No wonder she is considered an intercession, comforter of all Christians and lost souls. Day celebration - September 21.

Often the icon "Christmas of the Blessed Virgin" gave the desperate parents of the long-awaited child. Any prayer in front is able to calm down, heal the soul from the offense and injustice. Particularly effective requests for lost souls, return of faith, cleansing from sins, the gift of spiritual and moral oblats. Prayers about children, family reunification, the elimination of the offense and quarrels between spouses will also be heard.

Meaning icon

The icons of the Most Holy Bogorodittsy are the unity of God and man. how simple woman She gave birth to the Savior, as the Holy Virgin Mary got up next to him in heaven. This is the combination of the highest spirituality and understanding of human weaknesses. The image of the Virgin is a collective way of a mother who knows how to forgive their children, to stand up for them, understand them. Therefore, so many icons, prayers, holidays, memorable dates dedicated to the Mother of God.

Priests are taught that there is no greater suffering on Earth, rather than standing near and see the death of his own child. The Most Holy Mother of God was held to spiritual transformation through the flour sacrifice. Icon, the value of the value is not in the external brilliance, but in domestic virtues, teaches the laity a lot ...

In humility and patience spent the whole life of the Virgin. Early lost parents. He married a widow, whose sons did not love her, did not believe in the Divine grace. Her meekness, suffering became an amazing combination of earthly spirituality and heavenly holiness.

Formal reading of a prayer, an indifferent visit to the church will not give the favor of the Virgin. Only repentance, a clean heart, sincere love you can achieve the intercessory of the Virgin.

The miraculous icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary teach humanity, the ability to remain virtuous in any life situations. With humility to endure difficulties, testing and knowing that even in sin you can repent and regain grace.

According to tating St. Ambrose of a medical person, based on the words Dionysius of Areopagitis and Ignatius God, - Apostles from 70, Most Holy Virgin, living on Earth,

"There was Virgo not only the flesh, but also in the Spirit, in the heart of Smysrenna, in the words of God,
in the verbania is not skiing; In reading the Scriptures of the tirelessness, in the works of Bodra, everyone wanted to everyone,
Not begogo, did not laugh at anyone, the appearance of the Herium was in terms of the instrument of perfection.
All the days she turned his post: Sneu was indulging only at the request of the need,
But even then, as the body of Hya rested, she was awake, repeating in a dream chtan,
or reflecting on bringing to the fulfillment of the presumable intent
Or destiny new.
From the house went out only to the church, and then in the cost of relatives.
However, she, although he was outside his home, accompanied by others, but the best guarancy for himself was she herself; Others guarded only her body, and their owns their own breaks. "

And St. Epiphany Cyprus and for him Nikifor Xanfopoul, who lived - first in IV, and the second in the XIV centuries, mention on the basis of legends, to them came, even about appearance Virgin Mary.

"The appearance of the face of Heria was a view of the grain of wheat, Vlasa Zholohogo, acutely, in them the same anti-bodies are like a mulbery fruit. Eyebrows of Heria are tilted and pretty black; Nose is not brief; mouth, aki rose color; The face is neither round, neither sharp, but little continued; Ruta and fingers are oblong; Clothes of Hyua Byahu is simple, Jokese and now the holy cover of the Most of the Head of Hey is. "

Saint Bulk, Archbishop Constantinople (V century), calculating the saints, pleases the Most Holy Virgin by special praise.

"All the memory of the saints - he says - adeed. But nothing equals glory with the celebration of Our Lady. All saints saw Christ only in fortune telling, and she wore an incarnation in the womb. There is nothing in the world that it could compare with the Virgin Mary. Human! Pass your mind all the creations and see - can something be compared or surpass the Most Mary of the Virgin Mary?

Sitting the Earth, examine the sea, explore the air, deepen the thought into heaven, test all invisible forces, and tell me: Is there another such a miracle in all creatures?
Heaven will tell the glory of God; Angels serve God with fear; Archangels worship with trepidation; Cherubims who cannot acute glory of God are terrified; Serafima, flying around, do not approach, but tremble: holy, holy, Holy Lord Savaof, the sky and the land of glory of His are fulfilled; Waters did not bring his voices (when taming storms on the lake); The sun, did not creep the Creator, eclipsed; Hell from fear drove the dead; The knuckles of hell from one gap crushed it, "there was an obstacle, the man, all the wonderful and divine the excellence of the Virgin: whom every creature praises with fear and trepidation, she inexplicably accepted his womb."

The main elements of the iconography of the Virgin

1. NimbusUnlike the Savior's Savior, does not contain the inscribed cross.

2. Mafori. (with Greek. - Cape) - the outerwear of married women.
As a married woman, the preching has a covering on his head, falling on the shoulders, according to the usual of Jewish women of that time. It is a bedspread, or cape, is greeically called Mafory. Mafory is usually written red (symbol of suffering and memories of royal origin). Lower clothes are usually written by blue (the sign of the celestial cleanliness of the most perfect people).
The Magni of the Virgin from 474 years in the Varhranian Temple of Our Lady in Constantinople.

3. Instructions - Detail of liturgical vestments; In the iconography of the Mother of God - the symbol of the loss of the entire church in the face of the Virgin of the Heavenly Bishop - Christ.

4. Stars on Maforia Have two values:

• this is a symbol of dismissession of the navigation "Before Christmas, Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas",
• symbol of the Holy Trinity.

In many icons, the figure of the Bog Mountain closes one of the stars, thereby symbolizing the embodiment of the second Ipostasi of the Holy Trinity - the Son's God.

5. Inscription Mr Ou. - reduction of the words "Mother of God", and IS XS. - Abbreviated name of the Savior.

Our Lady in Russian icons is always in sorrow, but this sorrow is different: it is a sorrowful, then bright, however, is always fulfilled by spiritual clarity, wisdom and a big spiritual power, the Virgin may solemnly "show" the baby to the world, can gently press her son to himself or easy Maintain him - she is always full of reverence, worshiping his divine infant and crotko arms with the inevitability of the sacrifice. The lyricity, enlightenness and extension are the main features characteristic of the image of the Virgin.

According to Orthodox church calendar Most days of the year have to celebrate the miraculous icons of the Mother of God - about 260 distortions and miraculous Icons of the Virgin. And its icons numbered about 860. This is evidence of not only a special reverence of the Virgin, a special role to her as an intercession in front of the Lord for sirah and strange, grieving and inspired , but also evidence of the manifold of the Motherod's iconography.

But, as in the iconography of the Savior, also stand out here main types:

1. "Praying" ("Oranta", "Panagia", "Sign")
2. "Guide" ("Odigitria")
3. "Uming" ("Elyus")
4. "BUY" ("Panach")
5. "Intercession" ("Agiospurs")

1. "Praying" ("Oranta", "Panagia", "Sign")

One of the main types of the image of Our Lady, representing it with the hands of the outwards with raised and stretched on the sides, that is, in the traditional gesture of the intercessious prayer. Such a prayer posture is known from biblical (Old Testament) times. The first image of the Virgin "Oranta" (praying) (without a baby) are already found in Roman catacombs. The most widespread this iconographic scheme receives in the afterconformation period.

The Mother of God is depicted on the icon in the FAS, usually in the belt, with hands raised to the level of the head, divorced to the sides and bent in the elbows. (From ancient times, this gesture means a prayer appeal to God). On her village, against the backdrop of a round sphere - Savior Emmanuel.
The icons of this type are also called "Panagia" (Greek. "All").

In Russian Earth, this image was called the "sign" naming, and this happened.
November 27, 1169, during the storming of Novgorod a friend Andrei Bogolyubsky, the inhabitants of the deposited city carried an icon on the wall. One of the arrows went into the image, and the Mother of God appealed to the city, while driving tears.
Tears fell on the Felon of the Novgorod bishop of John, and he exclaimed:

"On a wonderful miracle! How do tears tear from dry wood? Tsarice!
You give us a sign that Slim pray before your son about the deliverance of the hail. "

Inspired Novgorod reflected the Suzdal regiments ...
In the Orthodox church, the image of this type is traditionally placed in the upper part of the altar.
The main meaning of the icon of the sign moveed from the intermediary intercessious prayer of Our Lady Oranta to the History of Christ. The sign is, in a certain sense, the image of the Annunciation and the omen of Christmas and the following evangelical events until the second coming.

In the Sofia Cathedral in Kiev (XI century) there is one of the most famous mosaic images of Oranta (the height of the figure is 5 m 45 cm). One of the epithets assigned to this image is the "unbreakable wall".

From other iconographic types of the image of the Virgin Oranta, the majesticity and monumentality distinguishes, its posture is extremely static, the composition is symmetrical, which meets the walls of wall paintings and mosaics, decorative and applied art, in the icon painting, independent images of the Virgin Oranges without a baby are extremely rarely used. This image is part of complex compositions, for example, in the iconography of ascension or cover holidays.

In the Byzantine and Old Russian church art, the image of the Mother of God Oranta with a baby Christ in the iconography of Emmanuil (Heb. - God is with us - one of the prophetic names of the Son's God, used in the prophecy of Isaiah (IC VII, 14), represents the History). Usually, Christ is depicted in a round medallion, or a little apparently (translucent) at the chest level of the mother.

On icons in the iconography of the signs of the Virgin Major can be depicted both in growth and the belt.

The development of the iconography of the signs of the compositions of such icons as an inspired bowl.

2. "Guide" ("Odigitria")

On this icon we see God's Mother, the right hand of which points to the Bogg of Christ, squeezing on his left hand. Images are strict, straightforward, the heads of Christ and the etching virgin do not touch each other.
The Mother of God, however tells the whole human race that the way true is the way to Christ. On this icon, she appears a guide to God and eternal salvation. It is also one of the most ancient types of the image of the Virgin, who is believed to go back to the first icon painter - the Holy Apostle Luke.

From a dogmatic point of view, the main meaning of this image is the phenomenon into the world of heavenly king and proud and the worship of the royal infant.

Honors from rather close type Eleus It serves the mutual relationship of mother and son: Icon is no longer unlimited love, here the center of the composition is Christ addressed to the upcoming (viewer), the Virgin Mary, also depicted frontal (or with a small tilt of the head) indicates a hand on a baby.

Our temple presents the following "Guide type" icons:

From the icons of this type Kazan, Smolenskaya, Tikhvinskaya, Georgian, Iverskaya, Pimenovskaya, Troochitsy, Passion, Czestochovskaya, Sporchitsa, sinful, etc.

3. "Uming" ("Elyus")

On the icon "Uming" we see the baby-Christ, who supplied the left cheek to the right cheek of Our Lady. Icon transmits full tenderness to communicate mother and son.

Since the Virgin symbolizes the Church of Christ, Icon shows all the completeness of love between God and man is the completeness that is possible only in the Louis of the Mother of the Church. Love connects on the heavenly and earthly, divine and human icon: the compound is expressed by the contact of the faces and the pairing of the Nimbi.
The Mother of God wondered, pressing her son: she, predicting the godpie, knows what suffering is waiting for him.

From the icon of this type, Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God enjoys the greatest reverence.
Probably, it was not by chance that this icon became one of the greatest shrines. There are many reasons for this: both the ancient origin, heeded by the name of the evangelist Luke; and events related to the transfer of it from Kiev to Vladimir, and then to Moscow; And repeatedly participate in the salvation of Moscow from the terrible raids of the Tatar ... However, the type of image the image of Our Lady "Deal" found, apparently, a special response in the hearts, the idea of \u200b\u200bsacrificial service was close to his people and understandable, and the high grief of the Virgin, bringing his son to the world Cruelty and suffering, her pain was consistent with the feelings of all Orthodox Christians. From the icons of this type in Russia, the most famous is "detectable" and "Allzaritsa".

5. "Intercession" ("Agiospurs")

Publication or update date 01.11.2017

Book "Earth Life of the Most Holy Virgin"

"Majses My Lord's soul, and my spirit rejoiced about God, the Savior, I myself, he won to humility of his slave; For from now on, they will be pleased with all the birth, which made me the greatness strong and holy name of it "/ LK. 1.46-49 /.

The solemn meeting of the icon is described in the annals, in memory of it introduced a festival Vladimir Icon The Mother of God, in place, where Muscovites, headed by Metropolitan Cyprian, met a miraculous icon, was founded by the Sretensky monastery, and the street, which was moving the procession with the shrine, was called Sretenka. In 1395, the whole Moscow prayed to the Vladimir Icon about the salvation of Moscow from the terrible invasion of Tamerlane and God's Mother of God. In 1480, the intercession turns the troops of Khan Akhmat from Rus borders. The River Ugro, where Ahmat's troops were in the people, received the name of the belt of the Virgin, it was here, according to legend, he was a shining maiden and ordered to leave the Russian limits.

In 1591, the Russians resort to intercession of the most prechival, this year proceeds to Moscow Kaza-Gire. Then Muscovites prayed to the icons of Vladimir and Don. And God gave a victory again. On the days of the Universion and interventions of the early XVII century, the troops of the national militia are fighting for Moscow and the Moscow Kremlin, but for their national shrine - "Yako Unmann we have a dregs, ratas for the crust of the Mother of God, the image of Vladimirsky." In the early chronicle sources, the victory over the interventory is attributed to the Vladimir, and not the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

In the XVII century, the royal icon painter Simon Ushakov writes the icon "Our Lady - the Tree of the Russian State". In the center of the icons, the image of Vladimir as beautiful flower On the tree, which watered Metropolitan Peter and Prince Ivan Kalita, who laid the foundations of Moscow statehood. On the branches of this wonderful tree, like fruits, holy devotees are depicted. Below, behind the Kremlin wall, near the Assumption Cathedral, from which the tree grows, then there are hearing sovereigns by Alexey Mikhailovich and Queen Irina "from Chad". Thus, Simon Ushakov perpetuated and glorified the Palladium of the Russian Earth - the Vladimir icon of Our Lady. No other icon has been honored.

Vladimir Icon is the most honorable and most famous of the Virgin Icons in Russia. But for the ten centuries of Christian culture in Russia, a great set of icons of Our Lady created in Russia. Specialists are up to sevencoms iconography. Our main compass here will be all the same initial concept of "Eykon", which underlies the Christian view of the world, since any icon of Christichenic. The Motheratic Icons of Christcentric, by definition, because by the birth of Christ, Mary becomes the Virgin, the Mother of God. Based on the dogmatic, iconography is developing inside which there are several main directions forming the main iconographic schemes (theological programs).

The Virgin Dogmatic is based on the secret of the award, and through the image of the Virgin, the depth of the Godchildren's relationship is revealed to us. Maria, who gave life to God in His human nature, becomes the mother of God (Virgin): the creature holds the Creator. And since this motherhood is an oversight, then its virginity is preserved in it mysteriously. The Mystery of Our Lady is that through the virginity and motherhood it is a new creature. And honoring it is connected with this. St. Gregory Palama writes: "The virgin mother is the border between the creature and non-personal nature, and it, as a compatibility of an uncomfortable, will know those who know God, and sing it will be after God those who chant God. She is the basis of those Who is to her, and the Stern of those who are after her, and the intercession of the forever. It is the subject of the prophets, the beginning of the apostles, the statement of martyrs, the foundation of teachers. She is glory, merry of heaven, decoration of all the creatures. It is the beginning, source, the root of our hope on Heaven, to achieve which will be given to us with her prayers about us, in glory, primarily from the father of born and in the last times, the embodied Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is applied, honor and worship, now, always and ever and ever ("Word for Annunciation").

From the Virgin Dogmaker, as on the yeast, all East Christian gymnography increased: Roman Sladkopevts and John Damaskin, Ephraim Sirin and Ignatius Nicesky and many other wonderful poets and theologians left us amazing works on their beauty dedicated to the Virgin. In Russia, in the subtleties of theology, they were not too far away, but the reverence of Our Lady was not less high and poetic. The image of the naval of Mary and Mother of the Lord of our Jesus Christ found the features of the intercession and the Guidatais, patroness and comforter. This purely folk element of love for Our Lady sometimes splashed over the edge, beyond the Christian worldview: the image of the Virgin that was blocked by the folk element, brings him closer in the unenlished folk consciousness with a fabulous mother-raw-earth, then in the sophisticated high-freedom of Russian sophiologists of the beginning of the century, this image was doing foggy The outlines of eternal femininity. Virgin Sophia, world soul, and so on. But despite these extremes, at the heart of his Spring, the honors of Our Lady in Russia was clean and leveled, and there remains.

This type prevailed in the Italian-Greek iconographic tradition. In Russia, he received less widespread. Sometimes it is found in monumental painting (for example, Ferapontov frescoes). Among the early Russian icons of this type, the most famous Mother of Tolgskaya XIII century. In Russia as a result of many reasons that are not yet investigated, the waist icons of Our Lady, although the writing of the figure in growth or sitting on the throne also did not disappear from the iconography, but it was mostly used in monumental compositions - in frescoes and in iconostasis. Icon in Russia performed a completely special function - it was both a prayer manner, and a book, with the help of which they study, and a satellite of life, and the shrine, and the main wealth that was inherited from generation to generation. The abundance of icons in the Russian churches and homes of believers to this day surprises (even Orthodox confession). The icons of the Virgin, all the more likely they love that her image is close to the People's soul, it is available, he opened his heart, maybe even more than Christ. This sometimes happens because the atavistic ideas about God are dominated in the people's consciousness - Grozny Proud and the Mother of God - the eternal intercession, capable of softening the wrath of God.

Of course, it has a reason: in the Gospel, the first miracle Christ makes exactly at the request of the mother, as if yielding her in her petition for ordinary people. However, in folk fancy, the limits of such a petition could take a disproportion scale, distorting the image of Christ. Nevertheless, knowing the love of the people to the Virgin, her intimacy of the human heart, sometimes naive in his children's faith, the Church taught the people of God through the Virgin Icons. And with all the availability of this image, the best icons contain the deepestological sense. The image of the Virgin Mary itself is so deep that the Virgin Icons turn out to be equally close and a simple illiterate woman, in love with their mother of God hosting every Virgin Icon for an independent person, and intellectual-aologian, seeing, even in the most simple canonical images, a complex subtext.

Conditionally, the variety of types of icons of Our Lady with a baby can be divided into four groups, each of which is the disclosure of one of the faces of the Mother of God. The iconographic scheme is an expression of theological idea. The first group is the type of iconography "sign" (abbreviated and truncated version - orante). This is the most terrible rich iconographic type and is connected with the topic of incarnation. The iconographic scheme is based on two texts: from the Old Testament - the Prophecy of Isaiah: "So the Lord himself will give you a sign: Sea, Virgo in Jerevia will live and give birth to the Son, and will give him a name: Emmanuel" (Is. 7.14) and from the New Testament - The words of an angel in the Annunciation: "The Holy Spirit will find on you and the power of the Most High falls on you, therefore and the born holy is adherent to the Son of God" (Luke 1.35). In these words, it opens the mystery of the awards, the birth of the Savior from the Virgin, the birth of the Son of God from the earthly woman. This is an expression in the iconographic scheme: Maria is represented in the orange pose, that is, praying, with abreast to the sky; At the level of her breast there is a medallion (or sphere) depicting Emmanuil Savior, located in the lamp of the mother.

The Mother of God can be represented in growth, as on the Icon "Yaroslavskaya Oranta, Great Panagia", or in a belt, as in the "Kursk Native" or in the Novgorod "sign", this is not so essential. More importantly, another is the connection of the figures of Our Lady and (semi-imaging) of Christ, which transmits one of the deepest revelations: the birth of God in the flesh, Maria becomes the Virgin through the incarnation of Logos. At the time of contemplating the icon, the holy of holy, inner Mary, in the depths of which the Holy Help is hidden in the depths of which the Holy Holy Spirit. "Your extension is extensive" - \u200b\u200bthe Mother of God is in the akathist. We see it at the time of the upcoming God: "Sea Slave of the Lord, and I will be for your word" (LK. 1.38). Her hands are raised in a prayer impulse (this gesture is described in the outcome of the book. 17.11). In Yaroslavl "Oranta", this gesture is repeated in the figure of the baby, only her palms are revealed, and the position of the fingers of Emmanuil is different - they are folded into the blessing.

"Sign" Kursk-indigenous icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

In other embodiments, the infant in one hand holds a scroll - the symbol of the teachings, the other blesses. Various clothes are traditional - red mafelius and blue lower robe. These are the clothes of Our Lady on all icons (with rare exceptions), and, recall, their colors symbolize the United Nations in it, her earthly nature and heavenly vocation. In the Yaroslavl "Orange" of the Virgin's clothing floods the golden light (depicted in the form of a large assista), which is the expression of the streams of grace of the Holy Spirit, who sprinkled on the Most Holy Delight at the time of conception. On both sides of Mary depicts the forces of heaven - either the archangels with the grazles in the hands (Yaroslavl Oranta), or blue Cherub and Fire-Red Seraphim. The presence in the composition of the angelic and heavenly forces means that the Virgin of His humble consent participation in the Act of a Congority raises humanity to the step above the angels and archangels, for God, according to the Holy Fathers, did not take the angelic image, but ented human flesh. In the chanting, glorifying the Virgin, and it comes in: "The honest cherub and a sorry without comparison of Seraphim."

The iconographic scheme of "signs" can be very simple, as in the Novgorod version, and may be developed and complicated, as in the case of Yaroslavl Orange. In the composition of the latter, for example, a not common part is included, which reveals the liturgical aspect of this image. This Orlets is a mat under the feet of Mary, these are used in bishop worship. In this case, Orlets symbolizes the cospace of the Mother of God, who will have to God for all human genus. The Mother of God stands on Orlets as on the cloud among the golden radiance of God's Glory - Our Lady is a new creature, transformed creation, a new person. The icon of the Kursk root is supplemented with the image of the prophets, interconnected by the similarity of the trustees of the vine. Prophets in the hands of a scroll of their prophecies.

All this symbolizes the fact that the Virgin and God's Son, from her born, is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and aspirations. Thus, in different iconographic variants, in the presence of a general iconographic kernel, the same theme of the awareness is revealed, so the iconographic type "sign" is sometimes called "embodiment."

One of the variants of the iconography "sign" is "Oranta". In this case, the Mother of God is presented without a baby in the same posture, with abreast hands. An example of such an option can be the image of "Our Lady - Industrable Wall" from the Hagia Sophia Kiev (Mosaic, X in.). Here, the Mother of God is represented as a symbol of the church. For the first time, Augustine saw in the Mother of God - church. This association received a wide range of interpretations in the history of theological thoughts.

The second iconographic type received the name "Odihythrius", which in Greater means "guide". In this name, the concept of the Virgin Icons in general is laid, for the Mother of God leads us to Christ. The life of a Christian represents the path from darkness - to the wonderful Light, from sin to salvation, from death - to life. And on this difficult way, we have a helper - the Most Holy Mother of God. She was a bridge to come to the world of the Savior, now she is a bridge for us on the way to him.

So, the iconographic scheme of odigitria is built as follows: The figure of Our Lady is represented by the frontal (sometimes with a slight tilt of the head), on one of her hand, as on the throne, the baby squeezes Christ, the other hand, the Mother of God indicates him, thereby directing the attention of the prestitious and praying. The mother of Christ is one hand blesses the mother, and in her face and us (often the gesture of the blessing is directed directly to the viewer), in the other hand he holds a rolled scroll (there are options when in the hands of the baby Scepter and Power, a book, detached scroll).

In the gesture of the Virgin, who fictitles the key to this image, the Mother of God orient us spiritually, directing us to Christ, for he is the path, truth and life. She carries our prayers to him, she applies to us in front of him, she keeps us on his way to him. I became the mother of the one who adopted us to the Heavenly Father, the Virgin Mother becomes the mother of each of us. This type of Virgin Icons got unusually widespread in everything christian world, especially in Byzantium and in Russia. Many honored icons of this type did not accidentally attributed the brushes of the Apostle Luke.

The most famous variants of odigitria include: Smolenskaya, "Iverskaya" (goalkeeper), "Tikhvinskaya", "Georgian", "Jerusalem", "Troyoulist", "Passionate", "Czestochovskaya", "Cyprus", "Abalatskaya", "Sparge of sinners" and many others.

Smolensk icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

Small iconographic differences in detail are associated with the details of the history of the origin of each specific image. So the third hand of the icon "Troochitsy" was added by the Holy John Damascus, when, according to his prayer, the Virgin Restored his hand chopped. The bleeding wound on the cheek "Iverskaya" returns us during the times of iconocrust, when this image was attacked by rejecting icons: blood expired from the impact of a spear from the icon, which has shown witnesses to indescribable horror. On the Icon of Our Lady "Passionate" usually depict two angels flying to a baby with instruments of passion, thereby having to have his suffering for us. As a result of this plot turn, the pose of the baby of Christ - he is depicted on the way out, looking at the angels, his hands hold the hand of Mary. Each of these details is worthy of attentive consideration, but for non-dissimilarity in this case, it will be left for a secluded contemplation.

As a rule, in "Odigitria", the Mother of God is represented in the belt image, but there are also the depleting compositions of the Virgin Icons; These include "Kazanskaya", "Petrovskaya", "Igorevskaya". Here the same topic is being developed, but in some abbreviated version.

Igor Icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

The third type of Virgin Icons in Russia received the name "Uming", which is not a completely accurate translation of the Greek word "Elyus", i.e. "Freezing". This epithet in Byzantium, the Virgin Mary itself was important and many of her icons, but over time, in Russian iconography, the name "Uming" began to bind with a certain iconographic scheme. In the Greek version, this type of icons was called "GlycoFilus" - "Sweet Lobzia". This is the most lyrical of all types of iconography, which opens the intimate side of the communication of the mother of God with her son. The iconographic scheme includes two figures - the Virgin and the Baby of Christ, who adopted to each other by the faces. Mary's head is inclined to his son, and he hugs his mother behind her neck. In this touching composition, a deep theological idea was concluded: here the Virgin is revealed to us not only as a mother caressing the Son, but also as a symbol of the soul, which is in close communication with God. The relationship of the soul with God is the mystical theme of many Scriptures of the Holy Fathers. Our Lady Deal is one of the most mystical types of Virgin Icons.

This type was also widespread in Russia. Type "Templement" icons include: "Vladimir", "Volokolamskaya", "Donskaya", "Fedorovskaya", "Zhirovitskaya", "Grevnevskaya", "Yaroslavskaya", "the recovery of the dead", "Pochaevskaya", etc. In all these icons, the Mother of God is represented in the belt composition, in rare cases there is a tender composition, as, for example, in the Korsun icon.

Zhirovitsky icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

Korsun icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

A variation of the iconographic type "Determination" is the type "possession". The icons of this kind were distributed mainly in the Balkans, but also in Russian art occasionally such images are found. The iconographic scheme is very close to "lunizing", with the difference only that the baby is presented in the posture more free, as if playing. An example of this type of icons can serve "Yahromskaya". In this composition there is always a characteristic gesture - the infant of Christ with a handle concerns the face of the Virgin. In this small detail, the abyss of tenderness and trust, which opens at the attentive contemplative look.

Another kind of iconography "Uming" is the "mammal". From the name it is clear that a distinctive feature of this iconographic scheme is the image of the Mother of God, nursing Baby of the Baby of Christ. Such a detail is not only an intimate detail of this iconographic option, but it reveals a new mystical aspect in reading the image of the Virgin. The mother feeds his son, she nourishes our souls, as well as God feeds us with "pure verbal milk" Words of God (1 Peter. 2.2), so that we, ryy, passed from the food of the milk to solid (Heb. 5.12).

"Mammal" icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

So, the three iconographic type called us - the "sign", "odihythria" and "lunizing" are the main leading in the iconography of the Virgin, as they are based on whole areas in the theological understanding of the image of Our Lady. Each of them represents us some one of the aspects of her ministry, its role in the Saving Mission of Christ, in the history of our salvation.

The fourth type does not have such aological filling, as the first three. It is rather collective, it is necessary to include all the iconographic options that are not included in the first three for one time or other reasons. The name of the fourth-type conditionally "Akafiste", since mainly iconographic schemes are built here not on the principle of theological text, but according to the principle of illustrating one or another epithet, which the Virgin is in the Akathist and other hymnographic works. The basic meaning of the icon of this type is the glorification of the mother of God. This should include the already mentioned images of Our Lady with a baby on the throne. The main focus of these images is to show the Mother of God as Queen Heavenly. In this form, this image entered the Byzantine iconography - especially often such compositions were placed in the conch of apse. In this version, the Virgin is present in St. Sophia Konstantinople. In Russian iconography, the example of such an image can serve as a fraction of Dionysia in the apse of the church of the Nativity of the Virgin Ferrapontov Monastery.

But most of the icons of this type are a compound of the central scheme of previous types with additional elements. Thus, for example, the iconographic scheme of the "Nealimi-bunk" consists of the image of the Lady of Odigitria, surrounded by the symbolic figures of the glory and the forces of heaven (in the same way as the image of heavenly glory is depicted in the iconography "Savior in the forces").

"Unpassed Kupina" icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

The iconographic scheme of the icon "" includes the image of the Virgin with a baby, squeezing on the throne, which has a view of some similarity fled inside the reservoir, and around the angels and people who came to get drunk from this source. The composition of the icon "Our Lady - Mount Neruphene" is also built on the principle of mechanical imposition of symbols - the Mother of God with the infant (according to the type of odigitria), they are squeezed on the throne, on the background of the figures and around them are different symbols, and truly illustrating acaphiste epithets: Runo irrigated, Iroklev's runo, Cupina is unalmable, the candle is a light acceptor, the Mountain is nerucropted, etc. And finally, the icon "Increased joy" is built on the principle of "icon in the icon", that is, the plot inclusion of an image of an icon inside what is happening. Here is usually presented with a cranked man, praying in front of the dimension of God of Odigitria, who gave him moral insight and healing.

"Live source" of the icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

Examples of akafiste icons can be brought by a great set and for the most part this late iconography created no earlier than the XVI-XVII centuries. At that time, when the Theological Thought did not differ in originality and its direction was more poured over the surface, thanced to go deep.

The vertex of akafiste iconography should recognize the image "about you the delighted whole creature." It is an interesting iconography in its own way, it is based on the idea of \u200b\u200bcosmic glorification of Our Lady. The center shows the Mother of God with the infant Christ on the throne in the radiance of the glory and surrounding the forces of heaven. The image of the universe is presented in the form of a multi-ahlo temple, surrounded by blooming trees - this is both the image of heavenly Jerusalem. At the bottom of the icon, the foot of the throne depicted people - the prophets, kings, holy different ranks, just the people of God. We see - the icon presents a new land and a new sky (Rev. 21.1), - the image of the transformed creature, the beginning of which is in the secret of the award (here the central image is partly reminding the sign scheme).

The iconographic options are depicted by the Mother of God without a baby of Christ, are not possible, to combine them into a special group is not possible, since the iconographic scheme in each of them is defined by its independent theological idea. But to one degree or another, they adjoin the previously mentioned four types. For example, the "Our Lady of Ostroy-Vilenskaya" is an option, a "sign" image, as the image of Our Lady is revealed here at the time of accepting the good news ("Sea Slave of the Lord, and I will be for your word." Lux. 1.38). The position of the hands crossed on the chest (the gesture of humble prayer worship) is semantically close to the gesture of oranges. Consequently, this iconographic option can be attributed to the type "sign". In addition to the Ostroy, this type corresponds to the icon of the "bride nonsensic" (erroneously called "Uming"), which was a celon icon pre. Seraphim Sarovsky.

Ostroy Mother of God's icon. Gallery icons.

The famous ancient Russian icon "Our Lady of Bogolyubskaya" also depicts the Virgin without a baby, but the upcoming God with a petition for her praying (a group of praying sometimes is depicted at the feet of the Virgin). Since here, the Mother of God is depicted as a mentaire and as a pointed path with praying, it can be conditionally attributed to this icon to the type "Odigitria". In the hand of the Virgin, he holds a scroll with a prayer, and the other hand points to the image of Christ, written on the left in the segment of the sky. Thus, the same gesture remains as in Odigitria: Christ is the way, truth and life.

Bogolyuba icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

But for the most part of the Virgin Icons, in which the Virgin is presented without a baby, belong to the fourth type - akafiste icons, as they are written for the glorification of the mother of God. So, for example, this type can be attributed to the iconography of the "Virgin Sexy Street" or "Simeonovo", this iconographic version is known and under a different name - "softening evil hearts". Here is the man with family swords piercing her heart. This image is taken from the prophecy of Simeon, which during the counseling said such words: "And the soul itself will go to the weapon itself, - and many hearts will open" (Luke 2.35). Such iconography, as a rule, late origin, apparently came from the Western European tradition and are characterized by literature. Nevertheless, they laid their meaning, which opens up the image of the Virgin, so necessary to increase the Orthodox Soul.

Mother's seven-minute icon. Gallery icons.

The iconographic options, semantically corresponding to the third type of the Virgin Icons, known as the "Uming", are practically not found, as it is difficult to imagine how to portray the intimate relationship of Our Lady and her son in the form of God alone. Nevertheless, this turn in iconography is possible. This is the so-called type of Brown Mother of God ("Mater Dolorosa"), when God's Mother is represented by immersed in a prayerful grief about crucified Christ. Typically, the Virgin is depicted with a tendered head and prayer-folded hands near the chin himself. This option was greatly distributed in the West, but also in Orthodox iconography, it is also well known.

Some researchers believe that he was originally independent, he was part of the diptych, on the second half of which he was depicted by Jesus Christ (in a ternswater, with signs of passions).

We can see the same plot and in the icon "do not cry Mother Mother", well-known in the Balkan art and less well-known in Russia. The Mother of God and Christ are usually depicted on this icon (sometimes standing in the coffin), the mother mourns the death of his son, hugging his dead body. Almost this modification of the plot "mourning", but the iconographic scheme was built on the principle of "lunizing" - only on icons of the type "Do not cry Mother Mother" the Virgin is pressed against himself not a little Jesus, and an adult after removing from the cross. The tragedy of the plot reaches extraordinary glow - the Mother's Mountain is awesome, but, like in every icon, there is a news of the resurrection, it is in the name of the icon, which is built on the text of passionate chanting: "Do not cry Mother Mother in the coffin of vigorous ...". Appeal to the Mother of God comes on behalf of Christ who won death. Very good, this image is designed in the icon of the modern Moscow master of Alexander Lavdansky.

"Do not cry Mother Mati" Icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

So, we reviewed the main iconographic types and variants of the Virgin Icons, which are conditionally divided into four groups: "sign", "Odihythriya", "Tempered" and "Akafiste". In the field of our vision, festive Virgin Icons almost did not hit, as the image of the Virgin on the holidays has all the same iconographic features as in other icons, just we did not touch the principles of the image of the image of Our Lady in the iconostasis, but in a brief form it was said about this When parsing semantics and symbols of iconostasis. I would like to add a few words to those deviations from the canon, which can sometimes be seen in various icons dedicated to the Virgin.

So traditionally, it is customary to depict the Virgin in the clothes of two colors: Cherry Maforia (modification of red color), blue tunic and blue chepts. On the Maforia, as a rule, three gold stars are depicted - as a sign of her impurity ("immobally conceived, it was immobably gave birth, immobably died") and border as a sign of its glorification. Plaslies - Maforia - means her motherhood, covered by him blue (blue) dresses color - Naughty. But occasionally we can see the Mother of God, closed in the blue Maforia. So it was sometimes depicted in Byzantium, in the Balkans. So the Mother of God wrote Feofan Greek in the Deesus rank of the Blagoveshchensky Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Apparently, in these cases, it is more important for the icon painter to emphasize the virginity, the immateriality of Our Lady, to highlight the aspect of its purity, focus our attention on this vehicle's image of the Virgin and Mother.

Orthodox tradition in exceptional cases allows the image of women with a uncoated head. Usually they write Maria Egyptian as a sign of its ascetic and repentant lifestyle, who has changed its older lifestyle. In all other cases, whether the image of martyrs, tsarits, saints and righteous wives, marshos and other numerous characters inhabiting the Orthodox Icon world, it is customary to depict women with a covered head. So the apostle Paul writes that it's good to cover your head, for it is a "sign of power over it" (1 Cor. 11.5.10).

Maria Egyptian. Gallery icons.

But in some iconographic versions of the Virgin Icons we see, very unexpectedly, the image of the Mother of God with a uncoated head. For example, the "Our Lady Akhtyrskaya" and some others. In some cases, the boards are replaced by a crown (crown).

The custom of portraying the Mother of God with uncovered head of Western descent, where he entered the use of the Renaissance era, and in principle uncontuits. Mafory on the head of the Virgin is not just a tribute to the East Christian tradition, but a deep symbol - the sign of her motherhood and the full one of God. Even the crown on her head can not replace the mafhoria, for the crown (crown) is the sign of the kingdom, the Mother of God is the Queen of Heaven, but this royal dignity is based solely on her motherhood, on the fact that she became the mother of the Savior and the Lord of our Jesus Christ. Therefore, correctly depict the crown on top of the board, as we see in such iconographic goods, like the "Our Lady", "Novodvorskaya", "Abalatskaya", "Holmovskaya" and others. The image of the crown (crown) on the head of the Virgin also came to an east Christian iconographic tradition from Western Europe. In Byzantium, this was not accepted at all. Even when the Virgin with the upcoming emperors were depicted (as it can be seen in the mosaics of St. Sophia Constantinople), which is an expression of the superiority of the kingdom of heaven over the kingdom of earth, on her chapter we do not see anything except Maphoria. And this is very characteristic, since the development of iconography is observed with time from the laconism and clean semantics (sign structure) in the direction of illustrative and external symbolism.

"Holding" the icon of the Mother of God. Gallery icons.

Nevertheless, the large distribution in Russia is a great honor of the image of the Virgin in the Russian Church, about the proximity of its Orthodox soul. Starting from the XVII century, a special genre appears in the literature - writings about the icons of Our Lady and miracles, from them that took place. It was a kind of first studies of the Virgin Icons and the understanding of iconography, and at the same time, these are legends in the folk spirit, where real certificates of miracles with six-standing stories are interspersed. The beginning of this area was laid by Joaniki Golyatovsky in the 60s of the XVII century, which issued an essay called "The Holy Sky". In XVII and especially in the XIX century, it turned into a whole stream. Numerous "legends about the life of the Virgin and the wonders from her icons" were in their time favorite folk reading. And only at the end of the XIX century, a wonderful Russian iconograf and a researcher of the Old Russian culture, Nicodemus Pavlovich Kondakov began to seriously study the question of the iconography of the Virgin. At the beginning of the 20th century, two of his books "Iconography of Our Lady" and "Iconography of Our Lady in connection with the Italian-Greek tradition" appeared. But it was only the beginning of research work. Then it was difficult to hope for full coverage of the material, since many icons were not even revealed by restorers and were not known to researchers. Now that the overall picture of the development of Russian iconography in general is clear, the theme of the Virgin Iconography is again waiting for his researcher.

The image of the Mother of God occupies an exceptional place in Orthodox spirituality, as it can be seen at least from a huge number of icons dedicated to it. O. Sergiy Bulgakov so writes: "Love and reverence of Our Lady is the soul of Orthodox piety, his heart, warming and reviving the whole body. Orthodox Christianity is life in Christ and in dealing with his Mother Mother, Faith in Christ, like the Son of God and the Mother of God, Love to Christ, who is inseparable from the love of Our Lady. " Every icon, as we have repeatedly spoke, Christcentric, the Virgin Ornation of Christcentric is doubly, as it gives us a true image of God-ebbing in love. One Western theologian so expressed the meaning of honoring the Mother of God: "The best reverence of Mary is to imitate her in her love for her son and the Lord to our Jesus Christ." Virgin Icons teach us and teach us.

Language IK .. "Theology of Icons"

Believers always belonged to the icon of the Mother of God, many wonders and signs are connected with it. And if you are going in your troubles and grief to get a quick consolation, resort to faith and prayer to the Queen of Heaven, and she will surely answer your pleas assistance and consolation.

Let's look at what icons of God's mother is, and learn to what kind of way to resort in what problems.

Vladimir icon of God's Mother

People always belonged to Vladimir icon with a special reverence, many wonders and signs are connected with it. It was anointing for the kingdom of sovereigns and emperors. When the All-Russian Metropolitans are elected, and then Patriarchs are drawn in a veil in Kyota Vladimir Icon, hoping that the Virgin Mary will show her a man.

According to legend, this icon was written by an evangelical onion on the board from the table, followed by the Savior with the Muscal Mother and Righteous Joseph. In the middle of the XII century, the shrine fell to Russia. When she was taken to Suzdal, not far from Vladimir Koni stopped and could not move from the place. At this place, the Assumption Cathedral was erected, where they installed a miraculous icon, called Vladimir. With the transfer of the capital from Vladimir to Moscow moved and icon. In 1395, Vladimir God's Mother appeared in a dream the invader of Tamerlane and made him retreat from Moscow. Since then, the icon is considered the patroness of the capital and all of Russia.

Not only in the protection of Russia from enemies is manifested miraculous power. Since the time of Prince Bogolyubsky, a very large number of people receive spiritual and bodily healing sincerely asking for help to the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.
Protects against accidents

When Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky took the icon in the Rostov lands, on the way it got up a full-flow river. Prince sent a man to search by Ford, but wrecked on the middle of a stormy river a stone went to the bottom. The prince prayed to the icon, and a miracle happened - a person got out of the water uncructible.
Facilitates childbirth

The chronicles argue that the wife of Prince Andrei Tryazhenko suffered and could not be resolved from the burden for more than two days. The prince defended the service and when she ended washed by the icon with water, and the water sent the princess. By making the only sip, she immediately gave birth to a healthy child and recovered herself.

Heals heart disease and vessels

The greatest force exhibits in the treatment of diseases associated with vessels and heart. There is a lot of evidence about this since the times of almost forgotten to this day. Known story about a woman from Murom suffering from heart disease. By sending all his jewels to Vladimir, she asked the holy water from the icon of the Virgin. And when drove off the brought, immediately cured.
Saves from death rates

Prince Bogolyubsky built a golden gate in Vladimir. Many people came to look at them. But suddenly, with a large crowd of people, the gate separated from the walls and fell. The reason for this was the low lime. Under the rubble there are 12 people left. Having learned about the tragedy, Prince Bogolyubsky began to pray before the icon of the Virgin. Sincere Mollet was heard. The gate raised and all people were alive, no one had no damage to anyone.

Icon of the Mother of God "All Muddy Joy"

Who is who, and the grieving people neither in Russia, nor on the planet are not translated. The image of Our Lady "All Morning Joy" is already in one of their name gives hope - and not even hope, but confidence that grief will be overcome and healed, but the joy, so desired by the human heart, acquired. In one of the prayers, in front of this way, it is said about the Virgin Mary: "Patients visiting, weak cover and intercession, widows and sires patroness, mothers of the saddeless comforter, babies weak fortress, and all helpless is always ready-made help and faithful refuge."

Therefore, before the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "All Thorough Joy" pray all offended, oppressed, suffering, those who are in despair or sorrow, as well as those who are severely painful. It is looking for consolation and protection to all who have nowhere else to get - and they receive asking for their prayers.
Especially powerful icon, even cancer diseases are cured in those who strongly resort to it, looking for help. They wrote it in the 17th century and she is on Athos.
History of manifestation of it wonderful power Also interesting. One day, when pilgrims arrived in the monastery, one approached the icon a strange man, Something is vaguely mumbling. And suddenly the face of the Virgin Mary, and threw a guy with the power of the guy.
Everyone was shocked, and the guy fell on his knees, and began to pray, pouring tears. He admitted that magic is engaged in, and came to specially spell, can influence the icons. And such a lesson received the strength of heaven, which repented, and even in the ink of that monastery became.

The icon of the Mother of God "is worthy" (or "Milic")

There was an icon of the Virgin, who wore the name "Milic". And here in the 10th century, to one obedient of the Karean monastery, which is located on Athos, at night during the prayer of the Virgin the wanderer of some kind. In Kiel, he asked himself, and began to sing with him together prayers. And then the finger on the stone block, which was softer wax, began to write a song "worthy there ..." And he said, his name is gabriel. And disappeared.

Then the stone block was investigated, and confirmed that the written could be archangel with Gabriel, and the song was performed in prayers completely, as he was written, it was written. And I got another name.

The pre-icon of the Blessed Virgin "Milver", or "decently", pray for spiritual and bodily diseases, at the end of all things, with epidemics, about happiness in marriage, with accidents.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

Once the Matrona - a ten-year-old daughter of one of the sorrows, Sagittarius Onuchina - was a vision: in a dream, the Most Holy Mother of God appeared to her and ordered to extract her icon from the ground. The next morning the girl hurried to tell about his wonderful dream, but no one is even parents, even the archbishop - did not take her words seriously.

And only when the dream was repeated on the second, and then for the third night, the Matrona simplifted his parents to start looking for an icon. And at the very place that was indicated by the baby in a dream, they found a shining icon, as if a new one was not a time-torn time.

The news of the amazing find and her miracles instantly went around the whole city. When the icon solemnly carried in the Annunciation Cathedral, two blind people were transpaired during the procession. And now the residents who have already lost faith believed again, getting rid of the blindness of the spiritual, and went to the acquired icon to pray for forgiveness, healing and protection against misfortunes.

There is another date on November 4, 1612, when the Russian troops of the national militia were driven from the China-Cities of Polish invaders. The Icon of the Kazan Mother of God is associated with the image, as the war prayed to her before the battle.

Now the celebration of the icons of the Kazan Mother of God is held on July 21 and November 4 in memory of these events.

• In front of the icon of the Kazan Most Holy Mother of God, Orthodox pray for healing from any bodily gentity, but first of all are asked to heal from blindness. They ask for the spiritual transcender, about the instruction to the right way, if the fire of faith suddenly began to weaken.
• Pray to the queen of heaven and support in difficult life situations, when the strength to fight with circumstances is not enough. In any sophistication and sorrows go to the Mother of God for consolation and instruction.
• No wonder Kazan icon is called a guide: it helps to make the right decisions, directs on the way to the good goal, will save from misfortune and mistakes. Often, the descriptions of miracles are described in the descriptions that the Mother of God was in dreams to people who ask her help, and said how to do and what to do to avoid trouble or fix its consequences.
• They ask not only for themselves and loved ones, but also for the whole country: pray for the Virgin about getting rid of the invasions of the enemies, about the help of soldiers in the protection of the Motherland, about the well-being of Russia. After all, the Kazan Icon helped to win the great victories and save the country from the invaders.
• Not only in trouble come to the Kazan icon, but also in joy. It is blessed with newlyweds when marriage. With this icon bind a lot. For example, if you marry the day of the celebration of the icons of Kazan god's Mother, then the marriage promises to be swollen and happy.
• And not only young, and any families of the Virgin helps to preserve harmony and well-being, saves from quarrels and troubles. Houses in which there is a Kazan icon are under its protection. Looking in front of the endless love and mercy of the Mother of the Virgin, the girls and women of all ages turn to her with a request to help them keep home the hearth.
• And, of course, the Mother of God is especially favorably belongs to children. No wonder the vision of the Kazan Icon was revealed by the little girl. Therefore, parents often put the image of this icon next to the children's bed and ask the Virgin to take Chado under their patronage. And she helps a child in a life path, protecting him from sorrow and misfortune.

Icon of the Mother of God "Mammal"

This icon is a joy to all giving birth, nursing, who is praying for the health of kids.

Unusual iconography, where the Virgin of the God of Breastfaby feeds. There was this image near Jerusalem initially, in the Lavra, the name of Savva consecrated. And in the 18th century, the son of the Serbian sovereign was transferred, and they were brought to Athos. There is now the image and is located in the Hyedar monastery. In Russia, the image appeared quite unexpectedly - on the top of the tree, there and the temple was built in honor of the newfound miracle icons. And many healings near her was obtained at different times.

There are many famous Icons of the Virgin Mary, often a Russian people resorted to her help and received a request. Because the previous one, once a person on Earth, the former, especially us, people, understands, and often assist his blessed. And many in the birth helps, and in the acquisition of the marriage, and in the sadness of different comforts, and in diseases of all sorts. All-Bo to her, at all her requests, the Savior is graciously answers.

Iverka icon of the Mother of God

The Mother of God appeals to the Iver of God's Mother, about protection against diseases, enemies, slanders and dark forces.

The Iverskaya Virgin Mary itself called himself a great defender for believers, when he was miraculously in the Iversky Monastery on Athos (Greece). In the Ix century, the warriors of the king of the faeophile iconoborets were sent to destroy the holy icons. In one house, one of them hit the cheek of the Virgin, and blood flowed from the wound. To save the image, the owners gave him to the sea, and the icon standing in the waves. One day the monks of the Iversky monastery saw the fiery pillar on the sea - he climbed the way of the manner standing on the water. The icon was set in the temple, but in the morning it was discovered over the monastery gates. So repeated several times, while the Virgin, who appeared one of the monks in a dream, did not say that he would not want to be stored, and he would be a keeper. Icon was left above the gates, why it is often called the "goalkeeper".

Icon of God's Mother "Seven Stracean"

Usually, the Virgin is written with her son or with saints and angels, but here it is depicted alone, and swords (arrows) symbolize the pain that the Most Holy Virgin Mary was experiencing on Earth. The number of seven also denotes the seven major human sinful sinters, which the Virgin is easily reading in every human heart. She is also ready to pray to the Son about each of us who are praying for her intercession, and about eradicating these sinful thoughts in us.

Before the "seminist" read prayers from irreconcilable enemies. During the war, they read the enemies to go around the defenders of the Fatherland and relatives of the warriors. Before the icon put at least seven candles. This icon can show seven wonders, or help find out the future for seven years. Prayer be prayers will help with flashes of family or neighboring hostility. Icon protects from the intolerance of people in relation to you. It will also help with flashes of irritation, malice or anger.

Icon of the Mother of God "Healer"

The miraculous icon "Healer" received his fame since the IV century from the Nativity of Christ. The ancient church legend that the regime itself helped to heal the person and is a plot of this miraculous icon.

Before the miraculous icon, the "Healer" pray for healing from various diseases. According to prayers before the miraculous icon, the Healer is cured by any diseases, even those in front of which modern scientists doctors hopelessly lowered hands.

Icon of the Mother's Mother "Uming"

When contacting the Virgin "Uming" pray for healing from the ailments.

Icon was located in the Poise of St. Seraphim Sarovsky. We can eat from the lamp, which grieved in front of the Kezen icon, the Rev. Seraphim was anxious of the patients, and they received healing. Before this icon, Rev. and departed to the Lord. Another name of the icon is "the joy of all joys." So often called this icon myself Reverend Seraphim.

Icon (from gr. - Image, image) - adopted by the church and consecrated image of Jesus Christ, Our Lady, Saints and various events from the sacred and church history. Icons on strictly defined rules (canons) are written with paints (usually tempera) on a wooden (linden or pine) board, covered with special soil.

Asist - Composition used in icon painting for stickers of sheet gold and silver. It has the kind of thick, adhesive mass of dark brown color, is prepared from garlic or beer span by tomturing into the furnace to the desired state. When used, it is divorced by water so that they can be carried away by brush the thinnest lines. On the asist, gold holds very well and does not lose its shine.

Board iconna - Wood base under the icon, usually lime, less freak, spruce, oak or cypressive. Several boards are tightly connected to the side sides into a single shield of the desired size, glue with adhesive animals (for example, casein) and additionally be fastened with knaps from the back side or from the ends (so as not to brew). The front side is made with a flat deepening - ark.

Iconography (Greek - description of the image) - description of the features and canons of the image of a certain person or the plot on icons.

Kyot. - decorated frame for icon or glazed cabinet for several icons.

Levkas (Greek) - White soil for iconic painting. It consists of a gross chalk (or gypsum) and glue. It is gradually applied, multilayer on the surface of the board, designed to write an icon. The surface of Levkas is thoroughly grinding.

Nimbus - Glowing around the head: the sign of God's grace in the form of a disk or light rays depicted on icons as a symbol of spiritual glory.

Salary - Overhead decoration attached to the icon over the colorful layer. It was made of non-ferrous metals, pearls, beads, gold sewing, carved golden wood. Sometimes decorated with precious stones. The salaries cover individual pieces of painting or the entire surface, except the face, arms and legs.

Fold - Like a small iconostasis of several connected loops, folding sash with icons. Designed for traveling.

"Uming" Serafimo-Diveevskaya - The icon of the Mother of God who belonged to Seraphim Sarovsky. He died in front of her prayer. Celebration on August 10.

"Soothed my sorrows" - The miraculous icon of the Mother of God, brought to Moscow with Cossacks in 1640. The Mother of God is depicted on the icon with a few tenden chapter, to which she attaches his left hand. Observing it seems to tell us that the Queen of Heaven listens to tears and prayers of all believers who appeal to her with their mourn, needs and sorrow. The right hand of Our Lady sticks to the feet of the Bogomladse. The Savior holds in his hands the deployed scroll, on which the words of the Divine Guide are inscribed: "The court is righteous of judge, mercy and generotes create ..." Celebration on February 7.

- Miraculous icon. According to legend, the evangelist Luka is written. In Russia, was originally in the Meodorovsky Gorodetsky Monastery. In the invasion of Batya and Gorodets, and the monastery was devastated, the inhabitants fled, and I did not have time to take with the icon. A few decades later, on August 16, 1239, she was the younger brother Alexander Nevsky Kostroma Prince Vasily Yaroslavich in the forest, on the tree, during the hunt. On the eve, many residents of Kostroma saw how a warrior was held through the streets of the city, and he kept an icon in his hands. The face of this warrior reminded the inhabitants of the icon painting image of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Prettylate. The found icon was put in the temple of the Holy Feodorus Pratilate in Kostroma and was called Feodorovskaya. At the site of the search icon, the prince founded the monastery in honor of the destructive image of the Savior. In 1260, the miraculous image saved Kostroma from the Tatar Halley. In 1613, the Feodor Icon was blessed to the reign of young Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the first sovereign from the Romanov dynasty. Currently, Icon is in the Assumption Cathedral of Kostroma. Before this icon, traditions are praying for prosperous genus. The celebration of the icon is performed on March 27 and August 29.

"Healer" - Icon, on which the Queen of Heavenly is depicted standing in Odra of the Patient, the patient's mouth can be seen mammo. The history of this image is as follows. One pious cleric was seriously ill and appealed to the Mother of God with a prayer, at the same moment he saw the Guardian Angel, asking the Virgin about the healing of the sick, and who had a sacrifice, who had drained a patient with a saving drop to the fault of his neighbors and became invisible. The patient felt completely healthy and told everyone about the miracle. Before this icon, pray for healing sick. Celebration icon - October 1.

- Miraculous icon, revered by Orthodox, and Catholics. Written, according to legend, evangelist Luka. In 326, the Holy Queen Elena, having received this icon as a gift, brought her to Tsargrad, where she stayed almost five centuries. Then she was transferred to Russia, where he became famous for many wonders. Torn by the Poles, got into the hands of the Tatars, who began to shoot it out of the onions, but when blood flowed from the icon, fled in fright. Currently, located in Poland in the monastery near the city of Czestochowa. Celebration March 19th.