The icon of the Virgin "The Burning Cupid" has a very unusual history of appearance, which goes back many centuries to the time of early Christianity.
A bit of history
According to legend, not far from Sinai, very close to Mount Horeb, there was a green bush of a canopy. And suddenly this bush ignited with a bright flame. Fire enveloped every leaf and every twig of the dome. What was special about this sight was that the plant burned, but did not burn.
The prophet Moses, passing by, noticed this miracle, stopped in front of the flame and heard the voice of God, which told him that very soon the Israelites would be freed from Egyptian captivity.
This Old Testament event can be found in the book of Exodus (chapter 3, 4).
Soon, the phenomenon seen by Moses was called the “Burning Cup” and was imprinted on the first icon of the same name.
In addition, in honor of the event described above, right behind the altar of the monastery of St. Catherine, a beautiful chapel was erected. They say that under the altar are the roots of the very biblical dome.
The icon "The Burning Cupid", the importance of which is important for Christians, was painted right at the foot of the mountain, about the place where the prophet noticed a burning bush.
How this image came to Russia
In 1390, Palestinian monks brought this shrine to Moscow. Today, the oldest icon, “The Burning Cupid,” the significance of which has not changed over time, is in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Image description
This image of the Virgin has different versions, among which you can find the Virgin, depicted in a bright flame that burns, but does not scorch it. And there is one where the Virgin Mary is depicted on the background of an octagonal star formed from two quadrangles with sharp concave edges. One of the quadrangles is painted green and symbolizes the bush of the dome, and the other is red, which means fire.
On the oldest icons you can see an almost literal image of what happened: a green bush of blackthorn, engulfed in flames, and above it stands the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in her arms. Next to the bush, the prophet Moses is on his knees.
Miracles of Our Lady
The “Burning Cupid” icon, the significance of which for Christians after so many centuries has not changed, has many legends about the miracles associated with it.
One of these miracles was the case that occurred in the years 1820-1821. In the small town of Slavyansk, frequent fires began to occur, the cause of which was someone's arson. Could not catch the criminal.
Once, a certain old parishioner had a dream in which the Mother of God came to her and said that the fires would stop if the icon “Burning Cupid” was written in this city. Its significance as an image that preserves from fires and various disasters caused by lightning or fire has long been known.
The old woman told the local archpriest about her dream, and soon the image was painted. What was the surprise of the people when, after the prayer for the icon “The Burning Bush” was read, the culprit, or rather the culprit, of arson was found! She was a local resident of Moor, who suffered from dementia. She left the crowd, confessed everything, and more fires did not happen.
This case is not the only one. There are other miracles in history that have occurred due to this image.
In addition to salvation from fire, some cases of the help of the icon are known, which are not associated with natural disasters and fires. So, for example, after relentless prayers before the “Burning Cup”, the unjustly convicted Dmitry Koloshin was released, who served as the groom with Tsar Fedor Alekseevich.