In the distant 1383, near the town of Tikhvin, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God appeared. Its significance was very important, and it was for her that a beautiful temple and a small monastery were erected. But first things first.
Story
There is an ancient legend according to which the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, the significance of which is difficult to overestimate, is closely connected with the famous evangelist Luke. The image was painted by this Holy Apostle during the earthly life of the Virgin.
Later, Luke presented the icon to Theophilus, who in those days ruled Antioch. It is known that the Holy Apostle attached the text of the Gospel to the image.
A few years later, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, whose significance has not changed in the course of time, ended up in Constantinople. Here, for her, the magnificent Vlaherna Reliquary Church was built, which later became a real repository of the most expensive shrines of Byzantium.
The fate of the shrine
Further, according to legend, in 1383 this icon appeared on Tikhvin land. According to eyewitnesses, this happened in an absolutely unbelievable way: by air from Constantinople it was transferred to holy Russia. In the sky above Ladoga it was noticed by local fishermen who, of course, were, to put it mildly, surprised by what they saw.
The fact that it was precisely a Byzantine shrine was confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. He explained such a miracle as follows: “She irrevocably departed from Byzantium. For the pride, hatred and unrighteousness of the people. "
How the miracle happened
In the morning, a crowd of people led by local priests gathered on the banks of the Tikhvinka River. They all began to pray earnestly, and soon the Tikhvin Mother of God icon fell right into their hands. The significance of this truly miraculous event was enormous. Indeed, from the Byzantine Empire this shrine “sailed” through the air! On the same day they decided to build a church. Decided on a place, cut down the forest, began the construction of the temple. In the evening, tired people began to disperse home. But the icon was not just abandoned. They put a guard at the construction site and at the icon.
But the watchmen fell asleep, and when they woke up, they found that neither the construction that had begun, nor the icon was there. People gathered. They mourned the loss for a long time, and then decided to go in search of the shrine.
What was their surprise when they discovered that all the prepared logs and tools were waiting for them on the other side, and at the head of all this was the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God! It was difficult not to understand the significance of what happened - in this way the Mother of God chose a place for her temple. Soon it was here that the beautiful Church of the Assumption flaunted.
Later, the wooden structure was replaced by a stone one and a small monastery was built nearby.
Abduction icon
During World War II, the Germans ruthlessly ravaged villages, villages, cities, temples and monasteries. They did not spare this church either. The invaders took out many icons from the ravaged temple, including Tikhvin.
In 1944, when the Nazis reached Riga, the icon ended up in one local church. The Germans "gave away" her for the time of services to the priests, hoping that they would begin to support them. It is not known what would happen to this shrine if the Nazis had not accidentally forgotten it during the retreat.
Back to Russia
The image returned to the city of Tikhvin only on June 23, 2004. By this time, the destroyed monastery was restored. July 9 - on this day many centuries ago a shrine appeared over Tikhvin - a solemn liturgy was held, led by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy.
It is believed that the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God helps in childhood illnesses, with restless sleep and moods. In addition, at an older age, when a child goes to school and makes friends, the image protects him from poor choices and helps to establish relationships with parents.