Orthodoxy has shown the world many inexplicable miracles, thereby confirming the power of true faith. Almost every icon has its own story and many inexplicable events and healings made from it. Not so long ago, an unusual icon “The Mother of God of Akhtyr” appeared to the world. From the moment of its acquisition to the present day, this Orthodox shrine does not tire of showing the world miracles of true faith.
Shrine History
The unique icon dates back to the first half of the 18th century, from the moment of the unexpected appearance in the Kharkov diocese. A wonderful image unexpectedly appeared to the priest at the time of his field work in the garden. Despite the inappropriate location for such a find, this icon shone so that the rays from its glow diverged for many meters around. The icon "Akhtyr Mother of God" got its name from the name of the city in which it was found and where it received the first prayers from Priest Daniel.
Originally brought to the priest’s house, the icon emitted bright light and received prayer addresses from the owners of the house. After three years, the Mother of God appeared to Priest Daniel twice in a dream and ordered to wash the icon with clean water and heal it with fever. Since then, water from washing the image has become widely used to cure people of even the most severe forms of febrile states.
Unique miraculous image
Traditionally, the holy image of the Mother of God is depicted together with the Eternal Infant. Believers note two basic versions of the image: “tenderness” and “hodegetria,” or a guidebook. There are only a few unique images of the Mother of God without a baby: “Ostrobramsky image”, “Softening of evil hearts”, “Bogolyubskaya Mother of God” and some other holy images. Among them, the icon "Akhtyr Mother of God" stands out. On it the Mother of God is depicted with her hands folded in a prayer request, to her left is a cross with the Savior crucified on Calvary. In addition, the Virgin is depicted on the icon with her head uncovered and on a much more approximate plane than Jesus. Such an image is not characteristic of Orthodox icon painting, therefore the icon is considered unique and unusual. Some lists from this image are already marked by the fact that the Mother of God has a head cover, which somewhat brings the icon closer to the truly Orthodox traditions of the image.
The glorification of the image in the Orthodox world
With the advent of the icon “The Akhtyr Mother of God,” miracles from her did not cease to confirm the truth of Orthodoxy. The icon became especially revered in the imperial house during the reign of Catherine II. It was then that the Mother of God appeared in a dream to a dying woman who prayed to the icon for healing, specially for this purpose having arrived in Akhtyrka. At the behest of the Blessed Virgin, the woman sacrificed all her property to the church and the poor and died safely in five days. In a dream, the Virgin promised to protect the daughters of the dying. Upon learning of this, Catherine II took them under her protection. Since then, the Akhtyr icon of the Mother of God has become the main source of faith in healing for the sick and infirm, which is constantly prayed to by parishioners.
Miracle Manifestation Icons
At the beginning of the 20th century, the trace of the miraculous icon was lost. In Akhtyrka, the place where this image of the Virgin was acquired, the oldest copies of it are worshiped, venerated as miraculous. In the Holy Intercession Cathedral of Akhtyrka, two such lists are kept with a wonderful face. The cathedral itself was built in the second half of the 18th century with money donated by Elizabeth Petrovna. The architect of the building was Rastrelli, the construction of the cathedral began shortly after the decision of the Synod to venerate the miraculous image of “The Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God”.
What this shrine helps the Orthodox in, the priests of the Cathedral explain. Some believers who come to the shrine for help note an unusual feature of the icon: those who simply stand near the image and contemplate it see only a regular tree behind a massive shiny frame. It is worth starting to sincerely pray to the Virgin, facial features and a gentle smile of the Virgin Mary immediately appear. The clergy note that the icon is shown only to the prayers, while there is nothing surprising in the fact that the head of the Blessed Virgin is uncovered: the face depicts the Holy Virgin before the Savior’s birth, during adolescence.
The miracle of updating the holy image
The Orthodox world has many miracles from icons with the face of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of the most famous is the miracle of updating the icon. The first copy of the image “Akhtyrskaya Mother of God”, never leaving the borders of her native city, faded from time to time, the holy image was practically not visible. The first update occurred during the Christmas post of 1998, since then the icon has been updated regularly. The clergy believe that the renewal of the image predicted the revival of Orthodoxy: from that moment, people were drawn to faith and spirituality. Religious passages began in Akhtyrka, an increasing number of parishioners began to attend the Cathedral, bringing their troubles and constantly fixing the miracles that the prayer of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God does. Many parishioners sincerely believe that the icon is being updated for the reason that people constantly turn to it, and such a miracle is direct evidence that the Holy Virgin hears prayers and hears them.
Read prayers for healing ...
The modern list of miracles emanating from this icon is quite diverse: someone is grateful for the job found, someone for good luck in business, someone the Virgin brought replenishment of the family. There are also reviews that indicate that, through their prayers, believers were cured of cancer, survived in serious car accidents. Ministers of the church claim that prayers offered by the parishioner himself and his relatives for him will be effective. During periods of epidemics and mass diseases, this icon is addressed with a prayer request for protection from the disease. At the same time, they read an akathist to the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God and a special prayer "Prayer singing during a destructive pestilence and a deadly infection." Thanks to such zealous prayers for this icon, the epidemic threshold is rarely exceeded, the number of deaths from viral diseases is significantly reduced.
Akhtyrka in the estate near Moscow
The icon "Akhtyrskaya Mother of God" is revered not only in Sumy Akhtyrka, the place of acquisition, but also in many other places of Orthodox Russia. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Akhtyrskaya Church was built in the estate near the Princes of Trubetskoy near Moscow. The Trubetskoy family genuinely honored the image of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, which was stored in their family and transmitted from generation to generation. That is why Prince Nikolai Ivanovich filed a petition for the construction of a house church in the name of the appearance of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God. Ironically, it was only this church that stood out from the whole estate, having survived the times of the atheism and atheism, and even in these difficult times serving the people.
The revival of the temple began in the 90s of the twentieth century, since then the church was returned to believers, regular services are held on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, along with constantly ongoing restoration work. On the territory of the temple a chapel was built in honor of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. The temple of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God in the estate of Akhtyrka is an object of cultural heritage of federal significance.
Akhtyr Church in the Kursk diocese
The famous Orthodox shrine gave birth to another church on Russian soil. In the 18th century, the church of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God in Kursk began its history. This temple survived many difficult times, but survived and at the end of the 20th century was returned to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church. Initially, the church was called the Assumption-Akhtyrskaya, according to some versions, it was on the territory of this temple that the parents of St. Seraphim of Sarov, especially revered in Russia, were buried. Today this church is considered one of the most visited in Kursk, as the main icon is the famous “Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God”. What this shrine is prayed for is known from ancient times, when miraculous healings from weaknesses, illnesses began upon its finding, and the miracle of healing the child from fever was the first from this icon.
Shrine Day
The day of veneration of this icon is set on July 2, the day of its appearance. The miraculous icon was not restored, after gaining the priest tried to give it to the icon painter for restoration, but a mysterious voice ordered the master to return the icon to the priest's house. Subsequently, the icon itself and its lists became famous for self-renewal. For several centuries, it has been revered in Russia as a healing "Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God." In what this image helps, in addition to healing from ailments, it became known to believers according to the testimonies of eyewitnesses and those who received the help of a heavenly patroness.
Prayer to a famous Orthodox shrine
Many miracles from the icon have been recorded in recent years. Many successfully pray for the granting of happiness and success to children, since this icon has become considered the patroness of the smallest. The image will also help those who ask for a successful marriage of their daughters, for a prayer cover for orphans. The following prayers are offered to this icon: “The Troparion of the Mother of God before her Akhtyrskaya icon”, “The Kontakion of the Mother of God before her Akhtyrsky icon”, the canon of the Theotokos in honor of her Akhtyrskaya icon, the akathist of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of her Akhtyrskaya icon.