Icon of the Mother of God "Healer". Church in the name of the Icon of the Mother of God "Healer"

The Orthodox Church honors the Mother of God above all saints, glorifies Her more than Angels, Archangels and all the incorporeal powers of Heaven. Believing Christians have always expressed their love for the Mother of God, which was manifested in numerous hymns dedicated to Her.

Theotokos icons in Orthodoxy

There are several hundreds of diverse icon-painted Mother of God images revered by the Orthodox and recognized by the Holy Church as miraculous. The Most Holy Mother of God even pray for the salvation of the soul, although it is customary to ask only the One God about this.

The Mother of God repeatedly manifested the power of Her intercession through miraculous icons, thereby showing her great love for all Orthodox Christians. One of these iconographic images is the icon of the Mother of God “Healer”, the photo of which is presented below. Let's talk about it in more detail.

Icon of the Mother of God "Healer"

The history of the Virgin Mary Healer icon dates back to the 4th century. Many Christians prayed miraculously, asking for salvation and intercession. The Blessed Virgin Mary has always heard sincere prayers, helping every Christian in need. The historical events preceding the appearance of this icon are described in the work of St. Demetrius of Rostov “The Irrigated Fleece”.

According to church tradition, the details of this event are as follows. One pious clergyman named Vincent Bulvinensky, who lived in Kartalinia (Georgia) in the 4th century, used to make a warm and sincere prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos when leaving the church. But one day he was visited by a serious illness caused by a lesion of his tongue. At the same time, the clergyman experienced unbearable pain and periodic clouding of his mind. In the short minutes when the pain subsided, he came to his senses and prayerfully turned for help to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Once, after another suffering, the clergyman saw an angel near his bed, praying to the Virgin for the recovery of Vincent. The Blessed Virgin immediately heard a request and she herself came to heal the sick. After this wonderful vision, Vincent fully recovered, and the pain and suffering ceased. The clergyman spoke about the miracle that happened, and this event became the occasion for the writing of the icon.

Mother of God "Healer" on the holy icon is depicted standing in full growth at the bedside of a lying patient, but this image refers to a later time. The original Kartalinskaya “Healer” was lost, and the description of his image remained unknown. The Icon of the Mother of God “Healer” is glorified by the miraculous, her celebration is celebrated on October 1.

18th Century Miraculous List

At the end of the 18th century, a list from this icon was also glorified by great miracles in Russia. Since ancient times, many believers came with heartfelt prayers to a wonderful image. Christians from many Russian cities came to worship the holy icon, receiving numerous healings from mental and bodily diseases. Icon of the Mother of God "Healer" was kept in the Moscow Alekseevsky convent. After the revolution, she was transferred to the Resurrection Church in Sokolniki.

The Icon of the Mother of God "Healer" and today helps all Orthodox Christians who earnestly perform prayers. Thanks to faith and hope, many receive healings for various health problems, as well as a shortage of mother’s milk, complex births, etc.

The veneration of the Virgin

From ancient times in Russia, special love and veneration was given to the Most Holy Theotokos, which was reflected in numerous chants dedicated to Her. One of such laudatory writings is an akathist to the icon of the Mother of God “Healer”, which describes the history of the glorification of the icon, as well as various miracles resulting from it.

Many iconic images are known to the Christian world under various circumstances. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Healer” is considered one of the most revered in Orthodoxy, because through it the Virgin Mary constantly shows various miracles of healing and help to believing Christians.

Earthly life of the Queen of Heaven

There is very little information about the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Gospel narratives describe only a few points related to Her activities:

1. Birth of Jesus Christ.
2. Youth of the Savior.
3. The first miracle of the Savior, completed in Cana of Galilee.
4. The only time is during the sermon of Jesus Christ (Matt. 12: 49-50).
5. Standing at the Cross.

Why is there so little information about the Virgin that has survived to this day? This is due to the Christian character of the Blessed Mother of Christ, manifested in such features as silence and modesty. Having great piety and faith in the One God, She was deeply humble and patient.

The role of the Virgin in saving the world

The role of the Virgin in the public mind is connected with the salvation of mankind. For millennia, the people of God have been waiting for the promised Savior, hoping for deliverance from sin and eternal death. Through His prophets, the Lord repeatedly promised that the Savior would be born of a virgin. Therefore, the Jewish people respected giving birth to women and despised the barren, reckoning them as sinners.

Thanks to the humility and holiness of the Most Holy Theotokos, our salvation, which took place through the earthly incarnation of the Son of God, became possible. Being the Mother of God’s Son, Blessed Mary became the true Mother to all Christians. With the miraculous incarnation of the Savior, the Virgin showed true humility, patience, taking upon herself the voluntary torment in anticipation of the Divine Suffering of Her Son. Thanks to the Virgin, today we all have the opportunity to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

In addition, after the Holy Assumption, the Blessed Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared to many people, giving help through the appearance of icons. The history of each individual icon is a description of events and miracles revealed during the glorification of various theotokos. And in each case, the Mother of God manifested herself as the great patroness of Orthodox Christians, helping, healing, comforting, supporting and saving the faithful children of the Church of Christ.

That is why the love for her Heavenly Mother, the Virgin Mary, is so strong in Russia. That is why Her icons are so revered and glorified.

Help of the Virgin

The prayer to the “Healer” - the icon of the Mother of God — gives Christians faith in the real help of the Virgin, thanks to which many believers find comfort in their sorrows, and also receive real healings from various diseases.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, being the Mother of God Himself, is closer to Him than all the saints. The Lord Jesus Christ, dying on the Cross, entrusted the Most Holy Mother of God to adopt all of humanity. The Virgin Mary became a true Mother to all people, constantly showing Her great love and help to all who ask. Maternal prayer always works miracles, and the prayer of the Virgin before the Throne of God has special power and boldness.

Prayer of Mother of God “Healer”

There is a pious custom to perform a special prayer in front of the icon of the Virgin. Many clergymen are also advised to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary in their own words, the main condition is that the prayer comes from the heart, be sincere and full of humility.

The prayer of the Mother of God “Healer” is set forth in Orthodox prayer books and akathists. Its meaning is very deep - here are listed numerous miracles revealed by the Virgin through Her holy icon. A request is also made to the Mother of God that She should not stop praying to her Son for sinful people who have faith, hope and hope.

The prayer to the “Healer” - the icon of the Mother of God — helps everyone who believes in Her holy help. The Virgin Mary, through the prayers of Christians, gives them true comfort in sorrows and sorrows, supporting them on a difficult life path.

Conclusion

The veneration of the Virgin was known in the first centuries of Christianity. In the Roman catacombs, which were the first temples for Christians, during excavations, wall murals of the Blessed Virgin Mary were discovered. This confirms the ancient tradition of the icon-painting of the Queen of Heaven as a sign of Her deep reverence among Christians.

The icons of the Virgin reveal Christian dogma to believers. According to patristic literature, "the Holy Virgin surpasses everything and everything with the greatness of her dignity." Church prayers call the Blessed Virgin the Queen of Preblaa, Hope, the Intercessor of Orphans, the Wanderers the Representative, the Joy of the Sorrowful, the Patroness of the Offended.

The Mother of Healer of God is a great helper to all Christian believers today, showing various miracles of healing to all those in need.