The Kazan icon of the Virgin is the most revered holy image among Russian Orthodox believers. This icon is considered a symbol of the blessing of the Russian people, after all its miraculous appearances in the history of the country, prosperous times came and troubles ended. It is with this icon among Orthodox Christians that it is customary to bless the newlyweds. It is believed that this image indicates the right path, helps to gain faith in order to get out of difficult life situations.
The godparents also give the icon of Our Lady of Kazan to the godchildren, so that this face would protect the child and admonish in life.
The Kazan image of the Virgin is a reminder of the highest blessing, alms and intercession of the Higher powers for our land and our country. This icon is dedicated to the construction of many cathedrals, the largest and most revered are the Kazan Cathedral on Moscow Red Square, the Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Annunciation in Kazan.
Unprecedented veneration of the holy image of the Mother of God has led to the fact that the church holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, believers in Orthodoxy celebrate more than once a year, but twice: July 21 and November 4 .
The history of the miraculous appearance of the icon of the Mother of the Virgin
There are still various hypotheses about the origin of the Kazan icon. The most widespread religion in history is considered to be the version of the icon in 1579, July 8 (old calculus) in Kazan. Shortly before this miracle, a large-scale fire raged in the city, destroying half of its buildings and many people. The little girl Matrena had a dream in which the Mother of God calls on her to find the surviving icon in the burnt house. This dream appeared to the girl three times, only on the third morning her parents believed the girl, and her mother led her to the place where in a dream the Mother of God told Matrona to find the icon. They dug up the icon, safe and sound, and set off to show the shrine to the nearest temple. The news of the miraculous appearance of the shrine scattered quickly, and soon the archbishop Jeremiah placed an icon in the church of St. Nicholas. After that, a prayer service was served near the icon and transferred to the Annunciation Cathedral, which was erected by Ivan the Terrible. In the convoy of the procession, when the icon was transferred, in the procession there were two blind people (Joseph and Nikita), who after that began to see. It became absolutely clear that this is a miraculous icon. It was decided to build the Kazan Convent in the place where it was found. Matren’s girl, who saw a wonderful icon in a dream, and her mother were one of the first to take monastic tonsure in the new cathedral.
It is the day of the miraculous appearance of the icon from the earth and ashes, July 21 , today is the first summer Orthodox holiday of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
To bow to the miraculous icon, to ask her for healing or direction in business, many people began to come to Kazan. News of her scattered very quickly. Gradually, a large number of image lists appeared that spread throughout the country. Lists and copies of the icon also possessed miraculous power.
The story of the loss of the Kazan icon
If the appearance of the icon was a sudden miraculous insight that rallied the people who suffered after the fire, gave them hope and confidence in God's intercession, then the icon disappeared for a very everyday and low reason - theft. This happened on the night of July 29 (old style) in 1904. The thief locked the guard in the basement, stole the icon and money from the donation chest and escaped while the monks slept after a long evening service. The fact is that the Kazan image of the Mother of God was very revered. In the built stone temple where the icon was placed, hundreds of believers prayed to her every day. The priests decided to ennoble the icon. As early as 1676, they undertook to decorate the icon with gold and place it in a new casket. The icon was generously decorated: large diamonds, gold, pearls, more than 2 thousand precious stones. It was they who attracted the criminal.
An investigation into the theft of the icon was carried out, but neither the thief nor the shrine could be found. This was not proved, but some reports said that the robbers did not believe in the miraculousness of the icon. They removed all the gilding and jewelry from the image, and burned the icon itself to prove that the robbery was not sacrilege, and the icon was not incalculable at all. This fact partially contradicts the fact that information has been preserved on several cases of the sale of a precious icon, very similar to the Kazan, in Europe in private collections. But to establish the originality of the sold images was not possible.
But for sure, another sad fact is known. Soon after the disappearance of the icon of Kazan, which flourished for almost two centuries and was not drawn into any military conflicts, it was defeated in the war with Japan in 1905. This event marked the beginning of a new troubled period in the history of Kazan and the entire empire.
Even after the disappearance of the Holy image, the history of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God did not stop. Believers worshiped the lists of the original icon and asked the Mother of God to show mercy, direct on the right path, heal the soul and body, give the harvest, protect families from decay, and the city from death.
Miracles of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan
The miracle of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan can be described as "insight", physical or spiritual. Even after the first appearance of the icon, people in the procession were healed of two believers from blindness. After that, blind people who wanted to heal their ailment were brought to the icon to worship. But the icon also healed people from spiritual blindness. The first crumbs of insight were sown by the miraculous image of the Virgin even by her sudden appearance.
Today, those who don’t know which way is better to go, what to do, those who are plagued by problems of difficult choice, come to the icon to pray. It is best to read a prayer before the miraculous image on the feast of the Kazan Icon, so that the Mother of God prompts, guides along the right path, protects from wrong choices, and gives hope.
Large-scale historical events are also associated with the Kazan icon, which could not do without miraculous intervention. These include the so-called "troubled times", the apotheosis of which was the end of 1620 - the beginning of 1622, when the military-political situation in Russia was heated up to the maximum. At that difficult time, Polish nobles claimed power in the country, the country was shaken by a civil war.
There was no strong lord and commander on the throne, so the monks led by Patriarch Hermogenes began to call the people for militia. The spiritual symbol of the militia was the image of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, because the country was liberated not only from the invaders themselves, but also from the faith they planted (the Poles propagated Catholicism).
When the militia was almost assembled, the Poles had almost captured the Kremlin. On the eve of the assault in the Russian army, a post and a prayer in front of the icon were declared. After that, on the morning of October 22, 1612, the successful liberation of Kitay Gorod and the Kremlin began.
Since that time, November 4 (according to the new style) is considered one of the holidays in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
Original and lists of the Kazan icon
This icon is one of the most widespread and revered in Orthodox Russia. No other is written in as many lists as the Kazan Mother of God.
Here you need to clarify. When it comes to the icon, there is no concept of a “copy” or “original”. All the icons of the Mother of God possess wonderful power, from the first list made from the original icon to the postcard with the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God or a small icon with a prayer. All images of the icon in the Kazan image are shrines before which you can pray. The Mother of God will hear the prayers, no matter what icon they sound in front of.
In the case of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the same icon is considered to be original, which Matren's girl found by vision from a prophetic dream. She is known to have been lost or destroyed. All other icons are lists, some of them also have miraculous powers.
The icon in front of which the Poles prayed on the eve of the assault, who almost captured the Kremlin, was also lost; it was a list from the original icon. It was brought by members of the militia from the east.
Another list - Petersburg - is also associated with many miracles that happened in the 1730s. Field Marshal Kutuzov prayed to her before going to the front line in the war with the French.
The following lists of icons are considered miraculous: Kaplunovskaya, Yaroslavl, Vysochinskaya and Tobolsk.
New Acquisition of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan
Another newest stage in the history of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan happened in 2004. Pope John Paul II contacted Patriarch Alexei to discuss an icon found at the papal court in 1993. It is known that such an act of the Pope was the next step in resolving Christian conflicts between faiths. But, whatever his motives, he returned to our land a long-lost shrine. It was later determined that this was not the original icon that appeared in Kazan, but it was a very ancient list of it, most likely from the original.
The icon, delivered in 2004, is today stored in Kazan in the Holy Cross Exaltation Church of the former monastery of the Virgin, where the first icon was lost.
Summer holiday of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God on July 21
The first summer holiday of the icon of the Virgin is celebrated on July 21 in a new style. This is the day of finding the icon, when little Matryona found with her mother the shrine that had survived the fire. At first, this day was celebrated only in Kazan, later it became a holiday throughout the country.
This holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in 2017 was marked by the procession, service with the Akathist to the Virgin.
The Kazan Icon is also called the “Guidebook”. The baby on the icon will put down the pen to christen, and the Mother shows with her hand in the direction of the Son of God. The miraculous power of the icon was manifested in the fact that she knew how to tell worshipers the right path in life, helped to make difficult choices, and blessed good, but difficult things.
On a bright day on July 21, priests advise not to send each other cards with the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, but to go to the temple, pray or bring their children or other relatives and dear people to the temple, who have an important choice: where to go to study, is it time make a marriage?
Also, the priests advise us to listen to the signs that are presented by the Higher powers on this day, perhaps, thus, the Mother of God “advises” us on this holiday.
Day of Our Lady of Kazan - Women's Day
Whatever temple you enter, you can notice one pattern: most of the worshipers are women. And on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in 2017, women came to the temples many times more than usual. This holiday has long been considered a women's day; women came to the temple with requests that they could only voice to the Mother of God. On this day, mothers and wives ask the Mother of God for spiritual and physical healing, for wisdom and intercession, pray for their children and husbands, who often find “more important” things than prayer in the temple.
What date is the celebration of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God celebrated in the fall?
For the second time in our country, Our Lady’s Day is celebrated in the fall of Kazan, namely on November 4 in a new style. This is the day when a prayer in front of the image of the Kazan Mother of God helped our compatriots liberate the capital from the siege of the Poles.
On this day, before the icon, they pray for peace and prosperity, for the prosperity of the state, which for how many years has guarded the image of the Kazan icon.
And each parishioner can ask the Mother of God for peace and harmony in her family, bless for marriage or other good union.
A good sign is a marriage or a wedding on the eve of or on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Congratulations and warm wishes for a long happy life on this day are supported by the blessing of the Virgin, who will protect the couple from envious and ill-wishers.
As the Orthodox Icon celebrates the Day of the Kazan Icon: worship, sermons, congratulations
Kazan Icon Day is considered a big day. The evening service is held in the churches the previous evening, and on the morning of November 4, people gather in the cathedrals to listen to the festive service and pray at the Holy Icon.
On this day, you can not do dirty and hard things. This holiday is not a national holiday, but to avoid washing, working with a needle, etc. on this holy day is quite real.
Also, priests do not advise on a feast of the Kazan icon to quarrel, sort things out, set ultimatums. This is a holiday of peace and hope, a holiday in which it was proved that people are guarded by higher forces.
Since ancient times, women have been preparing a gala dinner for the evening, because after a week and a half Lent follows.
A sermon on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is of particular importance. Sometimes the purpose of the sermon is to instruct and warn believers, but on the day of the Kazan Icon it is important to let people know that the Lord, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel will always help, give hope, harmony, understanding, and bless for a good deed. Our land at some stages was saved by the holy patronage of the Kazan Icon, so each of its inhabitants can hope for the help of the Holy Intercessor in difficult times.
National signs on the day of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan
On the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, signs are of particular importance.
Throughout history, people have composed many signs and legends on the day of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. This is a day of special strength and miracles, it is believed that on this holiday the Mother of God instructs people on the right true path, so the people have long undertaken to notice little things and interpret them in a holy, mystical manner.
The people, for example, said that if it rains that day, then this is a good sign, that the Mother of God is crying for all people, begging forgiveness from the Lord for people. Still rain on this day is associated with a good harvest for next year. And dry weather, on the contrary, prophesies a lean year.
“What Kazan will show, then winter will say” means that the weather, especially snow that day, “sets the tone” for the weather for the whole coming winter.
It is considered a good sign on the occasion of the Kazan Icon to marry, marry, or baptize children. Such unions promise to be strong and happy.