Since the ancient times, when the pious prince Andrei Bogolyubsky ruled, as it was in the XII century, a holiday in the hearts of the inhabitants of Orthodox Russia occupies a solid place, reminiscent of how the worshipers in the Blachernae church were protected from enemies by the honest omophorion of the Virgin Mary. All the services of this day are filled with chants glorifying our Most Immaculate Intercessor - the Queen of Heaven; Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and kondak, written in Her honor.
A miracle revealed on the shores of the Bosphorus
This celebration was established to commemorate the miraculous salvation of the inhabitants of the Byzantine capital from the invasion of the Saracens in 910. After making sure that they themselves could not cope with the hordes of thousands of enemies, the townspeople gathered for the all-night service in the Vlaherna Church, where the greatest shrine - the robe of the Queen of Heaven, was stored. The Sacred History tells how prayers sounded in a crowded church calling Her help to the besieged city.
According to legend, there were two among the worshipers - the holy holy fool Andrei and his faithful follower, Blessed Epiphanius. Unexpectedly for everyone in the middle of the night, the roof of the temple disappeared, and those present lit up with daylight. And the holy men saw the Blessed Virgin Mary, accompanied by bodiless forces and holy saints of God.
The Queen of Heaven prayed for her Son to rid the city of adversaries. When the last words of the prayer fell silent, She lifted Her honest omophorion and spread it over all who asked for Her protection. The next day, the regiments of Saracens lifted the siege of Constantinople and hastily retreated without attempting to take control of the city.
The holiday established by Andrey Bogolyubsky
The Greek Church, retaining the memory of the miracle, nevertheless did not include the day when it was completed among its holidays. And only in Holy Russia began to celebrate it along with other church dates. The famous Moscow church, popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral, is dedicated to this event . The life of the holy foolish Andrew was translated into Slavic, and troparion and kondak were written for the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let's talk about them in more detail.
What is troparia
Troparion is a special form of prayer chant, constructed in such a way that it simultaneously conveys the meaning of the celebrated event and praises either some saint or an event in honor of which a celebration is established. The troparion of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary was compiled in the same way.
The text of the chant contains a petition to the Mother of God of all those who "lightly" celebrate Her coming to preserve them, who trust in Her help, and overshadow the holy veil. That is the essence of the holiday. We are talking not only about the recollection of a miracle that happened eleven centuries ago, but also about the hope in a difficult moment to regain the intercession of the Queen of Heaven.
Hymn to the glorification of the Holy Virgin
The troparion of the Protection of the Holy Virgin is at the same time Her hymn of praise. The text says that the worshipers appeal to the Intercessor of Heaven, looking at Her "honest image." With these words, the lines of the text of the famous Mother of God Prayer come - “It is worthy to eat.”
In it, the Mother of God is referred to as the “most honest cherub,” which in Slavic means by her honor superior to cherubs, that is, angels belonging to the highest rank of heaven. Troparion Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the text of which has come to us from time immemorial, is a vivid example of festive Orthodox hymnography.
Kondak - an echo of Byzantine poetry
Anyone who is at church services can testify to how full the festive service in the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos is filled with vivid chants and prayer texts. Troparia, Kondak, greatness and akathist are its integral components. They are all full of the light of Christian love. Kondak is a type of church hymn originating from Byzantine poetic sermons and dedicated to a certain holiday.
Kondak dedicated to the Virgin
At the dawn of Christianity, the early Kondakas were composed in the form of multi-verse poems. Over time, their form changed, and to this day they have come in the form of Orthodox texts enclosed in two stanzas, the first of which is called kondak, and the second is ikos. Like the troparion of the Protection of the Holy Virgin, the kondak written for this holiday carries an important semantic load.
His text paints a picture of how, on that day, the Mother of God invisibly appears in the church, offering prayers to His Eternal Son for the salvation of those who believe in Him. The countless host of disembodied spirits worshiping the foot of the King of Heaven echoed her words. Thus, both the troparion of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the kondak bear a common meaning - the hope of the protection of Heavenly people suffering from earthly tribulations and hardships. This follows from their very essence. But on this day in the temple not only troparia and kondak sound. The cover of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the text of the prayers of his services and the reading of the akathist, which in general are the Theotokos hymn, cannot be imagined without the most important form of celebratory hymns - greatness.
Glorification of Heavenly Forces
Another form of chant that has become an indispensable attribute of the Orthodox holiday is greatness. This verse, performed during a service, carries the praise and glorification of a holy or sacred event, the memory of which is celebrated. On the day of this holiday, all the worshipers, giving glory to the Mother of God and her honest Veil, call in witnesses to the miracle that she performed, St. Andrew, who saw her praying and stretching her homophore over those who had gathered in the Blachernae church eleven centuries ago.