Among the variety of icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so revered throughout the Orthodox world, there is one that carries a deep individuality. This is the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God. The Virgin Mary appears with her arms folded on her chest, as if immersed in a mournful prayer before her Son Jesus Christ, whose figure, crucified on the cross, is placed to her left. This image was remembered by many who received through it miraculous healing from ailments.
Finding a wondrous image
But before talking about how important it is for everyone who professes the Son of God and His Most Holy Mother, we should dwell in more detail on the history of his acquisition, which occurred in July 1739. It happened in the small town of Akhtyrka, near Kharkov. Today this territory belongs to the Sumy region. In those years, at the very end of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, Father Vasily (Danilov), a very respectable priest, lived in this town. He served at the local Church of the Intercession.
Legend says that he once bought a new braid and, wanting to try it out, went to his site. It was in July, and the grasses stood tall. But before Father Vasily had time to swing, he was illuminated by a blinding light emanating from dense thickets of sedge. Covering his eyes with his hand, the priest leaned over and saw a marvelous icon, shining with its radiance the sun's rays. The pious shepherd fell to his knees and prayed for a long time, seized by a deep religious impulse.
It was the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God, the photo of which is presented at the beginning of the article. Having regained consciousness and calmed down a little, the priest lifted a marvelous image from the earth and carried it with great reverence into the house, highlighting to him among other icons a particularly honorable place. Realizing that he became the owner of the greatest shrine, Father Basil first hid his find from outsiders and prayed in front of her alone.
The Appearance of the Mother of God
This would go on and on, but once he had a vision. He was honored to see the Queen of Heaven herself, who commanded him to clean the icon of dust and wash it with clean river water. Awakening from sleep, the priest first thing he did everything that the Mother of God wished. Before, he was afraid to touch the surface of the holy image, rightly believing himself unworthy of this honor. Now, with great diligence, he removed all the dust accumulated on it, washed it, and, considering it sacrilegious to throw this water to the ground, he decided to take it back to the river in the same vessel.
But the priest did not have time to leave the house, when the same marvelous voice of the Virgin was heard again, which the priest heard in a dream and remembered for life. The Queen of Heaven this time commanded him to save this water, since it, having washed Her pure face, was filled with a blessed power capable of healing ailments. Without a shadow of doubt in the truth of the words of the Mother of God, the priest at the same hour watered his daughter with miraculous water, who suffered from fever, and the miracle did not slow down to happen - the young woman recovered immediately.
The miracle revealed to the icon painter John
Of course, all that happened filled Father Basil with even greater reverence for the shrine he had acquired. But for a long time, of course, he could not keep his find secret, and his household first learned about it, then neighbors, and then all the inhabitants of the city. Taking care of the wonderful image, the father invited an icon painter named John to correct the painting layer with his skillful brush, eliminating damage that had appeared from time on it.
The artist, who was aware of the miraculous power of the icon, washed it with water even before starting work and watered his son, who had a fever. Needless to say, the illness left the young man at the same time, and the happy father glorified the mercy of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God revealed to him! Preparing to start work, John already took a brush in his hand, when suddenly the voice of the Queen of Heaven came. The master heard her words: “Leave your plan. Not in your power to change the icon. Bring her back. ”
Falling to his knees, shocked by what he heard, the artist spent the whole night in prayer, and in the morning he carried the shrine to his father Basil. The pious shepherd considered himself no longer entitled to individually use the gift of the Blessed Virgin, especially since three years have already passed since the icon was acquired. He placed her in the Intercession Church, whose priest had been for many years. Since then, the inhabitants of Akhtyrka, offering their prayers in front of a miraculous image, received healings that were carefully recorded in a special book. Soon the glory of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God became the property of the whole country and numerous crowds of pilgrims rushed to it.
Prediction of Baroness von Weidel
The significant event that made the icon famous at the highest court took place in 1748. One of the close associates of the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna who reigned at that time - Baroness von Weidel - visited Akhtyrka, where she had a rich estate. Being in her advanced years, she suffered from many infirmities inherent in her age. Having learned about the wonderful properties of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God, the lady of state prayed fervently before her, asking for intercession before Her Gracious Son.
The very next night, she had a vision of the Blessed Virgin, who told her that her life path was over and after a short time she had to enter the Gates of Eternity. In order to gain bliss in the kingdom of God, she must immediately distribute all her possessions to the poor. The Virgin promised to take special care of the two daughters who were dependent on her.
The next morning, without losing precious time, the Baroness began to fulfill the command of the Blessed Virgin. Five days later, she peacefully departed to the Lord, having managed to distribute everything that she owned during her life. After the funeral, the empress took two orphaned girls to the capital and soon found them suitors - wealthy and deeply decent people. After these events, the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God became one of the most famous in Russia, and in 1751 the Holy Synod decided to venerate it as miraculous.
Construction of a stone temple in Akhtyrka
Around the same time, a list of the icon appeared in the church of St. Nicholas the Evolved, which was located on the Arbat and in 1931 was destroyed. It is obvious that this was not the only Akhtyr icon of the Mother of God in Moscow. In what temple, besides the named one, Muscovites worshiped this image - now it’s hard to say.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was distinguished by deep piety and in 1768 donated a large sum of money for the construction of the stone Pokrovsky Cathedral in Akhtyrka to replace the wooden one that existed in those years. The Russian autocrat wished that it was built on the very spot where the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God was miraculously obtained almost three decades ago.
The command of Elizaveta Petrovna was fulfilled, and the work on the design of the temple was entrusted to the outstanding architect D. Ukhtomsky, who immortalized his name by many architectural masterpieces of Russia. In the newly erected temple, the image was located until 1903. A regular service was held there for the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God.
The abduction of the icon and sending it abroad
Her fate was a bit mysterious, regrettable. In 1903, the icon left for restoration in the northern capital, where it soon disappeared without a trace. It is difficult to imagine in this case God's providence, most likely, we are talking about a banal theft. After a short time, the icon appeared in Harbin, where it was put up for sale and purchased by a certain Mr. S. A. Stepanov. It is known that the local archpriest N. Trufanov, carefully examining the image, testified that this is a genuine shrine from the Intercession Church of Akhtyrka.
Until 1950, the icon was in China, and then the son of the previous owner took it first to South America, and later to San Francisco, where he donated to a youth Orthodox organization. And today, this miraculous image is still located overseas. For many years in the Soviet Union nothing was known about the fate of the icon, and only in 1975 did the first information appear. But then, for well-known reasons, it was not possible to take any practical steps in order to get at least a reliable list from it.
Only with the onset of democratic change, Metropolitan of Kharkov Nicodemus managed to bring the long-awaited copy and transfer it for storage to the Pokrovsky Cathedral of Akhtyrka, where the original was once located. This event was marked by a solemn procession, held at a large gathering of people. Thus, the tradition was restored, originating in 1844. And on June 15, 1999, the 260th anniversary of the giving of the miraculous image was celebrated. At the service in the temple, the troparion of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God and prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos sounded.
Art Features Icons
A few words should be said about the iconography of the image. There is no doubt that it was based on works of Italian-Greek art. As a rule, the figure of the Mother of God is depicted with arms crossed in prayer, but there are also other types of changes in which the position of the hands changes. The same applies to the headdress of the Blessed Virgin. Sometimes it is depicted as a mafor, sometimes a crown, and on some icons it is completely absent. A curious feature is the use in the composition of a direct perspective, rather than the reverse, which is more characteristic of Italian and Greek schools. This is expressed in the fact that the figure of the Savior is much lower than that of his Mother, which creates the illusion of remoteness.
In 1945, the so-called Ravensbrück image appeared, based on the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God. The description of both icons coincides in many respects, except that on the first one the crucified Christ is presented in the form of a baby or a lad. An interesting story is the creation of the image. It was first made, as mentioned above, in 1945 using the embroidery technique. It got its name from the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where it was created by one of the prisoners - the venerable martyr mother Mary.
Temples in which lists of icons are presented
The healing properties that the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God possesses in full measure have given particular popularity. In Moscow, in the main limit of the Church of the Resurrection of the Saying on the Arbat, a very revered list made in the 18th century from the very icon that is in America today is kept. Also in Samara, in one of the temples of the Desert Nicholas Monastery, you can see a copy of the miraculous image, famous for the many miracles revealed by the prayers of pilgrims. It is customary to celebrate the Day of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God on July 2 (15), when the whole Orthodox world celebrates the position of the honest robes of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernae.
Temple in Orel
It is known that in honor of such a revered shrine from ancient times, churches were erected and consecrated. Among those operating today, the most magnificent is in Orel. It was built in 1775 with the donations of the local merchant K.S. Pastukhov. The fact is that once this pious man, who suffered from a certain disease, while being on business in Akhtyrka, received healing from a miraculous icon.
Returning home, he turned to the diocesan authorities with a request to allow him to build a temple in gratitude in honor of the shrine, to which he owes his health. Permission was obtained, and soon the temple of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God (Oryol) received the first parishioners. As the glory of the icon grew rapidly, more and more pilgrims came to bow to her. There was not enough space, and in subsequent years the temple expanded and rebuilt many times. Now it is a magnificent building, rightfully become one of the attractions of the city.
Monastery founded in honor of the holy icon
In addition to those already mentioned, many more churches were built and consecrated in honor of the icon so revered by the people. For example, the native aunt of the famous Russian poet F.I. Tyutchev built in 1805 at his own expense a church in the village of Chernetovo, Bryansk Region. And in the Volgograd region, in the village of Gusevka of the Olkhov district, there is the Akhtyrsky Icon of the Mother of God of the Convent. This monastery was founded in 1874 by the labors of the local priest Father John (Levitsky) and Athos schemnik Nikodim (Dvuchenkov). Having survived many upheavals of the 20th century, the monastery is still open for those who wish to devote their lives to saving the soul.
What does this miraculous image help in and what is the custom to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for? He showed his gracious power by healing fever, but subsequently there was much evidence that he helps in a variety of life situations. For example, the prayer of the Akhtyr Icon of the Mother of God for the children is the surest way to protect them from illnesses and from the evil influences that are so dangerous in our time.
In addition, before the image they pray for the successful marriage of their daughters. With each miracle revealed, the glory of this image grows. Lists made from it are also multiplying. And who knows, maybe one day the original, so miraculously acquired two hundred seventy-six years ago, will return from overseas.