The icon of the Holy Marina is a shrine that is created to perpetuate the spirit of the simple girl of Marina. This article will be devoted to the description of this icon, the life story of Marina (Margaret) and the writing of this canvas.
Facts from the biography
The icon of St. Marina is written in honor of St. Margaret, or Margaret of Wessex. She was an English princess born in Hungary. Mother - Princess Agatha from Hungary, father - English Prince Edward, expelled around 1045. Her brothers and sisters, Kristina and Edgar Ateling, were also born in Hungary.
Margaret and her family returned to England when she was 10 years old, and her father was called up as a potential successor to the throne. However, Edward died immediately after the arrival of the family, but Margaret and Edgar continued to live in English society.
The Margaret family fled from William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her widowed mother sent her children north to Northumbria.
Tradition says that Agatha decided to leave Northumbria and return to the continent, but her family’s ship fell into a storm. A storm brought their ship north to Scotland, where it was destroyed in 1068. The place where they landed is now known as the "Hope of St. Margarita."
Malcolm Canmore III, king of Scotland, welcomed Margaret. Soon he fell in love with a beautiful and kind princess. Margaret and Malcolm married in 1070. They lived like a holy family.
The kind nature and kind heart of Margaret had a strong influence on the kingdom of Malcolm. She relented and helped him become the virtuous king of Scotland. She is building churches where a relic of the true Cross is kept. She was well known for her deep prayer and piety, read the Scriptures.
In 1093, Malcolm and their eldest son were killed during the Battle of Alnwick. On November 16, 1093, Margaret died four days after her husband.
Icon Creation History
In 1250, Pope Innocent IV canonized Margaret as a saint, recognizing her life of complete holiness and extraordinary virtue. She was honored for her work in reforming the Church and holiness.
In 1259, the bodies of Margaret and Malcolm were transferred to the chapel in the eastern apse of Dunfermline Abbey. In 1560, the icon of St. Marina was created. It was kept as a relic. Margaret's prayers help during childbirth.
Troparion, voice 4:
Thy Lamb, Jesus, Marina / calls with a great voice: / To you, my wife, I love, / and, You seek, suffer, / and I am crucified, and buried in Your baptism, / and for Your protection, / for I reign in You, / and I am dying for Thee, and I live with Thee, / but, like a sacrifice of the immaculate, receive me, I will exterminate Thee with love. / Toying with prayers, // as Gracious, save our souls.
Condac, voice 3:
Marina now crushes the head of hostility, / the crown of victory from heaven was received. / His prophets were not even able to hold on to, / that she, having tied, was bound. / For this sake, a decoration appeared to be a martyr, // along with praise. John Condak, voice 3: Virgin was re- enriched by kindness, virgin, / imperishable crowned upon you, Marino, / by the blood of martyrdom stained, / miracles of enlightened healing, / piously, martyr, priestess, // honor the victory of your suffering.
Prayer
O holy virgin and great martyr Marino, the true bridegroom of your Christ bride, who suffered in the city of Antioch for the faith of Christ, who passed through fire and water and was entrenched in the kingdom of heaven! You, from youth, with all your soul and with all your heart, have loved Christ, our God, who you desire to serve the One. You, by the power of your piety, chastity and righteousness, shone forth thou art, having lived holy and unstable in the midst of the infidels. You, the grace of God from wounds marvelously healed, amazed you even your tormentors and many infidels led you to know the true God. You have trampled upon the power of God if you were the devil, appearing before your grace, and grace be upon you in the battle of the enemy of the human race to conquer. You eat the whole Church of Christ a luminous lamp, a prayer book warm to God, and an urgent intercessor to all who come to you in faith. O holy Marino, lead us to Heavenly Fatherland, give us jealousy for salvation, direct our feet to do the commandments of Christ, on the path of spiritual achievement and the correction of life. Remember us with your prayer, help us all live chastely, righteously and piously. Hear us, the passion-bearer of Christ, and beseech God-man-lover, may He submit to your Fatherland peace and blasphemy, with all Orthodox Christians, affirmation of faith, piety and purity, may strengthen brotherly love in us, and cleanse us sinners from filth and vices so that he will save us from the action of hostility, and have mercy on His grace, and the heirs of Heaven will make the kingdom of God, even with you, glorify the wondrous One in His saints God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Another story
The icon of St. Marina also has another story of creation. It was created in honor of a young girl who refused the ruler. Then she was imprisoned and tortured. But she courageously prayed and remained adamant.
Then she was killed by throwing her head at her feet. Together with the girl, the ruler killed over 15,000 Christians. For this, Marina was reckoned a Great Martyr. The Holy Great Martyr Marina, whose icon became a shrine for Christians, died at a young age.
Icon Location
The island of Crete has become a place of storage of the shrine. The icon of the Holy Martyr Marina is here along with the remains that are imperishable. To them, as to the icon, Christians all over the world turn for help to heal their ailments.
Reproductions of the icon of St. Marina of Antioch can be found in Russia. Sergius Lavra and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ - places where you can bow to the shrine.
The power of the icon
How does the icon of St. Marina help? Christians believe that this image can protect against troubles such as lawlessness and unfair treatment, which poor people often suffer from. Enemies and people who do not wish us well should also lose strength after turning to the Holy face. The worshiper may ask Marina to have a bad influence bypass him. Also, the icon will help to defeat evil, slander and obsession with evil spirits.
To do this, you can refer to the icon "St. Marina, beating the demon."
Marina, conquered evil
Since the girl was able to resist the will of the ruler, and by the power of prayer she protected herself from shame, this image can be considered the patron saint of all pure girls. The Holy also patronizes all owners of the name Marina and Maria. The icon also helps farmers. Those who ask for help can count on protecting the crop and granting fertility to the soil.
Image description
Earlier icons depicting the face of St. Marina convey her appearance in red robes. This is a symbol that the Lord shed his blood for us. Marina's right hand holds the cross. The saint turned her eyes to all worshipers so that their prayers would be answered.
Later works are a depiction of Marina with a snake tempter. The girl holds him by the horn, which is a symbol of victory over the machinations of evil spirits. In the background of the icon are plots depicting the agony of people who have suffered from heretical views.
Memory days
It is believed that if you seek help from St. Marina on the day of her veneration, then such prayers will be heard immediately. When is commemorating the Great Martyr Marina? This is done on the 30th day of July. It is then that the power of requests is more effective.
How to handle prayer
Prayer is not a mysterious practice, intended only for believers. Prayer is just communication with God when you need to listen and talk to him. Believers can pray from the heart freely, spontaneously and in their own way. If prayer is a difficult task, a study of the basic principles can be gleaned from the Bible.
The Bible says a lot about prayer. The first mention of prayer is found in Genesis 4:26: “And as for Seth, he was born, and he called him Enos. Then people began to call on the name of the Lord. ”
There is no right or definite pose for prayer. In the Bible, people prayed on their knees, bowing before God or standing. You can pray by opening or closing your eyes, quietly or aloud, but you can choose the most comfortable position so as not to be distracted.
Prayers should not be verbose or impressive:
“When you pray, do not talk and continue, as people of other religions say. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words over and over again. ” (Matthew 6: 7)
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not rush in your heart to say something to God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5: 2)
Prayer develops a relationship with God. It helps us get closer and more closely connected with God.
To summarize
The Lord has commanded us to pray. One of the simplest reasons to spend time in prayer is because the Lord taught us to pray. Obedience to God is a natural byproduct of discipleship: “Be careful and pray, otherwise temptation will prevail over you. For, although the spirit is large enough, the body is weak. " (Matthew 26:41). The Holy Spirit will help you in prayer when you do not know how to pray.
The Bible sets several requirements for successful prayer:
- Humble heart.
- Vera.
- Justice.
- Humility.
God hears and answers our prayers. Here are examples from the Bible: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all his troubles. (Psalm 34:17). ”
The Eastern Orthodox Church knows Margaret as a holy Marina and celebrates Memorial Day on July 17. Christians also commemorate the Holy on July 30. This girl was able to defeat the evil spirits, which is imprinted on the icon, where she holds the demon's horn. According to some versions, she became the wife of the ruler of Scotland. A sadder story reports that the girl was beheaded with thousands of Christians when she refused to belong to the ruler. Because she remained faithful to the Lord to the end, the church ranked the girl among the Saints.
Prayer to St. Marina will help to defeat injustice, protect oneself from ill-wishers and get an excellent harvest. If you turn to Marina in the days of her veneration, the requests will come true immediately.