The icon, which will be discussed later, is very famous, its authorship is attributed to the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia Peter, who lived in the XIII century. This was the first metropolitan in whom Moscow became a permanent residence since 1325. The Peter's icon of the Mother of God - this is how she is called and revered as miraculous. The celebration in her honor takes place on September 6 in a new calendar, on this day the Church recalls the transfer of the incorrupt relics of St. Peter to the newly built Assumption Church (1479).
St. Peter Rathensky (or Ratsky)
He was born in Volyn in the pious family of Theodore. Even before the birth of his son, his mother, Eupraxia, had a Lord’s vision in which it was revealed that her child would serve in the glory of God.
At the age of 12, young Peter entered the Volyn Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, where he devoted almost all his time to studying the Holy Scriptures and icon painting. He handed out his icons to the monastic brethren and to Christians who visited their monastery. One of these is the Peter's icon of the Mother of God, dated 1327, according to the life of the saint. This icon and the icon of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Peter, receiving the blessing of the blessing, presented the Metropolitan of All Russia to Maxim, who visited their holy monastery, as a gift. He sent the Peter's icon to Vladimir, where the department of the Kiev Metropolitans was then located , and in front of the Assumption icon, he prayed all his life.
A miraculous image. Peter's Icon of the Mother of God: photo
In 1305, after Metropolitan Maxim departed to the Lord, the Vladimir department was free for three years of troubled times, then a dispute went over for the place of the high priest. Prince Galitsky Yuri sent Peter to Constantinople, and Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy and Vladimirsky - his ascetic, Father Superior Gerontius. Going on the road to Constantinople, Gerontius took with him the Peter icon and the holy baton. When he sailed across the sea, he had a vision. The Mother of God herself told him that he was laboring in vain, for he would not get the dignity of the priest, he would belong to the one who painted Her image - the minister of Her Son - the Hegumen Hegumen Peter, who would occupy the throne of the Russian Metropolitanate, he would piously live to old age and with joy depart to the Lord of all.
In Constantinople, Gerontius involuntarily told about his vision to the Patriarch of Constantinople Athanasius, and he took the rod and icon from him, handed them to Peter and blessed him to become the Metropolitan of All Russia. So the Peter's icon of the Mother of God returned to its creator and left for Vladimir. And when in 1325 the Russian metropolis was transferred from Vladimir to Moscow, there Metropolitan Peter transferred his icon and placed it in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Veneration
In general, many interesting historical events are associated with this icon. For example, Patriarch Job, when he went to Boris Godunov to accept the kingdom, took three icons with him - Petrovskaya, Vladimir and Don.
And in 1613, the honored delegation with Ryazan archimandrite Feodorit took Petrov’s icon with her, who went to Kostroma to call for the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov and put an end to the turmoil.
In the church chronicles of the 15th century, the Petrovsky Icon was mentioned in stories about saving Moscow from invaders and was called “life-giving” and most likely stood at the tomb of St. Peter. She was especially revered by the Moscow chief priests, she was brought to worship at their tombs or at the processions.
Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin
Today, the Peter’s icon of the Mother of God is in the Assumption Cathedral, the bulk of the icon-painting experts claim that this is the icon painted by St. Peter, although there are allegations that her original disappeared before the revolution.
In the period of the XIX - XX centuries, this ancient icon really disappeared from the cathedral, but the icon-moth remained, the size of which was 30.5 by 24.5 cm. Its origin was unknown, but it was dated to the end of the XIV - beginning of the XV century and was in the wall iconostasis in the Assumption Cathedral. Most likely, she is that revered ancient image, as evidenced by her accurate list, executed in 1614 by Nazariy Savin. In any case, he accurately repeats it and is inscribed as “Petrovskaya”.
Peter's icon of the Mother of God: what they pray for
The Peter's icon became one of the most revered shrines of Russia and a symbol of the beginning of the formation of Moscow. Thanks to her, many wonderful events and healings for Orthodox Christians were received. It has become a powerful symbol of Russia's defense against various perniciousness.
Before this image, people pray for happiness in marriage, for children in case of childlessness, and for help in difficult births and various diseases. In such cases, the Akathist of the Petrine icon of the Mother of God is usually read.
This icon belongs to the most beloved type of the Mother of God for the Russian people, and the closest iconographic analogy of this image is the Vladimir icon.
Iconography
In the Peter's icon, the Mother of God and the Baby are depicted with a chest. Its characteristic features are that the Mother of God embraces the baby with her left hand, and with her right hand points to Him, in which the whole True Path and Life is contained. The right hand of the Mother of God has another meaning - the motherly caress of her Son. The hands of Christ the Savior respond to maternal love and affection. He clings to the Mother, holds a scroll in his left hand, and His blessing right hand rests on the chest of the Virgin. This transfers the warmth of expression of mutual love of the Virgin and Child.
The prayer of the Petrine icon of the Mother of God begins with the words: “Oh, the All-Merciful Lady, the Heavenly Queen, our shameless Hope ...”.