Among Russian Orthodox icons, the image of the Kazan Mother of God is one of the most significant and revered. Among the people he enjoys great respect and love. The power of faith in the icon is so great that every day thousands of faithful pilgrims and afflicted lay people come to bow to it.
History icons
The icon of the
Kazan Mother of God celebrates its holiday twice a year: in the summer, July 21 (the old style is the 8th day), and in November, 4 (or October 22, again the old style). The image has an interesting story, in which the origins of its special popularity lie in many respects. In the middle of the 16th century, the
Kazan Khanate was annexed by Ivan the Terrible to the Russian state. A huge number of people at that time turned to true faith. And 27 years after this event, a fire broke out in the house of a famous merchant in the city of Kazan, known as Onuch, from which all the wooden buildings in the district went on fire. Fire literally turned the city into ashes. But a little later, in a dream, the merchant’s little daughter appeared Virgin Mary three times and said that her image was hidden under the charred firebrands of the house a long time ago, even during the time of the Tatar Khanate. At first, no one could believe that such a
symbol of faith, which people christened “the icon of the Kazan Mother of God”, is exactly where the girl points to. However, it was the ten-year-old Matryona who was destined to open it to people. It happened
on July 8, therefore in Orthodoxy this day is considered to be a holiday. The icon looked so lively, bright, as if it had just been painted, and the paints had not yet managed to dry. Priest beloved by all of Kazan, about. Yermolai carried the image through the whole procession with the procession and wrote a sacred hymn-prayer in his honor. The image remained in the local church, a decade later a nunnery opened in its place, and Matryona became the abbess in it.
Since then, under the banner of the icon, many glorious deeds and miracles have been accomplished. She helped the militias led by Minin and Pozharsky to defend Moscow from the troops of false Dmitry. This glorious event happened on October 22 (the second birthday of the image). Since then, the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan has become even more revered. Its significance and omnipotence was recognized by Peter 1, who fervently and tearfully prayed to the Intercessor on the eve of the Battle of Poltava. When Petersburg was rebuilt, the king moved one of the image lists to the new capital. To the Kazan Mother of God for assistance and support, he repeatedly addressed in prayers of Kutuzov. Russian soldiers during the Borodino battle seemed to feel Her presence nearby. By the way, the first serious victory over the French army was won just on October 22, as if the Holy Virgin sent a sign to them. In all subsequent - whether glorious, tragic epochs of life of the first Russian, and then the Soviet state, ordinary people and people in power, clearly and secretly worshiped the image, carried their hopes and tears to it. It is believed that the icon "Mother of God of Kazan" has spread its meaning and influence throughout the eastern part of Russia. Together with the sacred images of the Virgin of Vladimir, Pochaev and Smolensk, it forms an invisible sacred cross, which overshadows the whole boundless Russian land and its people.
The miraculous deeds of the Lord
There are a lot of lists of the Kazan Icon - more than other images of the Virgin. This indicates a special trust that people have for Her. First of all, the icon “Mother of God of Kazan” has the meaning of an intercessor and a comforter. Seriously ill people pray in front of her - for their own health, and their relatives - for the healing of their loved ones. They talk with the way with personal grief, problems in the family, misunderstandings with children. They ask Her intercession before the face of the Lord. One of the lines in prayer sounds like this: “you are the cover of your slaves ...” During the Leningrad blockade, to support the physically and spiritually exhausted inhabitants of the city, through its streets, how much strength the local priests lacked, they carried the Wonderful Face.
This event was of great importance: people gained faith in tomorrow, the hope of victory and that they would survive. And to this day the icon “Our Lady of Kazan” bears the significance of the phenomenon, it is recognized as the main shrine of today's Petersburg. Anyway, this image is always in every church, small and large, urban and rural. And in many houses, lighting a candle in front of the home icon, people meekly and gently, with cleansing tears in their eyes say: "Grace, rejoice!"
Humility and humility, spiritual purity are brought up in us by Orthodox shrines.