In the north-east of modern Syria, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, from 137 BC to 242 AD, there was a small state of Osroene, which was the first to declare Christianity the official state religion. Here, for the first time, the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is mentioned.
Legend of the icon
According to numerous legends, the king of Osroene, Augar V, whose residence was in the capital of the state, Edessa, fell ill with an incurable disease - black leprosy. In a dream, a revelation appeared to him that only the face of the Savior would help him. The court painter, sent to Christ, could not capture his image because of the divine radiance emanating from Jesus, who, having met the royal prayers, washed his face with water and wiped it with a towel (kerchief). A bright image remained imprinted on it, which received the name "ubrus", or Mandylion, or the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. That is, in the classical version, it represents the face of Christ, made on the canvas, along the edges of which the canvas is started, andknotted top ends.
After the miraculous healing of Avgar, there is no mention of this icon until 545, when Persian troops blockaded Edessa. As often happens, providence comes to the rescue in difficult times. In the nave above the gates of the city, not only the perfectly preserved icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands itself was found, but also its imprint on the ceramic wall of the vault, or Ceramidion. The blockade of the city was lifted in the most miraculous way.
Features of the icon
This miraculous image in both its manifestations (made both on canvas and on ceramics) has a number of features and customs associated with it. So, it is recommended to beginner icon painters as their first independent work.
The Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is the only image on which the halo around the head of Jesus has the shape of a regular closed circle with a cross inside. All these details, like the color of the Savior's hair, the general background of the icon (on the most ancient icons, the background always remained clean), carry their semantic load.
There are opinions that the portrait created without a brush and paints, which is, in essence, the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, is a photo of Christ, depicting his face.
In Orthodoxy, this icon has always played a special role since the moment its list was brought from Constantinople in 1355. Although the most ancient icons of this type appeared in Russia as early as the 11th century, only since the second half of the 14th century has everything related to the “Savior Not Made by Hands” been positioned at the level of a state cult andbeing implemented everywhere. Temples are built under it, this face is depicted on the banners of Russian troops in the most decisive battles for the country - from Kulikovo to the battles of the First World War. The word "banner" is gradually being replaced by the word "banner" (from "sign"). Banners with the image of the "Savior Not Made by Hands" have become an integral part of the victories of Russian weapons.
The Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands today
The arrival of this miraculous icon, the fame of which spread throughout Russia, from the Novospassky Monastery in the city of Vyatka to the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, acquired national scale and significance. Thousands of Muscovites and visitors came out to meet the icon and fell to their knees at the sight of it. The Frolovsky gates, through which the icon was carried, began to be called Spassky. It was possible to pass through them only with an uncovered head, as a sign of the divinity of the face.
"The Savior Not Made by Hands" is an icon, the value of which cannot be overestimated. It is perceived as one of the main symbols of Orthodoxy; in terms of meaning, it is equated with the cross and the crucifix.
In recent years, which are sometimes rightly called the Second Baptism of Russia, an unprecedented number of churches, monasteries and temples are being built. In Sochi, for the opening of the Olympics, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands was erected and consecrated on January 5, 2014 in record time.
