Does anyone know the history of the icon of the Bread Conqueror? But she is very interesting. But let's first find out what the Ural monasteries are? It is noteworthy that those who study the history of the monasteries of the diocese of Yekaterinburg carefully analyze their way of life, and eventually come to the conclusion that each object has its own characteristics, its own unusual history, its own seal of God's providence.
Middle Ural Convent
Many people are struck by the beauty of the very young Sredneuralsky convent. "The Conqueror of Bread" is the image in whose honor it was erected. The building is located on the Nizhny Tagil highway, twenty kilometers from Yekaterinburg. This monastery was founded thanks to the decision of the Holy Synod on April 20, 2005. Interestingly, until 2002, an ordinary green lawn was located in its place.
On May 18, 2002, the first workers arrived from Ganina Yama to build the facility. In the middle of a dense forest, they found a wooden gatehouse designed for foursisters-occupants, and two tents in which it was planned to accommodate workers. There was nothing else on this territory, only incorporeal forces hovering in the air, eagerly listening to pleas.
And by 2011, four majestic temples, solid multi-storey stone buildings, a dairy workshop and a hospice house had grown on the lands of the monastery. A four-story private building was also built here, which housed workshops and a school for children. Also, the workers were able to create an impressive garden and subsidiary farm. The monastery now houses about three hundred novices-prayers: in this place you can really feel God's presence.
Construction of the monastery
Ah, how swiftly the Sredneuralsky Monastery was built! The “Bread Conqueror”, the holy icon, apparently, was the reason for this. After all, it is impossible to remember such facts of rapid construction for the entire historical period of the formation of monasteries in Russia and Europe. In church history, such cases are few. And this is not fiction - ordinary dry statistics.
It is known that such acts cannot be carried out either by the intention of people, or by themselves. After all, everything that is aimed at soul salvation undergoes countless obstacles and temptations. Such an incarnation of an animal in the mortal world is possible only with the amazing will and help of the Lord.
But how do you get God's support? You need to be able to invoke it correctly, bringing sacrifice in worship, prayers, chastity, fasting, self-control. And, of course, it is very important to always follow the path of a righteous life.
Some laypeople naively believe that everything falls from heaven when a person draws up a special farming plan, approves the “five-year plans”, participates in various meetings. Every undertaking or action requires the word of God. If a person sincerely strives to please the Creator of the earth and sky, our Heavenly Father, then he will certainly receive generous fruits. Expressive examples of such deeds are very often observed in worldly life. By the way, they are visible only to those whose heart is not petrified, pure and very sensitive. In such situations, people proclaim the irrefutable truth: “Whoever is everywhere and fulfills everything!” But he takes and fulfills according to the faith of everyone …
Angelic people
When communicating with people or being present at a divine service, when deepening into the essence of what is happening, the phrase “cadres decide everything” involuntarily comes to mind. But her wording is slightly different: “spiritual cadres decide everything.”
It is interesting that the all-honorable abbess of the Sredneuralsky monastery, mother Varvara, and the confessor of the holy monastery, shegumen Sergius, are called angel-like people. After all, they have impressive life experience, practice in many areas of activity, amazing universal human qualities and talents in pre-monastic, earthly life. These are the people the Almighty invites to his service. He protects them, supporting them and exuding his many graces.
Abbess Varvara
Mother abbess Varvara in the world is called Svetlana Nikolaevna Krygina. ithighly intelligent, with a higher education, a prudent patroness of the flock entrusted to her from God. Her natural humility does not allow her to be photographed and talk about herself, but if you ask her a thematic question, you can get an exhaustive answer.
She is laconic and attentive, practically "died" for earthly life. Svetlana Nikolaevna, taking the veil as a nun on March 31, 2005, took her name in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara. She was appointed abbess of the shrine on April 20, 2005.
It should be added that on May 18, 2009, Matushka Varvara was awarded the rank of abbess for her diligent service to the Church of God by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the request of Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye. The nun Nina, her own sister, helps her to do righteous deeds.
German Farm
Who else's life is inextricably linked with the story of this wonderful haven, with the icon of the Bread Conqueror? Father Sergius (Romanov) appears in this story - in it he is the most important character. It is noteworthy that back in 2002, Archbishop Vincent of Verkhotursk and Yekaterinburg blessed Hieromonk Sergius to create a female compound of social significance in the name of the royal holy Passion-Bearers at the male monastery, which Father Sergius was in those days.
It is interesting that the territory on which the farmstead was located was previously in the possession of the subsidiary farm of the Sredneuralskaya GRES. In the people thisthe area was nicknamed the German Farm - it was here during the war that the camp was located, in which prisoners of war were kept. The German settlement in August 2002 was transferred free of charge to the diocese of Yekaterinburg. And in September 2002, Hieroschemamonk Raphael (Berestov) visited the courtyard. He assured that the holy roof being erected at this place is under the special patronage of the Holy Empress Alexandra and the Mother of God.
Spiritual care of the monastery
The first liturgy was served in the wooden house church in August 2002. Then the construction of the majestic long-awaited temple building of brick began. The church was solemnly consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "The Conqueror of Bread" on September 17, 2004. It is noteworthy that the last Russian martyr Emperor Nicholas II and his family, who gave their lives for Russia, are especially revered in the convent in the Middle Urals.
For a long time, Sheegumen Sergius bears the burden of spiritual concerns of the monastery. He tirelessly cares for the parishioners, prayer sisters and the flock entrusted to him. He is also a very zealous business executive: he worries about construction, understands technical issues, has the gift of communicating with both worldly people and benefactors. In general, Father Sergius is called a very attentive person. It is too difficult to explain this nuance in words - it just radiates pleasant warmth, cordiality, a desire to understand every real Christian who is close in spirit. Such compassion, love of love, and sometimes childish frankness and naivety are considered verya rare occurrence these days. Such qualities can only be found among monks on the holy land of Athos.
Mysteriously, the holy dwelling beckoned to its inhabitants: they gathered here, undoubtedly striving to know the sublime feelings. Each novice is individual and unique, like a creation of God, many have a higher education. But what unites them? Of course, the only amazing quality is humility. And quietly meekness, simplicity and resignation follow him. Agree, it is no coincidence that such a spiritual army was awarded the appropriate shelter.
Icon
And now let's get acquainted with the history of the miraculous image. The icon, which depicts the Theotokos, "The Conqueror of Bread", was painted with the blessing of Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, the elder of the Vvedenskaya Hermitage Optina. He was the greatest Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, flaming with childish faith in the Mother of God. Father Ambrose honored the feasts of the Theotokos, marking them with unceasing prayer.
Near the Optina Hermitage, he founded the Shamorda monastery in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God and blessed her with the icon of the Bread Conqueror. This masterpiece depicts the Mother of God, reclining on snow-white clouds. Her outstretched arms bless the world. In the lower area of the picture, a compressed field is depicted, on which rye sheaves are located among herbs and flowers.
Elder Ambrose personally determined the date of the celebration of the icon - October 15 - and gave her the name "Bread Conqueror". By doing so, he indicated thatThe Mother of God is "a helper to people in their efforts to obtain daily bread." Anticipating his blissful death, Father Ambrose ordered to print a colossal number of photographs of this image. He sent them out and distributed them to his spiritual children.
Interestingly, an akathist is often performed in front of the holy icon. "The Bread Conqueror" is very sympathetic to this kind of hymns. Before this, Elder Ambrose miraculously composed a special refrain to sing an akathist: “Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you! Grant us, the unworthy, the dew of Your grace and show Your mercy!”
The day of the funeral of Elder Ambrose in the Shamorda Monastery was scheduled for October 15 - the date of the feast of the icon. By the way, the holy icon “The Bread Conqueror” performed the first miracle in 1891. It was then that throughout Russia people were starving due to crop failure, and on the fields of the Shamorda monastery, and throughout the Kaluga region, bread was born in abundance.
Further, in 1892, the icon "The Bread Conqueror" served as a model for the list created by the novice of the elder Ambrose Ivan Fedorovich Cherepanov. At that time, Elder Ambrose was no longer alive, unfortunately. The list from the holy image was sent to the Pyatnitsky convent in the Voronezh region. In those places, because of the drought, the inhabitants were threatened with famine, but the icon of the Mother of God "The Conqueror of Bread" again saved people: a prayer service was served before it, it began to rain, and the drought receded.
Image revered by believers
Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Holy Theotokos, we pray in sorrows and joys, with hope andlove. In general, there are a great many of her miraculous icons in Russia - like stars in the sky.
Among them is the icon of the Mother of God "The Conqueror of Bread" - she is blessed by the elder Ambrose, and special attention is paid to her in Optina Desert. It was Father Ambrose, as mentioned above, who gave a name to this image and set the date for its celebration - after the completion of the harvest. After a certain period of time on this holiday, the body of the elder was buried.
Before the icon "The Conqueror of Bread", a prayer is read about the multiplication of the fruits of heaven and earth, many parishioners ask for blessings for work. The image has a very unusual iconography and is full of deep spiritual content. By the way, the idea of the image arose from a seriously ill old man in the last years of his life. Then he spent a long time in the Shamorda monastery and was very worried about her fate: he earnestly prayed to the Mother of God for intercession and patronage. Agree, after all, the monk created a bewitching spectacle: the Mother of God "The Bread Conqueror" blesses the majestic beauty of the Russian land. The image in the shortest possible time received an extraordinary veneration of believers: this was facilitated by its miracles, which are mentioned in the elder's autobiography.
The following summer, after the death of monk Ambrose, the monk of Optina Hermitage, Ivan Fedorovich, a native of the nobility, painted the icon "The Conqueror of Bread" with his own hand. The Pyatnitsky convent in the Voronezh region at that time received it - its inhabitants performed a prayer in front of her and, as reported above, were saved from hunger.
God's Providence
Who wants to visit the monastery dedicated to the miraculous image? The “bread wrangler” is found in many temples. They seem to be scattered on the ground by the Creator of heavenly pearls. In honor of this image, in 2000, a temple was also consecrated on the lands of the auxiliary farm of Optina Pustyn.
The trace of the icon, before which Elder Ambrose lifted up his blessed and holy prayers, is lost in time: nothing is known about its fate. There is only information that by decree of the Holy Synod in 1892 the image was taken away from the Shamorda monastery. But, looking at modern commentaries on the work of Father Florensky Pavel "Iconostasis", you can find a note pointing to the notice of Bishop Anatoly of Ufa, created in Bergamo in January 1988. It says that this icon is located near Vilnius, in the Lithuanian village of Mikhnovo.
In the cell of the Monk Ascetic Ambrose, by the providence of God, a lovely list appeared a couple of years ago from the first icons of the "Bread Conqueror". In 1999, this image was given to the temple by Alexander Kurochkin from Rostov-on-Don. It was from him that the image of the Queen of Heaven, bought on the occasion, was kept for about seven years. Alexander was a professional restorer, and therefore he was able to open the inscription on the wrong side of the image, hidden under a thick layer of paint: “Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you! Grant us unworthy the Dew of Thy grace and show Thy mercy. October 15 celebration. At the very bottom of the picture was written: "The image of this Hieroschemamonk Ambrose the Elder of Optina Hermitage."
It is noteworthy thatthe name of the icon is written in the same handwriting both on the back and on the front side. But in our life there is nothing accidental! It is necessary to rejoice that the lost connection with the times has been restored with the acquisition of this particular icon “The Conqueror of Bread”. Prayer before the blessed image ascends to heaven with the faith that those who ask will not go unheeded.
List icons
It should be noted that a huge number of picturesque lists were written from the original and distributed throughout Russia. One of these icons can be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Over time, the iconography changed, because each icon painter saw both the sky and the grain field in his own way. What can be said about the image painted a few years before the revolution in Shomordino? The icon amazingly tells about the minutes preceding the thunderstorm.
It depicts a heavy, dark cloud hovering over a golden grain field, dark trees and a temple. The building is far away, it is difficult to see it. And above this composition stands a blessing, serene image of the Mother of God. Ah, with what rapture the priests read the akathist before this image! “The Bread Conqueror” is a miraculous icon, looks with tenderness at the worshipers and listens to their requests!
And finally, I would like to add: on many modern icons, the Mother of God is depicted sitting on a cloud with her hands raised in prayer. She hovers over a grain field, and around her shines an oval mandorla, colored on the outer edge with stars and pierced by rays.
