"Passionate" icon of the Mother of God: meaning

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The name "Passionate" icon of the Mother of God (emphasis on the second syllable) is primarily due to the fact that, in addition to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Child in the upper part, angels with instruments of the Passion of the Cross are depicted symmetrically. Archangel Gabriel is holding the cross where Jesus Christ died, and Archangel Michael is holding a sponge given to Christ to quench his thirst, and a spear that the centurion Longinus plunged into the ribs of Jesus to make sure that he was dead.

General Description

The "passionate" icon of the Mother of God, staying in the monastery near the tomb of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky, has an image of only one angel with instruments of torture. It was created by icon painters in the monastery of Kutlumush. In the 13th century, with the help of this icon, the Mother of God protected the monks of Athos from pirates. The intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos made it so that the monastery was shrouded in fog and turned out to be invisible to the robbers. Since then, the icon has also had another name - "Fovera Prostasia", which means "Terrible Protection" in translation.

"Passionate" icon of the Mother of God: meaning

The word "passion" in translation fromChurch Slavonic in this case means "suffering". This image of the Mother of God has a special meaning and performs an important sacral function. The "passionate" icon of the Mother of God, whose significance is difficult to overestimate, has long been revered in Russia, as it symbolizes the Passion Week before Christ's Resurrection. Angels flying to the Infant Christ with the instruments of torture of the Lord testify to the future real sufferings of the Savior. He, looking at them, in fright grabs his mother with both hands, as if demanding help and protection.

The Most Holy Theotokos, full of humility and virtue, meekly bears her child towards torture and suffering, obeying God's will and believing in God's righteousness. This miraculous image is designed to save the human race from passions, spiritual weakness and suffering, it teaches humility and humility. Recently, there has been a demand for the Passionate Image of the Mother of God by believers, regardless of education or position in society, since it is a symbol of Christ and human passions.

Iconographic type

The "waist" image of the Mother of God on the icon has the iconographic type "Hodegetria". The "passionate" icon of the Mother of God is characterized by the fact that the face of the Child is turned in the direction of the angel holding the Cross. The head of the Most Holy Theotokos is tilted towards the Child, which softens the strict iconographic type "Hodegetria", which includes "Kazanskaya", "Iverskaya", "Three-Handed", "Skoroshlushnitsa", "Smolenskaya"("Hodegetria"), "Czestochowa" and other icons. The Mother of God holds the Christ Child, fearfully clasping her right hand.

History Pages

The "passionate" icon of the Mother of God, the photo of which is presented here, was first mentioned back in the sixteenth century. A list from this icon, made on Athos, appears in Russia in the seventeenth century. Its authorship is attributed to the icon painter Gregory from Nizhny Novgorod. The peasant woman Ekaterina from the village of Palitsy was sick with demonic possession from the very beginning of her married life and often attempted her life, either throwing herself into the water, or throwing a noose over herself. Turning with a prayer to the Mother of God, she made a promise that in case of healing she would go to the monastery. But after recovering, Catherine forgot about her vow, became a mother and took up the upbringing of her children.

After some time, she had a vision of the Mother of God, accompanied by another luminous virgin. The Most Holy Lady reproached her for not fulfilling this vow. The Mother of God commanded to announce her appearance, but Catherine did not dare to do this. The Mother of God came to her twice, and the last time, for disobedience, the woman was punished with ugliness and relaxation. For healing, the Most Holy Theotokos ordered Catherine to find the icon painter Gregory in Nizhny Novgorod, who painted her image, called "Hodegetria". After praying before him, Catherine was healed. After that, the icon became famous for numerous miracles.

Celebration date

By order of Sovereign Romanov Alexei Mikhailovich, the holy image was transferred from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, where it was greeted with honors with a large crowd of people at the Tver Gate. In honor of this memorable event, the celebration of the "Passion" Icon of the Mother of God was established - this is August 13th. At the place of the solemn meeting of the icons, a temple was later built, and then, in 1654, the Passion Monastery was founded. In 1937 the buildings of the monastery were demolished. The "passionate" icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is currently placed in the church of Sokolniki - "The Resurrection of Christ". The modern public is in favor of restoring the destroyed monastery. On the site of the former "Passion" Cathedral, every Saturday and Sunday, an akathist to the "Passion" Icon of the Mother of God is read. The secondary date for honoring the icon is the Sunday of the Blind Man, this is the sixth Sunday following Easter, in memory of the miracles that happened on that day.

What are they praying for

The image of the "Passionate" icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is prayed for salvation from fire, for healing from diseases. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, there was a terrible fire, in which only the house where this icon was placed remained intact.

By order of the king, the holy image was transferred to the palace, and then to the temple in Kitai-Gorod. The "passionate" icon of the Mother of God is revered in the Cathedral of the city of Lipetsk. Here in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (1835) during cholera, a godmother was performedthe course with her image, and through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the epidemic of a terrible disease ceased. However, in 1931 the authorities decided to close the cathedral. The icon was saved from desecration and transferred to a small church in the village of Dvurechki. In the year of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, the "Passionate" Icon of the Mother of God was solemnly transferred by a procession to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Lipetsk.

Before this image, miraculous healings were performed more than once. He is prayed for the retreat of terrible diseases and epidemics. Since this image symbolizes not only the passions of Christ, but also human passions, the prayer to the "Passionate" icon of the Mother of God can heal mental ailments, as well as relieve thoughts of suicide or committing some sinful and destructive deeds.

Importance of the icon

Recently, the relations of some sections of society with Orthodoxy have become aggravated, which ended in a blasphemous desecration of shrines. After the well-known events of February 21, 2012 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, when members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot desecrated a sacred place, the image of the "Passionate" Icon of the Mother of God again proved to be in demand. Tens of thousands of believers came to the prayer stand in defense of the faith in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and participated in the procession along with the "Passionate" Icon of the Mother of God (April 22, 2012).