The Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God is a miraculous list from the famous Kazan image of the Virgin Mary with the Child. The story of its appearance is unusual and mysterious.
Source of grace, cast down in rubbish
By the will of God, this image was found by St. Josaaph of Belgorod. Shortly before finishing his earthly journey, he heard the Mother of God herself in a dream and saw himself in the porch of one of the temples. On a pile of unnecessary things and garbage in front of him lay the image of the Queen of Heaven, shining in all its glory. The Mother of God said that this icon was given to Russia as a grace from the Lord, but people turned it into trash.
After what he saw, the bishop (under the suggestion of the Holy Spirit) went to the Church of the Resurrection, where, to his surprise, he found an image in the Church of the Resurrection in the city of Izyum (Ukraine). The Kazan icon was then used as a partition, behind which coal was stored for censers. Iosaaf of Belgorod fell in tears before the icon and begged the Blessed Virgin to forgive people for their negligence. After that, he went to the rector of the temple and openly reproached him for such blasphemy in relation to the true shrine. By order of Bishop IosaafThe Belgorodsky icon was removed from the vestibule and placed in a beautiful setting. And they determined its place in the temple itself. Iosaaf of Bogorodsky lived at the church for several more days, praying in the morning and in the evening in front of the newly acquired image and asking the Mother of God for forgiveness for the fact that people treated the shrine so blasphemously.
Miracles, and only
After the mysterious discovery of the icon, the temple, together with the image, was transferred to another area - Sands. Here the Queen of Heaven showed the first miracle through the newfound image.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, there was a man in Izyum named Stefan whose children were dying. After his last son fell ill, he and his wife decided to take their child to the church on Peski to the miraculous icon. On the way to the church, the boy died. The heartbroken mother persuaded her husband to return home, but he firmly insisted on serving a prayer service in front of the icon. Despite the death of the child, somewhere inside Stefan glimmered hope for God's help and for an unprecedented miracle. Entering the temple, he and his wife approached the Peschanskaya icon and, without telling the priest about the dead boy, asked him to serve a prayer service. On their knees and silently weeping, they prayed for the resurrection of their only son. Having said the words of the prayer “Oh, glorified Mati” three times, the parents heard a terrible cry. It was their son who was resurrected through prayers. Stefan and his wife fainted. After they came to their senses, the parents were able to tell the priest about what a great miracle happened before this image. Resurrected childcommuned, and the whole family went home. The boy lived in good he alth to a ripe old age. Such a great miracle was performed by the Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God.
People, having learned about the appearance of this image of the Virgin, wanted to pray in front of him. There were so many people in those days that many were waiting for their turn not only in the temple, but also in the surrounding area.
Heavenly Punishment
The rector of the temple did not like the fact that the church was constantly overcrowded. Therefore, he decided to ban prayers in front of the image, for which he was punished by heaven. He fell ill with a painful illness, writhing in convulsions. Soon the abbot realized that he had no right to forbid people to turn to the miraculous image, and therefore again allowed prayers. After this, the sick priest was brought to the icon to ask for healing from the Queen of Heaven. By the grace of God, he overcame his illness in a few days.
The Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God worked unprecedented miracles after the procession around the temple. So it was in the middle of the 19th century, when, after such a service, the surroundings of the city were miraculously saved from the cholera epidemic and other misfortunes. But the miracles of the icon of the Mother of God did not end there. Many continued to receive healing and comfort from the image of the Blessed Virgin.
Where is the list now?
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Peschanskaya miraculous icon of the Mother of God stayed in the Resurrection Church. During the First World War, the image was sent abroad. At the moment, the location of the miraculous icon is unknown.
Miraculous lists
Despite the fact that the original icon was lost, indifferent parts of Russia have preserved lists made from the image. One of them is located in the Leningrad hospital, in a chapel built in honor of St. Josaaph. Every week services are held here and the akathist to the Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God is read.
The happy owner of this image is Tatyana Dubinina. The icon, which she owns, flew around all 28 dioceses of Russia. They themselves admit that the Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God (Crusader) has such grace and miraculous power that she really wanted to share it with other people.
Etched through the ages
The Peschanskaya (Kazan) Icon of the Mother of God played a great role in the life of our country during the First World War. So, in 1915, St. Iosaaf of Bogorodsky appeared in a dream to one of the deeply religious Russian people. He warned that only the Mother of God could save Russia. Having learned about the prophetic vision, the common people decided to make a procession with the Peschanskaya icon, passing along all front lines. While the icon was in Mogilev, the Russian land did not know a single defeat. Unfortunately, the procession did not take place, as the ruling elite did not attach much importance to this.
It was only in 1999 that the great procession through Russia was completed. The images of the Mother of God, including Peschanskaya, were loaded onto the aircraft designated for service. The ship circled all the borders of Russia within 2 days. The laity and clergy at that time constantly read the akathist to the Queen of Heaven, closing the great service with a prayer to the Peschansky icon.
What does the Peschanskaya Icon look like?
This image of the Mother of God is written according to the type of Hodegetria, which in Greek means "Guide". The description of the icon of the Mother of God is similar to the image of Kazan (half-length image, the Child sits on the left hand). The only difference is that on the Peschanskaya Icon, Jesus Christ is holding a book with his left hand, and the Mother of God is stretching her hand towards him.
What do they pray for before the image?
It is believed that the Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God heals from mental and physical ailments. Also, those who experience any needs in everyday affairs can turn to the image. The Kazan (Peschanskaya) Icon of the Mother of God protects the Russian state from enemies (like the Vladimir icon). July 21 is the Day of Remembrance of this icon. Believers who received healing from her and hope for Her help should read a prayer before the Peschansky image.
For Your Holy Name
The Church of the Icon of the Peschanskaya Mother of God in Moscow would have been opened quite recently - in 2001. This event is preceded by small miracles. They testify that Our Lord was pleased with the construction of this temple. Indeed, back in the early 90s, the territory on which this Orthodox complex is located was a ruined kindergarten. A lot of land then was sold for secular institutions - shops and restaurants. And only the territory in Izmailovo was not sold in any way. When they decided to build a church of the Icon of the Mother of God (Peschanskaya), the capital gavethis land for free. The laity helped to raise money for the arrangement of the temple and church utensils. It is truly a miracle that it was built in just 20 days, in time for the Easter holiday. Thanks to God's help and the efforts of people, the clergy, together with the parishioners, have already served the Vespers before the Great Resurrection. At the moment, this church of the Icon of the Mother of God of Peschanskaya is one of the few built in honor of this image.
Great shrines of Russia
4 icons of the Mother of God (Vladimir, Kazan, Iver and Smolensk) are the most revered among all other images, as they played a great role in the formation of our state and the life of the Russian people. That is why in the dream of Josaaph the Queen of Heaven said that through the Kazan image She brings grace and prosperity to people.
History of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan
For many Russian people November 4th is not only a holiday of National Unity. For an Orthodox person, this is, first of all, the Day of the Kazan Virgin Mary. The description of the icon of the Mother of God, as mentioned earlier, is very similar to the Peschansky image, which is his list.
Finding this icon is a true miracle. Once the Blessed Virgin appeared in a dream to Matrona, the daughter of an archer who served in the time of Ivan the Terrible. The Queen of Heaven ordered her to find Her Holy Image in the ashes. Previously, this place was the Kazan Kremlin, which burned to the ground. Sagittarius set out to put the house on the ashes and, not believing the words of his child, began to build. Three times the Mother of God visited Matrona in a dream, for the last time warning that if she did not go to look for the image, she would die. Only the girl's mother believed the words of her child and, taking a few more assistants with her, went with her daughter in search. The girl pointed to the place that she saw in her dream. Having dug up the ground a little, she found a cloth sleeve in which the image was hidden. The icon had such a clean face, as if it had been painted quite recently. In honor of such a great find, the feast of the icon of the Mother of God was established, celebrated on July 21 in a new style.
And on the site of the appearance of the image, it was decided to build a convent, the first novices of which were Matrona and her mother.
The first miracles of the icon were immediately witnessed after the acquisition of the image. For example, during the transfer of the icon, one elder who had been blind for several years was able to see, and in the temple itself a young man was cured, who also did not see the white light.
Why is November 4th celebrated by the church as an Orthodox holiday?
Kazan image has always accompanied the Russian people in decisive battles with the enemy. November 4 is the feast of the icon of the Mother of God, called Kazanskaya. On this day, a great event took place: one bishop, captured by the Poles and imprisoned in the Kremlin, was given a vision from St. Sergius of Radonezh himself. He assured the clergyman that the Queen of Heaven herself is the intercessor of the Russian Land. The bishop was able to secretly pass this note to the Russian militia. Inspired, they were able to expel the Polish enemy from Kitay-gorod. The Kremlin was surrendered without a fight. The released clergy went out to meet the militia with the image of the Kazan Mother of God, thanks to which the Russian people defeated the perfidious enemy. Since then, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has been celebrated twice a year - on July 21 and November 4.
The fate of the image
Mostly, many shrines of the Russian Land disappeared after the revolutionary years of 1917. Some of them were sent abroad for preservation, while others were sold to collectors in Europe for next to nothing. The same story happened with the image of the Kazan Mother of God. She miraculously managed to be transported abroad, where she was presented to the Pope. For a long time the icon was in his residence. And only at the beginning of the 20th century the image could be returned back to Russia. It is interesting that the icon came to the Motherland during the most difficult period of relations between Russia and Rome. The head of the Catholic Church transferred the shrine through his cardinal into the hands of Patriarch Alexy II. Many regard this as a benevolent gesture on the part of the Pope. Although in fact the return of the image is the providence of God. Also, the Catholic Church put forward the hypothesis that the donated icon is only a list from the Kazan image of the Mother of God. To clarify this issue, a special commission was created in Rome, which was supposed to determine the authenticity of the icon. Experts confirmed the guesses of the Pope. It is quite possible that the Catholics for this very reason transmitted the image of the Orthodox Church. But this does not detract from the value of the Kazan icon.
Peschansky image of the QueenHeavenly - a shrine that saved the Russian people in the same way as other miraculous lists. That is why individual temples and churches are recreated in honor of this icon and patronal feasts are celebrated.
