The Fedorov Icon of the Mother of God has been known to us since the 12th century. Up to this point, there is no reliable information about her. At that time, she was in the chapel, which was located near the ancient city on the Volga with the interesting name Gorodets, and was the main shrine of the monastery. At the beginning of the 13th century, a monastery was erected on this site in the name of this icon. After the Mongol-Tatars burned and destroyed the city in 1238, the icon disappeared. She later reappeared in an unknown way.
There are several legends about how the icon of the Mother of God (Fedorovskaya) was resurrected. According to the first legend, on August 16, 1239, the prince from Kostroma, Vasily Kvashnya, saw the icon of the Mother of God, which was stuck in the branches of a tall tree. It was removed and, with the help of the clergy, transported to Kostroma to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the place where the icon was found, the Zaprudnensky Savior Monastery was later erected. On behalf of the great martyr Fedor, the icon was called Fedorovskaya. And when a man from Gorodets came to Kostroma, he recognizedan icon from his hometown that once disappeared.
The second giving, according to which the icon of the Mother of God (Fedorovskaya) reappeared, tells an almost similar story, with the exception of a few details. So, the discrepancy is in the name of the prince, as well as in dates. In the second giving, the prince was called Vasily Yaroslavovich. He was the younger brother of Alexander Nevsky. And he found the icon on August 16, 1263. It is this date that appears in the Tales of the Appearance and Miracles of the Fedorov Icon of the Mother of God, which were compiled in 1670.
The third tradition, according to which the icon of the Mother of God (Fedorovskaya) appeared, is completely different from the two previous ones. It says that the image was found by Yuri Vsevolodovich in a destroyed wooden chapel near Gorodets. Now Gorodetsky Fedorovsky Monastery rises on this place. After Prince Yuri died, the icon went to his younger brother Yaroslav. During the marriage of his son Alexander Nevsky with the Polotsk princess Alexandra Bryacheslavovna, he blessed her. And after Alexander died, the icon passed to his younger brother Vasily. And then the story goes similarly to the first legend.
The Fedorov Icon of the Mother of God helps those families who, with all their desire, cannot have children in any way. In addition, expectant mothers also pray before her so that the birth is successful and the baby is he althy. A prayer to this image is read by women in labor in case of difficult childbirth. But not onlyabout children ask this icon. Young girls also pray before her so that the future marriage is successful, as well as those whose family relationships have cracked, and they want to save the marriage. The icon also has healing properties. Prayer in front of her allows you to get rid of numerous diseases, especially women's. In a word, she is the patroness of all women. This icon must be in the house of all those who have at least one of the above problems.
Where is the icon of the Mother of God (Fedorovskaya)? It is kept in the Epiphany-Anastasinsky convent, which is located in Kostroma on Bogoyavlenskaya Street. You can get to it by public transport. So, to the monastery there is a bus on route 2, stop "Cathedral". In addition, you can take a trolleybus following routes 7 and 2 (stop "Pyatnitskaya Street").
