Russian shrines: the icon "Tenderness" - the meaning of the image and prayer

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

Christian icons, as a rule, have the strongest energy. They have served as a comfort to people for centuries. Earnest prayers, desperate and secret requests and confessions were raised before the images. Therefore, the Lord endowed many icons with special properties, thanks to which they became miraculous.

Grace of the Pskov-Caves Monastery

One of these shrines is located on the Pskov land, in the Pskov-Caves Monastery. This is the icon of "Tenderness", the value of which is difficult to overestimate for all believers. It is a miraculous image of the Mother of God and was made from the famous image of Our Lady of Vladimir. Back in 1154, the original source was brought from Kyiv lands by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky to his fiefdom - Vladimir-on-Klyazma. Two centuries later, it was transferred with celebrations and honors to the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. It was there that the monk Arseny Khitrosh saw the image. It was he who copied the icon “Tenderness” from the original. The number of miracles performed through it emphasizes the special awe that the image evokes in all those who pray.before him. This event happened in the 16th century - in 1521. A few years later, the merchants Fedor and Vasily delivered it to Pskov. And already in 1524, the rumor about miraculous healings, thanks to the icon, spread through the Russian lands.

Following the trail of glorious events

In the most stressful moments for themselves and the country, people turned in prayers to the saints for help. The icon “Tenderness” has also become very popular, the meaning of which is as follows: the Mother of God Intercessor heals, supports and encourages the suffering, rejoices with them in their recovery and alleviation of their lot, and is touched by the boundless possibilities of her Son. In 1581, the icon averted disaster from Pskov during the siege of the city by the Poles. According to legend, a cannonball hit her, but neither the image was damaged, nor the people who were nearby were injured. Two centuries later, in the era of the war of 1812, another Russian city, Polotsk, was protected by the icon "Tenderness". The significance of this event was so high that it was from that time on October 7 that a holiday in honor of the image is celebrated annually.

Miracles of God

Already from the middle of the 16th century, a series of pilgrims went to the Pskov Monastery for healing, blessing, and help in other matters. Chronicles have preserved by name the lists of those who were saved by the icon "Tenderness". The meaning of the icon - the Healer - was fixed among the people for a long time. Blind from birth or by accident, vision appeared. The weak rose to their feet and could walk. The dumb were given the gift of speech. All this and much more was recorded in the folkmemory and passed from mouth to mouth, and the holy fathers in the churches wrote down everything for posterity - in the name of the glory of the Lord. Miracles continue to this day. Christians are firmly convinced that a prayer to the icon "Tenderness", uttered from the heart, can do a lot. Especially if these are requests for their relatives and friends, for children and parents, for he alth and well-being. The icon also helps to soften the anger of those who are angry with you. With her assistance, it is easier for family members to reconcile, to find peace of mind and peace. That is why the icon "Tenderness" is.

In addition to the image stored in Pskov, many other images of the Mother of God "Tenderness" are stored in Russian churches and temples. This speaks of great respect for this type of icon.