The veneration of icons is one of the differences between the Orthodox faith and other areas of Christianity. There are many holy images that have a special meaning for the Russian people.
Theologian's opinion
Professor of theology Alexei Ilyich Osipov in his lectures has repeatedly touched upon the issue of worshiping icons. He says that it is necessary to separate the concepts of worshiping an icon as a kind of magical object, which in itself is endowed with a certain power, and as an image of a specific saint. In the latter case, the prayer is addressed specifically to the saint, who was known for his righteous life and can become a heavenly patron for the one who prays. Ultimately, only the Lord knows the fate of people, so all requests and prayers should be addressed to Him.
Osipov also mentions the existence of different types of worship: the first is the worship of God - religious worship, in essence, meaning faith. And the second type is worship in the meaning of worship, reverence. Thus, one can worship, for example, a person whose qualities are highly valued. The same thing happens with the worship of icons and relics of saints.
About prayer before icons
Alexey Ilyich also says that prayer in front of any icon, offered without faith in God, without humility and reverence, has no power. It is worth recalling the prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane: "… Yes, Your will be done, not mine." Christians should follow this example, making prayer requests to the Almighty.
We should not forget that Christianity is primarily aimed at curing the spiritual ailments of a person, which are sins. “Give me your soul, son,” Christ said. Therefore, spiritual blessings and the healing of spiritual ailments must be prayed for first of all. And if a person calls out to the Heavenly Father with some earthly, material request, then he should ask with humility, because only the Lord knows what is evil for this person and what is good.
If we talk about miraculous icons, then you need to understand that not the icon itself is miraculous. Miracles are performed by God, who always hears prayers addressed to Him with faith, repentance and humility. Icons, on the other hand, can only contribute to the proper mood of a person for prayer.
Appearance of the Mother of God
One of the most revered icons in Orthodoxy is located in the Ukrainian city of Pochaev, above the Royal Doors of the monastery church. In addition to the original, there are also several copies of the Pochaev icon. Prayer to the Lord in front of these icons can be offered in the churches of Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Tobolsk region.
There is the following legend about the acquisition of this image. ATIn the fourteenth century, two monks lived near the mountain on which the monastery now stands. One day, after praying, one of them saw the Most Holy Theotokos, who appeared standing on a mountain in flashes of flame. This monk called another to come and see the miracle too. A local shepherd also came to the call. The stone on which the Virgin Mary stood forever imprinted the imprint of Her right foot. All three climbed the mountain and thanked God for the miracle revealed to them in joint prayer.
Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Finding a shrine
In the second half of the sixteenth century Patriarch Neophyte of Constantinople was on a visit to Russia. Passing through the Volyn lands, he also visited the small town of Pochaev, which was part of the possessions of the noblewoman Anna Goiskaya. Vladyka stayed at her estate for a while.
In gratitude for the warm welcome, the Metropolitan of Constantinople presented the mistress of the estate with the icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev as a gift. Prayers for the healing of her blind brother began to be regularly offered by the noblewoman in front of the holy icon.
Thanks to the true faith that Anna showed in her prayers, full of humility and repentance, the Lord heeded her request, and a miracle happened - the blind man received his sight.
Anna's servants, performing their household duties, noticed more than once a halo of light near the holy face. The owner of the estate herself began to see dreams in which the Mother of God appeared to her. Goyskaya took all this as a sign from above and passed it on to the monksPochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Prayers before her began to be offered up by them in the cave of the mountain where they lived, and where, several centuries before, the Mother of God appeared to their predecessors. The holy image was transferred there by a specially assembled solemn procession.
Monastery
Soon a monastery was erected on that mountain, it was possible to do this thanks to donations for the construction made by Anna Goyskaya. Almost a century later, the miraculous image was taken away from the monastic community by a descendant of Goyskaya. This wicked nobleman kept the icon on his estate for two decades. But after his wife became possessed, he turned for help to the abbot of the Pochaev monastery, Job, who was known among the people for his clairvoyance and righteous life, and after his death was glorified by the church as a saint. He advised the nobleman to immediately return the shrine to its rightful place, which he, in turn, did.
At the end of the seventeenth century there was a war with Turkey, during which numerous Tatar detachments, who fought on the Turkish side, passing through Pochaiv, besieged the monastery. The walls of the monastery, not designed to withstand powerful siege weapons, could not hold back the attacks of the enemy. The enemies surrounding the place from all sides were getting closer.
Heavenly patroness
The abbot of the monastery called on the entire monastic brethren to kneel before the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in prayer for mercy. Some time later, when the Tatarsthey arranged a military council, at which the fate of the monastery was decided, the Mother of God herself appeared over the temples of the monastery, surrounded by an army of angels with drawn swords. Next to the Mother of God stood Saint Job, begging her to intercede for the fate of the besieged monks. At the sight of this grandiose spectacle, panic arose in the camp of the Tatars. They opened archery at the heavenly patrons of the monastic monastery.
But the arrows fired by them returned in their direction, inflicting significant losses on the army. Soon the confusion reached such an unprecedented level that the warriors began to brandish their swords, trying to protect themselves from arrows. Often the blows fell on their associates. The army was demoralized and retreated in horror. The monks followed them, overtook the enemy, and captured many Tatars. Some of these captives later converted to Christianity as they witnessed the power of the Lord.
The Pochaev icon, the prayer before which turned out to be saving, is now within the walls of this monastery, in the Assumption Cathedral.
Prayer of grace
Before the siege of the walls of the Lavra by the Tatar army was repulsed, the miracles that took place due to the Prayer in front of the icon of the Pochaev Mother of God were not documented. But the fame that the icon contributes to grace-filled prayer, spreading from mouth to mouth, spread throughout Russia. Thousands of pilgrims began to gather at the icon, most of whom brought the prayer of the Mother of God for the healing of bodily diseases.
Many miracles are associated with the Pochaev Icon, many of which are inscribed in special monasterybooks. One of the first records tells about the cure of a sick boy. The boy had a thorn in one of his eyes. Saddened parents came with the child to the temple, washed him with water from the trace of the Virgin and began to pray in front of the Pochaev icon. Their request was heard, and the son was cured in a day. Soon he suffered another terrible disease, from which the child died. The boy's grandmother, who was a deeply religious woman, did not become discouraged, but came to church and turned to God with a request for help. And the Lord performed another miracle. Her grandson has risen.
Miracles of Faith
Since those distant times, many believers have come to the Assumption Cathedral every day, hoping to receive healing from ailments, both bodily and spiritual, for which they pray to the Mother of God, looking at them from the Pochaev Icon.
In the new history, there is a case of healing of the nun Varvara, who suffered from paralysis of the lower extremities and moved only on crutches. Thanks to the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, the prayer for the he alth of this nun was so sincere that the Lord healed the suffering woman. The crutches, which turned out to be unnecessary to her, now stand under the icon, reminding the parishioners of the power of righteous prayer and of the boundless love of the Heavenly Father for his children.
One of the ancient legends tells about a certain monk who was captured by the enemy during the war with the Turks. This monk belonged to the brethren of the Pochaev Monastery. He was distinguished by the meekness and diligence of his service to the Lord. The monk regretted what he could not do beforePochaev prayer icon. By God's Grace, he was once transferred to his native monastery.
Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. What are they praying for?
The described cases show that the miraculous image helps to strengthen faith and fortitude. Written sources mainly mention the healing of those praying from visible problems, bodily diseases. But many people turn to God with requests for deliverance from spiritual ailments: envy, pride, despondency. Many holy fathers say that just such prayers are the most pleasing to the Lord. But cases of such healings are described extremely rarely because of the complexity, and sometimes the impossibility of describing these purely personal vices. Therefore, in the traditions of the church about miraculous deliverance from material troubles, it is customary to see another, symbolic meaning. For example, when a legend tells that the prayer of the Mother of God at the Pochaev Icon saved or contributed to liberation from prison and captivity, then it should be understood that such a prayer can also save from spiritual bondage - to free a person from the captivity of his sinful passions.
The case of the healing of the blind brother Anna Goyskaya can be considered as a symbol of spiritual insight, understanding of one's sinfulness and the need for improvement, which can only happen when a person turns to faith. And any faith, any religion, first of all, calls a person to prayer. Religion without prayer has no meaning and is reduced only to the meaningless performance of rituals.
Following the same logic, the pages of the annals of the monastery, telling about the reflectionof the Tatar army with the assistance of the Mother of God, can be interpreted as confirmation that the Lord is ready to save people from any enemies, including invisible ones, that is, sins.
How does the prayer of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God help?
Answering this question, it should be recalled that one should pray not to the icon itself, but to the Mother of God, who is depicted on this icon and can act as an intercessor before God for praying people. The icon itself does not have any divine power, but it can contribute to the right mood for prayer. Alexei Osipov, professor of theology, spoke about this more than once, who, in turn, refers to many sayings of the holy fathers regarding this topic. Therefore, this opinion is not his subjective vision of this issue, it is based on the consistent teaching of the holy fathers.
Artistic characteristic of the icon
This sample of icon art is an icon of the so-called Affection type. This is a half-length image of the Mother of God, holding the infant Savior with one hand, and with the other a veil that covers the legs and back of Jesus. With one hand Christ holds on to the shoulder of his Mother, and with the other he makes a gesture of blessing.
On the icon you can see inscriptions made in Greek. On the sides are small icons of several saints. The face of the Blessed Virgin is painted in oil on wood in a manner typical of the Byzantine icon painting school. Initially, the image was covered with a silver salary, but it was lost. Now the icon is framed by a star made of pearls of small caliber, which waspresented to the monastery by the Russian Emperor Alexander II as a token of his gratitude for the hospitality of the monks, which they showed during his pilgrimage to the Lavra in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Origin of the icon
The authorship of this icon has not been established. Most experts agree that this image is a family icon. It is possible that initially it belonged to the family of the Greek Patriarch Neophyte himself.
As you know, some nations had a custom to choose a heavenly patron for the family. The day of veneration of this saint became a family holiday, and the icon with his image enjoyed special respect. There were also "dimensional" icons that were given to newborns. They got this name because the size of the image corresponds to the growth of a newborn baby. Some researchers tend to believe that the icon of the Pochaev Mother of God was painted by Russian icon painters.
Celebration and daily worship
On August 5, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Pochaev Icon. What are they praying for on this day? This holiday was approved in memory of the miraculous reflection of the Tatar army by the forces of the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Job, the first abbot of the monastery. In addition, every day after the morning service, which begins at exactly five in the morning and is held by the light of some lamps, the icon, located in the third row of the iconostasis, descends to the level of human growth on special mounts. At this time the churchthe choir sings the chant "The Impassable Gate".
Near the icon, according to tradition, there should be a hieromonk, who is called a kiot monk. He is the first to approach the icon in order to venerate it. After him, all the monks of the monastery venerate the image, and after them comes the turn of the laity present at the service. You can also venerate the shrine on Saturdays, these days, before lowering the icon, the monks read the cathedral akathist. The image is lowered on ribbons for general worship and on Sundays and holidays, after the Late Divine Liturgy has been served.
In closing
A large number of residents of the city of Pochaev flock to bow to the holy image every day. The Assumption Cathedral also receives a huge number of pilgrims. All of them come to the icon to pray and ask the Most Pure Virgin for help in front of the Pochaev icon. What is usually asked of the Heavenly Intercessor?
Most often, prayers relate to physical he alth, because, as already mentioned, according to church tradition, this image favors a special mood for just such a prayer.
It is also believed that before the icon it is good to pray for people in places of detention, or to ask for protection from unfair punishment. But even if a person has committed a crime and is sure of the inevitability of punishment for his deed, then in this case it is never too late for him to kneel in repentant prayer and thereby follow the example of the right-wing thief from the Gospel.
You only need to remember that a certain mood is important for prayer, and also it must, in addition to the request, by all meanscontain words of gratitude to heavenly patrons. As for the texts of the prayer before the Pochaev image, there are about five prayers, each of which contains various requests. You can also read the Akathist to the Pochaev Icon. Its content is based on the events of the military conflict with Turkey, when the monastery withstood the siege of the enemy army.
