Widely revered throughout the Christian world, the Mother of God icon "Joy and Consolation" has been kept for many centuries on the holy Mount Athos in the temple of the Vatopedi Monastery. The history of the foundation of this monastery, as well as the painting of the very image of the Most Holy Theotokos, are connected with legends that have survived several historical eras and are filled with an inexpressible feeling of past centuries.
The miraculous rescue of the prince
One of the legends that can be heard from the lips of the monks of the monastery tells about the origin of its unusual name. It sends listeners back to the end of the 4th century, when the young prince Arcadius ─ the son of the last ruler of the Roman Empire Theodosius the Great ─ went on a sea voyage to the holy Mount Athos to bow to the places that became the earthly Lot of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The weather was excellent throughout the journey, and nothing foreshadowed trouble, when suddenly the sky darkened and a terrible storm broke out. It happened so unexpectedly that the courtiers did not have time to take the boy off the deck and hide him in the lower rooms of the ship. As a result of blowhe was washed overboard by the rolling wave and disappeared into the depths of the sea.
The incident horrified everyone on the ship at that moment, as they understood that the wrath of the emperor would inevitably fall upon them. In addition, everyone sincerely mourned the young prince, whom they no longer hoped to see alive. However, as soon as the storm subsided, the travelers moored to the shore along which their path ran, and carefully examined the thickets that covered it in the hope of finding at least the body of the lad thrown up by the waves.
What was their joy when they found Arkady not only alive, but completely unharmed! He slept peacefully under one of the bushes. As the lad later said, being on the verge of death, he retained his presence of mind and prayerfully called out to the Most Holy Theotokos, asking for Her intercession. The cry that came from the children's lips was heard, and at the same moment, an unknown force picked up Arkady and, carrying him through the storm and darkness, lowered him to the seashore, where, tired from the unrest experienced, he fell asleep under a bush.
Foundation and further fate of the monastery
Hearing such a marvelous story, Emperor Theodosius the Great, the boy's father, ordered a church to be erected on the site of his miraculous salvation, which from then on became known as Vatoped, which means "Young Bush". Over time, a monastery was built there, then destroyed by foreigners who harbored hostility to the faith of Christ.
For several centuries the monastery lay in ruins, until in the middle of the 10th century it was not restoredthree pious men, who had come for this purpose from Adrianapolis, took up the task. History has brought their names to us. These were rich, but who wished to leave the vanity of the world, Greek nobles: Athanasius, Anthony and Nicholas.
In historical documents, the first mention of the monastery, which now houses the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation", refers to 985. It is also known that shortly after this, its rapid rise began, which allowed it to become one of the main monasteries of the Holy Mountain ten years later. The monastery holds such a high position to this day, despite the fact that its history is marked by a series of ups and downs. The photo of the monastery is presented above.
The monastery turned fortress
Visiting the monastery, you can hear the legend associated with its main shrine ─ the Vatopedi icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation". Her story is also very unusual. This image was painted at the end of the 14th century and for a long time was placed in the vestibule of the cathedral church, not particularly standing out among its other shrines, until a miracle happened that glorified it throughout the Christian world.
In those ancient times, the Vatopedi Monastery, as well as the rest of the monasteries of the Holy Mountain, was often attacked by robbers who wanted to profit from the valuables stored in it. For this reason, powerful walls were erected around it, giving the monastery the appearance of a fortification. Every evening its gates were tightly locked and opened only the next day after the end of matins. It was accepted thatafter the service, the porter came to the rector, and he handed over the keys to him.
Animated icon
And then one day, when the monks had already left the temple and the abbot was ready, as usual, to give orders about the monastery gates, the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" that was next to him on the wall suddenly came to life. Turning her Immaculate Eyes on the monk, the Virgin ordered him not to open the gates, because robbers were hiding behind them that morning, waiting only for a convenient moment to break into the monastery and start plundering. Moreover, the Queen of Heaven ordered all the inhabitants to climb the monastery walls and repulse the uninvited guests.
Before the rector had time to recover from what he saw and heard, the icon “Joy and Consolation” shocked him with a new miracle. The baby Jesus, sitting on the lap of the Mother, suddenly came to life, and, raising His Most Pure Face to Her, forbade warning the brethren of danger, since the attack of the robbers was a punishment sent down to them for sins and neglect in the fulfillment of sacred vows.
However, to the great astonishment of the monk, the Mother of God, with truly maternal boldness, took aside the hand of the Son raised to Her lips, and, somewhat deviating to the right, again repeated Her command not to open the gates, and to summon the monks to protect the monastery. At the same time, She ordered all the brethren to repent of their sins, since Her Son is angry with them.
The icon that became the main shrine of the monastery
After these words, the figures of the Mother of God and Her Eternal Child depicted on the icon “Joy andConsolation”, froze again, but at the same time her appearance changed. The face of the Blessed Virgin forever remained slightly tilted to the right and filled not only with maternal love, but also with boundless condescension. At the same time, the hand of the Mother of God froze, as if holding the hand of the Infant, not childishly sternly looking from the icon. It is also known that the icon received the name “Joy and Consolation” precisely after it miraculously delivered the monks from the attack of robbers.
Previously, this image was placed in the cathedral vestibule, but after a miracle that made it truly miraculous, it was transferred to the chapel (temple) of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" specially erected for it, where it remains to this day. Throughout all the centuries that have passed since that ancient time, an inextinguishable lamp has been burning in front of him and divine services have been performed daily. Since ancient times, there has also been a tradition to perform monastic tonsure in front of this icon.
Source of Divine Grace
The significance of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" for the monastery is truly invaluable, and it lies not only in the fact that thanks to it he gained worldwide fame, but also in the inexhaustible stream of divine grace emanating from her. Every year, the list of only officially registered and noted in special books of miracles, revealed through prayers offered before this image, increases, and how many of them remained hidden from the general public! It is no coincidence that the Vatopedi Monastery became one of the largest Christian pilgrimage centers.
Lists of the Vatopedi icon in Russian churches
In Russia, the icon Joy andConsolation” has been known since ancient times. It is believed that this happened in the first half of the 16th century thanks to the outstanding religious figure, writer and publicist ─ St. Maximus the Greek. On his initiative, in 1518, two lists were delivered to Russia from Athos, made from the miraculous icons of the Vatopedi Monastery, among which was “Joy and Consolation”. Numerous miracles of healing, manifested through prayers before her, brought the icon wide fame and became a reason for venerating it as miraculous.
In the 17th century, the list of the Vatopedi icon "Joy and Consolation" was transported to Rostov, where it remains to this day in one of the churches of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery. From it, in turn, many copies were made, which were distributed throughout Russia. One of them was a cell icon of St. Demetrius of Rostov, who entered the history of the Russian Orthodox Church as an outstanding religious writer, preacher and teacher.
Among the numerous lists of the Joy and Consolation icon, the photos of which are presented in the article, there are some that deserve special fame. This is, first of all, the image kept in Moscow in the temple on the Khodynka field (the photo of the temple is given above). He was brought there in June 2004 by a delegation of residents of the Vatopedi Monastery, who arrived in the capital to celebrate the day of memory of the Athos saints. The icon was delivered to its current location by a solemn religious procession, in which at least 20 thousand people took part.
In addition, you should nametwo lists located in St. Petersburg. One of them is placed in the Kazan Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent, and the other - in the temple of the icon "Joy and Consolation" on Dybenko Street. The icon, exported to Belarus, is also deeply revered by the people. Today it is stored in the Lyadan Holy Annunciation Monastery.
The significance of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church is very great, and there is a lot of evidence for this. Suffice it to recall how in 1852 the Athonite elder Seraphim Svyatogorets, now glorified as a saint, sent a list from the Vatopedi icon to the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg. On its reverse side, he personally inscribed an inscription stating that this miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos will abundantly pour out Divine grace on all those who flow to it. And his words were further confirmed by the miracles that the Queen of Heaven showed through him.
What helps the icon "Joy and Consolation"?
Answering this question, it is appropriate, first of all, to recall the significant event that served as an occasion for her glorification ─ the salvation of the Athos monastery from the villains. Based on this, for all subsequent centuries, Orthodox Christians prayed before the Vatopedi icon for deliverance from the attack of robbers and the invasion of foreigners.
Before the icon "Joy and Consolation" it is also customary to pray to the Queen of Heaven for deliverance from various illnesses and infirmities. In addition, it has long been noted that it carries help in epidemics, more than oncevisited Russian soil and claimed thousands of lives. In this regard, every time the Lord allowed a plague, cholera or pestilence to happen for human sins, having served a prayer service, the Orthodox carried the icon around the infected city in a procession, and if their repentance was deep and sincere, then the disease receded.
There is a lot of evidence of how prayers before the Vatopedi icon protected people from fires, floods and other life misfortunes. They are very helpful in arranging various daily affairs and finding peace of mind. This, in particular, is mentioned in the troparion of the icon "Joy and Consolation". It also contains petitions for quenching the sinful flame, healing spiritual ulcers, strengthening faith, purifying thoughts, as well as granting humility, love, patience and rooting the fear of God in the hearts.
Year of life bestowed by the Mother of God
In addition, the miracles manifested through prayers offered both before the original of the icon, which is kept to this day on Athos, and before its numerous lists, have become widely known. The most famous of them is an entry in the book of the Vatopedi Monastery, dated to the beginning of the last century. It tells how a certain monk named Neophyte was instructed by the abbot to go to one of their farmsteads, located on the island of Abway in the Mediterranean Sea.
During the sea voyage, the monk fell ill, and, having arrived on the island, he could hardly stand on his feet. Anticipating his imminent death, he offered up prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of the list from Her Vatopedi icon that was in the courtyard. Enochprayed to prolong his days, so that, having fulfilled his obedience, he could return to his monastery and complete his earthly journey in it. Before he had time to rise from his knees, he heard a wonderful voice coming from heaven and commanding him to fulfill his obedience, to return to the monastery, but in a year to be ready to stand before the gates of eternity.
The illness immediately left the sufferer, and he exactly fulfilled everything that was entrusted to him by the father rector. After that, he safely returned to the Vatopedi Monastery, where he spent a whole year in fasting and prayer. After the expiration of the same period, standing in front of the icon "Joy and Consolation", he suddenly again heard a voice familiar to him, proclaiming that the hour of his death was already close. Immediately after these words, the monk felt his strength leave him. With difficulty reaching his cell, Neophyte called the brethren to him, and, lying on his deathbed, told them about the miracle revealed through his prayer. After that, he went to the Lord in peace.
Tears from the icon
There are later testimonies. So, in 2000, a monk of the Kykksky monastery located in Cyprus, Stillianus, during a night prayer, witnessed how the faces of the Infant Jesus and His Most Pure Mother on the icon unexpectedly came to life and were transformed, and tears flowed profusely from Their eyes. Struck by what he saw, the monk lost the power of speech, and regained it only after all the brethren went around the monastery in a procession, carrying this miraculous image in front of them.
Numerous records in monastic andparish books. They help to understand even more deeply the meaning of the icon "Joy and Consolation" and the place it occupies in Russian iconography.
