One of the most revered shrines of Christianity is the icon of the Mother of God of Bethlehem. Its history is not rich, but rather confused. Some historians believe that it was written in Russia. According to others, the evangelist Luke was its creator. This saint painted three similar icons - Constantinople, Ephesus and Jerusalem. The latter is called Bethlehem.
History of the Icon of the Mother of God of Bethlehem
Many believe that Luke wrote this image during the life of the Virgin, and therefore it most accurately shows exactly how the Virgin Mary looked. First, the evangelist created one icon depicting the Mother of God, and then two more. He decided to show one of them to the Virgin Mary herself. The Mother of God liked the image, and she blessed it, adding that with all those who pray, looking at it, “grace will abide.”
The Evangelist Luke wrote a few more icons, on which the founders of Christianity are depicted authentically. It is believed that some images of the Savior, as well as the apostles Peter and Paulcreated by him and are nothing more than ordinary portraits, and not actually invented icons.
In 463, the Scythians tried to capture the capital of Byzantium - Constantinople. In order to enlist the support of the Lord, the wife of Emperor Theodosius, Evdokia, brought the icon of the Mother of God of Bethlehem to this city. Thanks to her intercession, Constantinople held out, and the Scythians retreated. This was the first miracle of the image. After that, he was placed in the Blachernae Church. The icon stayed here for a very long time - about 300 years. There is also a version that the image was transferred not to the Walcherna temple, but to one of the churches of the Odigon monastery, from where its name came from.
In 988, the image was transferred to Korsun as a gift to Prince Vladimir, who gave it to St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. She stayed in this temple for about 400 years.
Legend of the icon
There is also a rather interesting legend about this icon. According to legend, the icon was not just brought to Russia, but served as a protective relic for the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenic - Anna. This image was supposed to protect her on the way to the Chernihiv region from Constantinople. Anna went there to her future husband. Then the icon got its name "Hodegetria", which translates as "Guide".
Features of the look
An interesting fact is that the icon of the Mother of God of Bethlehem is the only image on which the Virgin smiles. The riza on the icon is made from the dress of Princess Elizaveta Romanova (1864-1918). BC), Christian Great Martyr. It is believed that it was she who transferred this icon to Bethlehem. There is also a legend that the sick princess was healed by praying before this image.
The Infant Christ is depicted on the icon holding one of the symbols of royal power - orb. His other hand is raised in a gesture of blessing. The Mother of God herself points to Christ. It is believed that in this way she is trying to say that her son Jesus is the Way of Life.
Features of the images of "Hodegetria"
All Catholic and Orthodox icons, on which the Mother of God points to Jesus, are usually called "Hodegetria". On all such images, the Virgin Mary is depicted sitting and holding the baby Christ in her arms. At the same time, he also holds something in his hand. Usually this is not a power, as on the Bethlehem icon (although it became the prototype of all the images of the Hodegetria), but a scroll or a book. This corresponds to the iconographic type of Christ as Pantocrator, that is, the Almighty. Usually the Blessed Virgin is depicted on such an image to the waist. However, there are icons of the Hodegetria, on which the Mother of God is painted shoulder-length or full-length. The main feature of the images of this iconographic type is that Christ himself is in the center of the composition, and not his mother.
Where is the icon now
The Bethlehem Icon of the Mother of God, the meaning of which, as we found out, is the worship of the divine baby, and not the actual woman who gave birth to him, at the moment is still in Bethlehem, in the Basilica of the Nativity of Christ. You can pray to her before entering the cave where Jesus Christ himself was once born. The image is placed in a wooden case and is located on the right near the wall. Every year, pilgrims from all over the world flock to Bethlehem to venerate the miraculous image.
How to pray standing in front of an icon?
In what cases can the Bethlehem Icon of the Mother of God help? A prayer is said to her in case of illness of children. You can also ask the Mother of God for the healing of adults. Of course, the words must be spoken from the heart and with deep faith. Like any other image of the Virgin Mary, this icon can also help those who do not have, but would like to have children. There is no special prayer to the Bethlehem icon. You can simply ask her for intercession in your own words. Also in this case, the usual prayer to the Blessed Virgin is also suitable - “Virgin Mary, rejoice …”.
What is an akathist?
Akathist to the icon of the Mother of God or any other is a special hymn performed in the church in honor of Christ, saints, etc. You cannot sit while pronouncing it. The first akathists glorified the Blessed Virgin. They were written in Greek and compiled according to certain rules. The structure of the akathist is very interesting: after the first stanza, twelve large and twelve small ones follow, alternating.
The history of the appearance of Orthodox icons in the world and in Russia
As already mentioned, it is believed that the first images were ordinary portraits of the Savior, the Virgin, the apostles and saints. mostThe Savior Not Made by Hands is considered an old Christian icon. According to legend, the painter Ananya decided to paint the image of a preaching Christ when he taught the people in Jerusalem. However, he did not succeed at all, since the expression on the face of the Savior was constantly changing. Seeing that the artist was upset, Christ allegedly asked for water, washed himself with it and wiped his face with a towel, on which his image miraculously appeared.
The first icons were created to make it easier for people to communicate with Jesus, his Mother and saints on a spiritual level. From Byzantium, the tradition of writing images spread throughout the world. The icons were understandable and close to people who spoke completely different languages. The ancient images were called the "Bible for the illiterate." From these images, a medieval person who could not read could study the history of the life of Christ, his apostles and Christian saints.
The icon painting also came to Russia from Byzantium after the adoption of Christianity in 988. Until the end of the seventeenth century, it became the basis of ancient Russian fine art. The fashion for secular paintings began to spread in our country only during the reign of Peter the Great.
The Russian masters were trained by the Greeks invited to paint Russian Christian churches. The founder of the first purely national school of icon painting was Metropolitan Hilarion, who called on the clergy and parishioners to create their own Slavic religious culture on the basis of Christianity that came from Byzantium. The first Russian icons of saints, apostles, the Savior and the Mother of God were more monumental than Byzantine ones, had largesizes and differed in gloomy color.
Icons of saints
Initially, Russian icons still repeated the plots of Byzantine icons. However, over time, Russia also had its own saints. And along with them, the icons depicting them. One of the very first was the image of Boris and Gleb, the Russian princes who were killed by their own brother Svyatopolk for their Christian beliefs. This atrocity happened in 1015 during the internecine war. These princes became the first canonized Russian saints. Until now, Boris and Gleb are considered heavenly protectors of the rulers of the Russian land.
Miraculous icons of the Mother of God
Besides Bethlehem, there are other icons of the Mother of God, in the presence of which various kinds of miracles occur. In fact, there are many such images. As an example, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Searching for the Lost" can be cited. Once it belonged to one of the Russian noble families. Its last owner went bankrupt, took to drink with grief and was already on the verge of death. However, having prayed with all sincerity to the icon, he received help. His daughters married well. The grateful father donated the image to the local church.
It is impossible not to mention the icon of the Iberian Mother of God, the shrine of the Iberian monastery on Athos. This image is one of the variants of Hodegetria. Just a huge number of miraculous healings happened before him. The icon of the Mother of God “Satisfy my sorrows”, “Merciful”, Tkhivinsky and many others are also considered miraculous.
The myrrh-streaming icons of the Mother of God
It is known that the images of the Mother of God often stream myrrh. That is, on the surface of the icon, drops of an oily substance appear by themselves, similar to the sacred world used for baptism. It is simply impossible to explain this phenomenon by the properties of wood to isolate the resin, since there is evidence of the myrrh-streaming even of ordinary paper photocopies of images. Very often, this phenomenon portends some kind of trouble. Especially if the icon exudes not fragrant oil, but a red liquid similar to blood, or transparent, similar to tears.
The Icon of the Mother of God of Bethlehem and other similar images are not only the most important Christian shrines, but also works of art of great historical value. Most of these images contain many secrets and mysteries. Perhaps someday historians will be able to unravel them.
