The love with which the Most Holy Theotokos bent over her son, how closely she pressed against his cheek and with what grace she looks at everyone who prays to her image, proves how much this Immaculate and Holy Virgin loves his son and all people. And how much light in those bottomless eyes, how much kindness, how much dedication! Looking at this marvelous icon, you want to forget about all the pressing problems and worldly affairs.
Who wrote this greatest image
According to legend, the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Apostle Luke. The Most Holy Theotokos, as soon as she saw the shrine, was amazed and uttered the following words: “The grace of the one born of me and Mine be with this icon.”
Icon description
Unfortunately, over time, the icon has changed its color a bit. It has acquired a dark hue, but despite this, incredible power emanates from the face to this day.
The shrine is 80 cm long and 62.3 cm wide. The baby is pictured indark green clothes. On the back of the shrine you can see the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The icon has a very interesting distinctive feature - it is a shoulder image of the Virgin and her Baby. The artist's attention is most focused on the gestures and gaze of Mary and Jesus. Luke wanted to depict the infinite love and patronage of the Blessed Virgin for the whole world.
Hands and fingers are very expressively described. In the right hand of the Infant is a scroll, and in the left - the maphorium of the Virgin. The hands of the Blessed Virgin gently embrace Jesus, thus showing how much she cherishes her Son.
This is a description of the genuine icon. There are also rewritten images, which are also of great importance for believers.
Interesting events and chronology
Two legends tell how the miraculous shrine ended up on the territory of the Russian land, which we will tell you now.
Vladimir the Great
The first legend says that Prince Vladimir of Kyiv really wanted to intermarry with the emperor of Byzantium in order to help him suppress annoying rebels. To do this, he wooed his charming sister Annushka. The girl agreed to marry the prince. The only obstacle to marriage was the faith of Vladimir, because he was a pagan. Anna insisted that the prince convert to Christianity, to which he quickly agreed, thereby earning the beauty's trust.
Later, the wedding ceremony of Vladimir and Anna took place in the city of Korsun. After this significant event, the newlyweds went to Kyiv. On their long journey andblessed by the same Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which the prince took with him to his homeland. From Kyiv, the image came to Novgorod, then to Moscow, where it was placed in the Kremlin Cathedral in the name of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Euphrosinia of Polotsk
The second legend says that the icon of Korsun, whose significance is enormous, came to Russia thanks to the efforts of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk. At the end of the 12th century, under her leadership, a convent was erected, which was in great need of icons. Having learned that in Ephesus there is a miraculous image, which was painted by the Apostle of God Luke himself, Euphrosyne immediately sent a messenger Michael with a request to donate this most holy icon to the monastery. The Byzantines agreed, and the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God went to Polotsk. On the way, Mikhail visited the city of Korsun, hence the name.
Further fate of the icon
In 1239 Saint Euphrosyne married her beloved grandniece Alexandra to Yaroslav Nevsky. Polotskaya blessed their marriage with the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, and then brought it to the girl as a gift. Later, Alexandra presented the icon to the city of Toropets. As it was said in the legend, the shrine repeatedly protected this settlement from cruel attacks by the Lithuanians. Thousands of people prayed before the holy face during the terrible epidemic that hit Toropets. When the French were approaching the city in 1812, the locals, fearing for the shrine, took it to the outskirts. After that, news spread along Toropets that Napoleon decided to change his route andbypassed the city. Then the church of the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God again accepted the shrine.
In 1917, temples across the country began to be destroyed. Fearing for the shrine, the clergy decided to give the icon to the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg) for preservation. After the end of the repressions, the temple of the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God repeatedly tried to return the image to its native walls, but the authorities considered that the shrine was the property of the state and refused to give it away. The Korsun Icon of the Mother of God is kept in the Russian Museum to this day.
Error restorers
After the shrine came into the possession of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, famous specialists were instructed to restore the icon. They were so carried away by their work that they made a huge mistake, thinking that they were cleaning the image of soot. In fact, it was the dark skin of the Most Holy Theotokos and her Baby. This is how they were depicted in ancient Byzantine images.
What do they pray for before this image?
For seven centuries, the icon has helped believers cope with illnesses, troubles and grief. Before the face of the Korsun Mother of God, they pray for deliverance from sorrow, sadness, from mental and physical ailments, and poverty. Farmers and agricultural workers are asking for better weather conditions and a richer harvest.
Pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary with an open heart and selflessness, and you will surely be heard.
