The icon of the Kazan Mother of God is one of the most revered in Orthodoxy. All over the world, people pray for this image and ask Our Lady for intercession. It is believed that the icon has great power, helps and bestows healing.
The story of the icon
The prototype of the icon was found back in 1579, it is not known by whom exactly and when it was painted. A huge fire occurred in the city of Kazan, whole streets were burning, most of the wooden buildings were destroyed. According to a legend that has survived to this day, immediately after the terrible fire of the little daughter of the merchant Onuchin, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream and indicated the place where the miraculous image, untouched by fire, lay. The merchant dismantled the rubble of his burnt house and found under them an icon painted on a cypress board.
The icon was not only beautiful, but also had a difference from other famous icons of the Mother of God. On the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the infant Christ is depicted on the left side of the mother, and his right hand is raised in a blessing gesture.
The icon of the Kazan Mother of God possessed a mysterious healing power. Many people applied to the image in the hope of healing. There is evidence that the icon restored sight, relieved headaches and other ailments. It was installed in the Annunciation Church of Kazan. The crowds went to see and pray for the image.
The news of the miraculous icon spread far beyond the city and reached the king. A copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was made and sent to Ivan the Terrible. She made a stunning impression on the entire royal family. Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a convent at the location of the holy image.
The role of the icon in the history of Russia
In addition to the miracles of healing, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan played an important role in the history of the Russian state. At the beginning of the 17th century, misfortunes fell on Russia, the throne was left without a ruler. The Poles took advantage of the troubles and captured Moscow, and put their prince Vladislav as king. Korolevich did not want to change his Catholic faith to Orthodox and honestly rule the Russian people. As a result, Patriarch Germogen urged the people to revolt, overthrow the Poles and put the Orthodox Tsar on the throne.
In 1612, a copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to Moscow by Kazan militias, she was in the chambers of Prince D.I. Pozharsky. Before the battle, the soldiers prayed for the image and asked the Mother of God for help.
After the victory over the Poles, Pozharsky identified the icon in the Church of the Introduction on the Lubyanka. In gratitude of victory and salvation in battle, the prince erected the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, where they transferred the wonderful image of the Virgin.
The triumph of the Russian troops in the battle of Poltava in 1709, as well as the victory in the war with Napoleon, are associated with the prototype of the Mother of God of Kazan. It is noteworthy that Peter the Great before the Battle of Poltava with his army prayed precisely in front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
The great Catherine the Second ordered to make a precious crown and personally crowned her holy image.
In 1812, during the First Patriotic War, Field Marshal Kutuzov leaving Moscow to the French took the icon from the cathedral and took it out on his chest under his greatcoat. After the victory, the icon returned to its place.
The third copy of the image of the Kazan Mother of God was brought to St. Petersburg by order of Paul I in 1708. First, she was placed in a wooden chapel on the Petersburg side, and then transported to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Nevsky Prospect. Here the icon stayed until 1811, then it was transferred to the built Kazan Cathedral, where it is still located.
A great role was played by the holy image during the years of World War II. According to historical records, the icon was secretly delivered to the besieged Leningrad. She was carried along the streets of the city, and he survived. The icon was also taken to Moscow during the war, and a prayer service was served in front of it in Stalingrad. It is believed that the Mother of God is the defender of Russia and helps the country withstand the enemies.
Miracles of Moscow
Interestingly, in the first days of the icon’s stay in Moscow, many miracles and healings took place. The story of Savva Fomin has reached our time. This Kazan Posad, who lived in Moscow, decided to commit a terrible crime. He called the devil and promised to give him his immortal soul. But after the atrocity was committed, Savva was struck by a serious illness, and over time he wanted to repent of his crime. Preparing for death, he confessed to the priest, after which the Virgin appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to arrive at Kazan Cathedral on July 8. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich heard about this and ordered to bring the sick Savva on the carpet to the cathedral. During the service, Savva began to suffer severe pain, he began to appeal to the Queen of heaven, and the Mother of God appeared to him and ordered to enter her church. To the amazement of the parishioners, Savva rose and entered the Kazan Cathedral on his own feet. He knelt before the icon and promised to devote his life to serving God. Subsequently, he handed out all his property and tonsured monks in the Miracles Monastery.
The mystery of finding the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God
Currently, many copies of the miraculous icon have been written, but the location of the original sacred image remains a mystery.
There are several versions about the disappearance and secret storage of the icon. The original was lost at the beginning of the XIX century. At that time, there were rumors about the theft of the icon from the Bogoroditsky monastery. Allegedly, along with the Virgin, the image of the Savior and valuable church utensils were also stolen. A prize of 300 rubles was awarded for the capture of thieves or information about the location of the icon.
After some time, the thief was caught in Nizhny Novgorod. He turned out to be an experienced thief - a recidivist with 43 years of hard labor behind someone Chaikin. His "specialization" was church robbery. During interrogations, he changed his testimony several times, first claimed that he had burned the icon, then he began to say that he had cut it with an ax. However, neither the court nor the people believed him, since even such an inveterate criminal could not have known about the value of the relic. But Tchaikin until 1917 claimed that he had destroyed the icon of the Virgin.
The churchmen thought that the icon fell into the hands of the Old Believers. The fact is that the Old Believers believed that having acquired the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, they would receive freedom of religion. In fact, practically it happened, in 1905 the law on religious tolerance was issued and the Old Believers were restored in their rights. People began to say that this is a bad sign and that Russia will be in trouble. After the bloody events of 1917, the trace of the icon was lost forever.
According to the second version, only a copy of the icon was stolen, and the original was at the time of the crime in the chambers of the Mother Superior of the monastery.
The historian Hafizov conducted his own investigation of the mysterious disappearance of the holy image. He believes that the icon was exported from Russia in 1920 during the Civil War and sold at an underground auction to an English collector. After that, the icon several times passed into the hands of new owners and was eventually bought by the Blue Army organization and transferred to the Vatican, from where it returned to Russia in 2004.
There is another version: the original icon of the Kazan Mother of God was not destroyed and was never exported outside the country. The face is securely hidden in a secret place.
An interesting fact: even modern lists with icons have great power and there are many eyewitnesses who claim that they experienced the miraculous power of themselves.
