In the Pokrovsky Stauropegial Monastery in Moscow, it is always crowded: thousands of Orthodox believers come daily to worship the holy relics and the icon of the blessed old woman Matrona of Moscow. People come from other cities, stand in long lines for several hours to turn to Matronushka for help in everyday hardships.
The Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow became famous for her ascetic service to God, a righteous life, and miraculous healing of people from spiritual and bodily ailments committed through her prayers to the Lord. Her prophecies and predictions helped many to avoid danger and death, to find the right path in difficult life situations. And today, the Matronushka is helping everyone who needs her intercession and prayer.
Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova was born in 1881 in the Tula province into a god-fearing peasant family. Being blind from birth, she possessed the gift of foresight, insight, spiritual reasoning and healing, felt the approach of danger, predicted misfortunes, natural disasters and wars. From childhood, Matronushka raised prayers to the hopelessly sick, predicted the future, gave advice on how to avoid trouble.
In difficult times of persecution of the church, the destruction and looting of temples, repressions against believers, Matrona often had to move from place to place. So she ended up in Moscow, where she lived almost until her righteous death. Believers with joy gave shelter to the blessed old woman, and wherever she lived, people came to her in an endless stream: they carried their troubles and misfortunes, and everyone was sure that they would receive help, advice and comfort in grief.
In 1952, Matron died and was buried at the Danilovsky Cemetery in Moscow. In 1998, her remains were transferred to the left aisle of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in the Holy Protection Monastery, and in 1999 the old woman was canonized. Since then, she has been honored as a righteous woman, painted icons, and read akathist at divine services.
Today's pilgrims, arriving at the Pokrovsky Monastery, ask for everything: marital happiness, motherhood, getting rid of drug, alcohol, and game addiction, mental suffering, and healing from serious illnesses. And everyone who comes to worship the holy relics immediately receives from the Matronushka gracious help and admonition.
