The Smolensk icon of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria. Icon of the Blessed Virgin "Hodegetria-Smolenskaya

Smolensk icon Mother of God, called "Hodegetria", which means "Guide", according to Church tradition, was written by the holy evangelist Luke during earthly life Holy Mother of God. Saint Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this image was painted at the request of the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus. From Antioch, the shrine was transferred to Jerusalem, and from there the Empress Eudoxia, the wife of Arcadius, transferred it to Constantinople to Pulcheria, the emperor's sister, who placed the holy icon in the Blachernae church.

The Greek Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh (1042-1054), giving his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise, in 1046, blessed her on her journey with this icon. After the death of Prince Vsevolod, the icon passed to his son Vladimir Monomakh, who transferred it at the beginning of the 12th century to the Smolensk Cathedral Church in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. Since that time, the icon has been called the Hodegetria of Smolensk.

In 1238, according to a voice from the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercury entered the camp of Batu at night and killed many enemies, including them. the strongest warrior. Having accepted a martyr's death in battle, he was canonized by the Church as a saint (Comm. 24 November).

In the 14th century, Smolensk was in the possession of the Lithuanian princes. The daughter of Prince Vitovt Sofia was married to the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398, she brought with her to Moscow the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The holy image was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the royal gates. In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk, headed by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession, and two copies of it remained in Moscow. One was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - "measure in measure" - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was set up on the Maiden's Field, where Muscovites "with many tears" released the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602, an exact list was written from the miraculous icon (in 1666, together with the ancient icon new list were taken to Moscow for renovation), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper gates, under a specially arranged tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 a stone one.

New list adopted grace-filled power an ancient image, and when the Russian troops left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them to protect it from the enemy. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, this image was worn around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers to a great feat. ancient image Smolenskaya Hodegetria, taken temporarily to the Assumption Cathedral, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, along with the Iberian and Vladimir icons of the Mother of God, they carried around white city, Kitay-gorod and the Kremlin walls, and then sent to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovo Palace. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl.

So reverently our ancestors kept these icons-sisters, and the Mother of God, through Her images, guarded our Motherland. After the victory over the enemy, the Hodegetria icon, together with the glorified list, was returned to Smolensk.

The celebration in honor of this miraculous image on July 28 was established in 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.

There are many revered lists from the Smolensk Hodegetria, which are supposed to be celebrated on the same day. There is also a day of celebration of the Smolensk icon, which became famous in the 19th century, on November 5, when this icon was returned to Smolensk by order of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, M.I. Kutuzov. In memory of the expulsion of enemies from the Fatherland in Smolensk, it was established to celebrate this day every year.

The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church. Believers have received and continue to receive abundant grace-filled help from her. The Mother of God, through Her holy image, intercedes and strengthens us, guiding us to salvation, and we cry out to Her: "You are the faithful people - the All-good Hodegetria, You are the Smolensk Praise and all the Russian land - affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, the salvation of Christians!"

The Virgin Mother is the boundary between created and uncreated nature, and those who know God will know Her, as the receptacle of the inconceivable, and those who sing of God will sing Her after God. She is the foundation of those who are before her, and the intercessor is eternal.

St. Gregory Palamas

Novodevichy Convent is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Moscow. It is beautiful in any weather, at any time of the year. From childhood and for the rest of my life, I remember the unusually lush thickets of the monastery lilac (now, for some reason, almost all of it has been cut down). It is difficult to get used to this beauty, and every time, entering under the dark vaults gate church, involuntarily freeze and admire.

Inside the monastery walls, in a small wooden house lived a real ascetic in the world - Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky, the great architect-restorer of the twentieth century, who saved nearly a thousand churches and ended his life here, in the main Moscow monastery of the Most Pure - therefore the street from which the road to the monastery begins is called Prechistenka. Peace be upon your ashes, servant of God Peter!…

From the window of his room littered with books, folders with measurements and drawings of the room, Baranovsky, while he could still see - in his old age he was completely blind - he admired one of the most majestic churches in Moscow - the 16th-century cathedral in the name of Our Lady Hodegetria "called Smolenskaya", which kept a miraculous list with one of the greatest shrines of Rus' - the Mother of God of Smolensk.

As long as there is faith in Rus', the Blessed One keeps this Her lot. The northern borders of our country were under the protection of the image of the Sign of Novgorod, the eastern - the Kazan icon, and the western - Smolensk.

The prototype of the Smolensk Mother of God is very ancient and, according to legend, was written by the Apostle Luke himself for the Antioch ruler Theophilus. After the death of Theophilus, this image of Hodegetria the Guide returned to Jerusalem; in the 5th century, the noble queen Pulcheria transferred him to the Second Rome, to the Blachernae Church. From there, the future Smolensk icon came to Rus'. It is not known for certain under what circumstances, but it happened no later than the middle of the 11th century. According to legend, the icon became a parental blessing for the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porfirorodny, who was married to the Chernigov prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich.

After the death of Prince Vsevolod, Hodegetria found a new guardian in the person of his son, the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir II Monomakh, a commander, writer (his “Instruction” is still being studied in the course ancient Russian literature) and the temple builder. In 1095, he transferred the miraculous from Chernigov (his first inheritance) to Smolensk, and in 1101 he founded the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos here. Ten years later, the Hodegetria was placed in this cathedral and from that time on it became known as Smolenskaya - after the name of the city, the guardian of which this miraculous remained for almost nine centuries.

Smolensk icon of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria",
in the Holy Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk - the prototype
(photo by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky, 1912)

In the XIII century, the hordes of Batu fell upon Rus', rapidly moving west. Crying and praying, the Smolensk fell to the intercession of their Guardian. And a miracle happened: through the image of the Hodegetria of Smolensk, the Blessed One bestowed miraculous salvation on the city. The Tatars were already several miles away from Smolensk, when a pious warrior named Mercury heard a voice coming from the holy icon: “I am sending you to protect My house. The ruler of the Horde secretly wants to attack My city with his army this night, but I begged the Son and My God for My house, so that he would not betray him into enemy work. I myself will be with you, helping My servant.” Obeying the Most Pure, Mercury raised the townspeople, and he himself rushed into the enemy camp, where he died in an unequal battle. They buried him in the cathedral church of Smolensk and soon canonized him as a saint. In memory of Mercury, on the day of his death, before the miraculous image of Hodegetria, a special prayer of thanksgiving was performed.

When in 1395 the Smolensk principality lost its independence, becoming dependent on Lithuania. But only three years later, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt was married to the prince of Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich (son of the holy noble prince Demetrius of the Don), and Hodegetria became her dowry. In 1398, the newly acquired shrine was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the royal gates. Muscovites reverently worshiped her for half a century, until in 1456 representatives of the Smolensk people arrived in the reigning city and beat with their foreheads about the return of the shrine to them. Grand Duke Vasily the Dark (1415-1462), after conferring with the bishops and boyars, ordered to "release" the miraculous to Smolensk, leaving her exact list in Moscow. On July 28, at the confluence of almost all Muscovites, the icon was solemnly escorted through the Maiden's Field to the ford at the steep bend of the Moskva River, beyond which the road to Smolensk began. A moleben to the Guide was served here, after which the prototype of the miraculous went to Smolensk, and the mourners took the list from Smolenskaya to the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

In 1514, Smolensk was returned to the Russian state (the assault on the city by Russian troops began on July 29 - the day after the celebration of the Smolensk icon); in 1524 in memory of this event Grand Duke Vasily III founded the Novodevichy Convent on the very spot where in 1456 the Muscovites saw off the miraculous.

In 1609, Smolensk was besieged by the Polish army, and after twenty months of siege, in 1611, the city fell to the superior enemy. The miraculous Smolensk icon was again sent to Moscow, and when the Poles seized the white stone one, then to Yaroslavl, where it remained until the expulsion of the Poles and the return of Smolensk to the Russian state in 1654, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. On September 26, 1655, the miraculous icon of Hodegetria returned to Smolensk.

The intercession of the Most Pure One for Her beloved destiny was again revealed a century and a half later, during Patriotic War 1812. Again, Her miraculous image was taken out, first to Moscow - on August 26, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, Smolensk, Iverskaya and Vladimir Icon they were carried around Moscow in procession, and on August 31 Iverskaya and Smolenskaya visited the wounded in the battle, who were in the Lefortovo hospital. And when the Russian troops left the first throne, the Smolensk icon was transported to Yaroslavl. However, through the intercession of the Most Pure One, this stay of Her miraculous image on the banks of the Volga turned out to be short-lived: already on December 24, 1812, Hodegetria returned to the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk.

The Novodevichy Convent in Moscow also had to go through a lot. They sent here objectionable queens and princesses - Evdokia Lopukhina, Sophia; Napoleon's "twelve languages" plundered and ravaged it, and even tried, before their flight from Moscow, to blow up the monastery (it was saved by brave nuns who put out the already lit fuses). In 1922, Novodevichy was completely closed, dispersing its inhabitants. Abbess Vera was sent to the camp for resisting the predatory "confiscation of church valuables"; and in 1938 the last confessor of the monastery, Archpriest Sergiy Lebedev, was martyred at the Butovo firing range, where the ashes of tens of thousands of the executed were buried. Back in 1925, there were 2811 tombstones in the cemetery inside the monastery walls, now there are no more than a hundred of them left (including the graves of the historian Sergei Solovyov and his son Vladimir, the great Russian philosopher). The “Museum of the Emancipation of Women” was set up in the defiled monastery, and in 1934 its buildings were transferred to the State Historical Museum.

Divine services in the Novodevichy Convent resumed in 1945, when the refectory Assumption Church was re-consecrated here, since then a prayer before one of the lists of Hodegetria again sounded here. The revival of the monastery itself began in 1994, when the nuns returned to Novodevichy, headed by Abbess Seraphim (Chernaya), the granddaughter of St. Martyr Seraphim (Chichagov), who died in 1999; Abbess Seraphim (Isaeva) became her successor.

... The last reliable news about the most miraculous first image dates back to 1941. Closed in 1929, the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk was not devastated: its shrines and utensils were kept intact until the start of the Great Patriotic War. On August 1, 1941, the German troops who entered the city informed their High Command that “a very ancient icon attributed by legend to the Evangelist Luke, later rewritten, the icon ... is in its original place and is not damaged. She ... was recognized as miraculous and was a place of pilgrimage for believers. But when two years later Smolensk was liberated Soviet troops The icon was no longer there. One can only hope that sooner or later her fate will begin to become clear - just as it happens with another miraculous woman who disappeared in that war, Tikhvinskaya.

Until its disappearance, the prototype of Smolenskaya was never subjected to a detailed scientific study. According to old descriptions, the board on which the icon was painted was unusually heavy, primed with chalk on glue and covered with canvas; The Blessed Virgin is depicted at half height, waist-deep, holding the Child with her left hand. The Savior with His right hand blesses those who pray, while holding a scroll with a shuitz. Outerwear The virgins are dark brown, the lower ones are dark blue; The Baby's clothes are dark green with gold. On reverse side The prototype was written Crucifixion with the Greek inscription "The King is crucified" and a view of Jerusalem. When painting was renewed in Moscow in 1666, the figures of the Mother of God and John the Theologian were added to this Crucifixion, which had not been there before. Peculiarities Smolensk icon- this is the frontal position of the Baby; a very small turn of the Mother of God in His direction of the Child; Her slightly bowed head; typical hand position.

The celebration of the Smolensk Icon takes place on July 28 according to the Christian calendar. Once upon a time on this day, a religious procession was made in the Mother See from the Kremlin, along Prechistenka and Maiden Field to the Novodevichy Convent. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than three dozen miraculous and especially revered lists of Smolensk, churches dedicated to this image stood in many cities, villages and monasteries of the Russian land, in Moscow alone there were four Smolensk churches, in St. Petersburg - five. And today, in all the Smolensk churches of Russia, the troparion of the Most Holy Theotokos sounds in front of Her icon, called "Hodegetria":

Troparion, tone 4

Now diligently to the Theotokos, sinners and humility, and we fall down, in repentance calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having mercy on us, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away Your servants of vanity, You and the only hope of the imam.

Kontakion, tone 6

The intercession of Christians is shameless, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but precede, as if good, to help us, who faithfully call Ty: hasten to prayer and rush to supplication, intercession ever, the Mother of God, who honor thee.

Ying kontakion, tone 6

Not imams other help, not imams of other hope, except for You, the Lady: You help us, we hope in You and we boast in You: We would be Your slaves, but let us not be ashamed.

Prayer before the Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called "Hodegetria"

To whom shall I cry, Lady? To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to Thee, Madam Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven? Who will receive my weeping and my sighing, if not You, O Immaculate One, the hope of Christians and the refuge of sinners?

Incline, O most pure Lady, your ears to my prayer. Mother of my God, do not despise me, demanding Your help, hear my groaning and inspire the cry of my heart, O Lady Mother of God Queen. And give me spiritual joy, strengthen me, impatient, despondent and negligent to Your praise. Reason and teach me how to pray to You, and do not depart from me, Mother of my God, for my murmuring and impatience: but be a cover and intercession in my life and lead me to a quiet haven of blessed rest, and count me to the face Your chosen flock and there make me worthy to sing and praise Thee forever. Amen.

Holy Dormition Cathedral Smolensk

Cathedral of the Smolensk Saints

Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" (Guidebook) Smolenskaya

To reach the goal, a person needs a map or a guide. IN spiritual world similar laws - you can achieve certain success under the guidance of an experienced mentor. The Blessed Virgin is the universal guide for Christians. There is even a very ancient type icons of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria" (from Greek - showing the way).

History of appearance

At the iconography difficult fate- the first centuries after its appearance, Christianity was not numerous, it was considered an incomprehensible sect, which was despised by both the Jews and the Romans. Christians had to hide, they were pursued by emperors - they were thrown to lions, stoned, their heads were cut off for refusing to make sacrifices to pagan gods. For the Romans, this was tantamount to refusing to serve Caesar.

Therefore, at first, the images of Christ and the saints were very rare, preserved mainly only in the catacombs. Most often, they were symbolic - the church canon was just being formed then, many objected, forgiving them to try to express with drawings what is inaccessible to human understanding. After all, Christ is God, and Christians are just people. Instead of Jesus, they painted a shepherd or a fish.

The very first icons of the Mother of God, according to legend, were painted by the Apostle Luke, including the Hodegetria. Church texts also claim that the Most Pure One herself blessed the creation of images. Not one of those that were created directly by the hand of the evangelist has survived to our time. But it can be argued that today's images are fairly accurate copies of the first.

Icons began to appear on wooden boards from the 3rd century BC. - this period is considered the beginning of icon painting as an art. Then in the 8th c. a period of iconoclasm set in, during which they were mercilessly destroyed. Sixty years later, the Nicene Council officially established the veneration of holy images. Christians all these years carefully collected and kept the icons of Christ and the Virgin.

Characteristic features of the image

An icon, unlike an ordinary painting, has a different purpose - according to the holy fathers, it is a window to another world. In a similar way, the icons of the Mother of God are not just an image of two personalities - the meaning of the Enlightenment is revealed through them. The Hodegetria icon is one of the most common types, its theological meaning is the disclosure of the relationship between God and man. For this, icon painters use composition, gestures, colors.

• The Mother of God, Christ look directly at the worshipers.
• Jesus is depicted as a child (Emmanuel).
• In the hand of the Savior is a scroll.
• The image can be both waist and shoulder (“Kazan” icon also belongs to the “Hodegetria” type).

Here the divine nature of Christ is especially emphasized, the composition is not without greatness. The Mother of God is always depicted in an omophorion - it emphasizes both the royal majesty of the Virgin and her role in the plan of the Incarnation. The right hand of the Mother of God is directed towards Jesus. The meaning of this gesture of the Mother of God on the Hodegetria icon is as follows - it points to Christ as the only way to salvation.

But the Queen of Heaven herself is a guiding star - she was the first perfect person, she managed to preserve the vision of God in a sinful world, which most people are deprived of. After all, Adam and Eve could talk with the Lord personally, and today the human race has become so far removed from the Creator that it can die from His very appearance. Therefore, Christians should not waste their lives on vanity and entertainment, but prepare for the transition to another world.

The joint image of the Lord and His Mother also has a deeper meaning. The incarnation of Christ as a man was not possible without Mary. Moreover - only thanks to the implementation of this divine plan, now people can paint icons. Previously, depicting God was forbidden, because no one saw Him. But having been born from an earthly woman, Christ incarnated as a Person who is depicted in images.

shrine from Byzantium

Most icons of the Mother of God depict her together with Jesus - the icon of Hodegetria of Smolensk is no exception. The icon has ancient origin, was brought to Rus' from the East. Immediately began to be revered as a shrine, visited different cities, is strongly associated with the military victories of the Russians. From the 11th century Orthodox kept this image, built a special temple for it. But during the Great Patriotic War, the shrine disappeared.

Now, in the place where the ancient Hodegetria icon was located, there is a list, which at one time was made by the prudent keepers of the image. A rich salary speaks of nationwide veneration, which has been going on in Russia for several centuries. Fortunately, quite a few miraculous copies have been preserved, there are several dozen of them. Some are in museums:

• in Moscow, im. A. Rubleva;
• in Vladimir, museum-reserve;
• in Kostroma, historical and architectural museum;
• in the Novgorod Kremlin.

Also in our country there are several hundred temples in the name of this famous image. In almost any church, you can find Hodegetria, put a candle near it, ask for help in spiritual development, parenting, daily affairs.

In the 18th century Queen Elizabeth ordered the construction of a small church in the cemetery - those who died during the construction of St. Petersburg were buried there. The temple was consecrated in the name of the icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" of Smolensk, over time it developed. Instead of a wooden one, they built a stone one - simple in form, but with graceful lines, light, with a high bell tower. Chapels were added, new shrines appeared in the church. The miraculous list of the Smolensk icon is located in the main iconostasis.

Prayer requests

Orthodoxy gives the Queen of Heaven such honors that no longer turn out to be either saints or even angels. Above it is only Christ Himself. Prayer appeals to it are taken from the gospel texts. Even the wording of church hymns stands out - only the Mother of God is said - "save us." Thus, the church testifies its admiration for the Mother of God.

She was able to rise to a level of holiness that only a mortal can achieve with the help of the Holy Spirit. The people simply love her, like Mother - an inexhaustible source of love, understanding, patience. Everyone has a close image, available for comprehension. It is through him that it is easier to understand God's love for people. Therefore, it is not surprising that in prayer practice, appeals to the Mother of God are very frequent.

The first akathist was written specifically to the Mother of God, it can also be read in front of the Hodegetria icon. This song of praise contains many epithets worthy of the Queen of Heaven. The Byzantine akathist is so perfect in style that it is included in the liturgical cycle. Reading it regularly will help you receive many spiritual gifts. But short prayers of the Mother of God will also benefit believers.

The Akathist is very easy to read - thanks to the small volume, accessible to the perception of the form. The expressive syllable touches every corner of the soul, conveys the whole gamut of feelings that Christians have for the Mother of God. Such a prayer does not require a large number time.

How does the Mother of God help believers? The icon "Hodegetria" gives an answer to this question. She makes the aspirations of the soul high, so that nothing vain bothers her. Feeling fear, dissatisfaction with oneself or others, nourishing hatred, a person moves further and further away from the Lord. A bright pure soul is set to give joy to others. Even the difficulties that exist in the life of any person, she perceives with gratitude.

Help can also be asked in worldly affairs, but only after praise has been given to the Lord. Even if there is no gratitude in the heart, one must lift it up with the lips and ask God to soften the cruel heart. For this, penitential psalms are read. Prayers for parents, children, friends are appropriate. It is especially worth praying for those who cause offense - after all, the Lord commanded to pray even for enemies. The results of prayers depend not so much on diligence (although they should be regular), but on faith.

Prayer to the Hodegetria icon

Oh, Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos, exalt all the Angel and Archangel, and all the most honest creatures, helper of the offended, hopeless hope, poor intercessor, sad consolation, hungry nurse, naked clothing, healing of the sick, salvation of sinners, help and intercession for all Christians. Oh, All-merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God, Lady, by Thy mercy save and have mercy on the most holy Orthodox patriarchs, blessed metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, and all the priestly and monastic ranks, and all Orthodox protect Christians with your honest garment; And pray, Lady, from You without the seed of the incarnate Christ our God, may He gird us with His power from above, against our invisible and visible enemies. Oh, All-merciful Lady Lady Mother of God! Raise us up from the depths of sin and deliver us from hunger, destruction, from cowardice and flood, from fire and sword, from finding foreign and internecine warfare, and from vain death, and from the attack of the enemy, and from noxious winds, and from death nasal ulcers, and from all evil. Grant, Madam, peace and health to Your servants, all Orthodox Christians, and enlighten their minds, and the eyes of their hearts, even to salvation; and grant us, Thy sinful servants, the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God; as if His power is blessed and glorified, with His Father without beginning, and with the Most Holy, and Good, and His Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

____________________________________________________

The true path is the path to Christ. This is evidenced by the gesture of the right hand of the Virgin, which points us to the Divine Infant Christ, seated on his left hand and leaning on a scroll - the Law.

Christ, as the Head of the Church, as a legislator, blesses all who follow the path of perfection.

The image of the Mother of God on the icons of the "Hodegetria" type (Greek. Guidebook), as in the type of "Tenderness", is half-length, but there is chest and full-length.

Where did the name come from

The first split of Christianity occurred in the early Middle Ages. The exact date of the final division of the United Christian Church 1054 is considered to be the year 1054 for Western and Eastern. The discrepancies affected not only dogmas, but also rituals, and, of course, icon-painting plots. Of course, Catholics also portray Blessed Virgin with a Baby in her arms, but Western painting, even on religious subjects, outwardly looks more secular. An Orthodox icon must follow stricter canons, and Greek names are adopted for some subjects. From Greek the word “Hodegetria” also came, which means “pointing”. According to legend, the Evangelist Luke was the author of the very first icon with such a plot.

In Catholic terminology, it is more common to call Mary not the Mother of God, but the Madonna.

How does she look?

From the group of icons depicting the Mother of God with Jesus in her arms, select those where baby already grown up, he sits on his mother's lap, and she tells him something. The mother holds the child with one hand. The palm of the second hand is open and directed upwards, as if Mary is telling something to her baby, instructing him on the true path. This is the Mother of God Hodegetria. I must say, the body of Jesus always has the same proportions, regardless of the age at which he is depicted. It's a feature Orthodox canon. In the Catholic icon, the proportions of the human body correspond to age, and the Baby Jesus is no different from any other child. On Orthodox icon"Hodegetria" The Mother of God is usually depicted waist-deep. But, for example, only the shoulders are depicted on the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.

What is the divine Servant busy with?

On icons with such a plot, Jesus usually holds a scroll in his hand. Sometimes you can see a book, but this is a rarer option. The image of Christ the Almighty appears before the viewer. This image also has a Greek name - Pantokrator. With the other hand, the Servant blesses humanity.

There is a plot that is very similar to the one described, but still has some differences . This is Our Lady of Eleusa. Images differ in the position of the figures relative to each other. In the plot "Our Lady Hodegetria" the main character is the Mother of God, and the attention of the future, that is, the viewer, is directed to him. In the story "Our Lady of Eleusa" main character- Christ. The Mother of God points to him with her free hand, as if emphasizing that he is the main one in this scene.

On August 10, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated, which belongs to the Hodegetria iconographic type. This name is translated from Greek as "Guide".

The Smolensk icon "Hodegetria" is one of the most revered icons of the Mother of God. It came to us from Greece, but there is no reliable information about who and when the icon was brought. According to legend, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in 1046 blessed his daughter Anna with this icon, marrying her to the Chernigov prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich (in 1076 Vsevolod received the title "prince of all Rus'"). There is an opinion that the icon is a list from the ancient Blachernae icon, created by the Evangelist Luke.

The icon became a family shrine of the Russian princes, symbolizing the continuity and dynastic closeness of Constantinople and Rus'. In 1095, the son of Vsevolod Yaroslavovich, Vladimir Monomakh, transferred the icon from Chernigov to Smolensk, where in 1101 the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Virgin was laid, in which the icon was placed. Since then, it began to be called Smolenskaya.

The miraculous deliverance of Smolensk in 1239 from the hordes of Batu is associated with this holy image. Through the prayer of the inhabitants of the city, addressed to the Mother of God, the Tatars stopped 24 versts from Smolensk. The bogatyr Mercury entered their camp at night and single-handedly scattered a huge number of enemies, driving the entire army into confusion. For this act, he was canonized as a saint.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the icon was taken from Smolensk to Moscow. On the day of the Battle of Borodino, she, along with miraculous icons Vladimirskaya and Iverskaya were surrounded around the Kremlin and the White City. With the fall of Moscow, the icon was transferred to Yaroslavl, and only after the victory over Napoleon was it returned to Smolensk, where it remains today.

August 10 - Smolensk: signs and rituals

Thunderstorms often fall at this time, therefore, in Rus', out of fear of a thunderstorm, they did not work on August 10. In honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, on the day of the holiday, they made a procession of the cross - they walked "through the rigs filled with bread." After a public prayer service, the peasants could take the icons home and go around the yard and dwelling with them. The prayer ended with a festive dinner.

On this day, blacksmiths were honored, who repaired plows and plowshares before plowing winter crops. In folk life, the figure of a blacksmith has always stood apart - this man had power over fire and iron, was responsible for the strength and sharpness of the tools that cultivated the land. Blacksmiths were credited with having power over evil spirits.

There is a belief that on August 10 it is impossible to change anything, because the exchanged thing will not last long: it will either be lost or broken. Even this day was considered unsuccessful for trading.

To determine the weather for the coming days, the peasants went to the reservoirs:

• if fog spreads over the water in the morning, the weather will be good;
• if the fog rises up, it will be rain.

August 10 - Smolenskaya: what not to do

On the day of the celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, it is advisable to visit the temple and pray at the icon of the Mother of God. Girls on August 10 should not do needlework. To Smolenskaya, as in others church holidays, you can not swear, blaspheme, condemn other people. You should get rid of bad thoughts and try to do good, charitable deeds. After morning prayer you can start your daily activities. Cleaning the house, cooking and gardening on this day are not considered a sin.

Video: August 10 - Day of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God