The miraculous icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, called the Hodegetria of Smolensk, has been known in Rus' since ancient times. "Hodegetria", translated from Greek language, means “Guide”. There are several versions of the origin of this name, but the fact that the Most Holy Theotokos is a guide to eternal salvation for all Orthodox Christians is an undeniable truth.

According to Church tradition, Smolensk icon Mother of God, called "Hodegetria", was written by the holy evangelist Luke during his earthly life Holy Mother of God at the request of the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus, for whom he wrote an essay on the earthly life of Christ, known as the Gospel of Luke. When Theophilos died, the image was returned to Jerusalem, and in the 5th century, the blessed Empress Eudokia, wife of Arkady, transferred Hodegetria to Constantinople to the emperor’s sister Queen Pulcheria, who placed the holy icon in the Blachernae Church.

The image came to Rus' in 1046. The Greek Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh (1042-1054), marrying his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise, 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 Smolensk Cathedral Church in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From that time on, the icon received the name Hodegetria of Smolensk.

Assumption Cathedral (Smolensk)

History of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

In 1238 The army of Khan Batu approached Smolensk. In that army there was a giant warrior who, according to legend, alone was worth almost an entire army. All Smolensk residents came out to pray in front of the image of the Smolensk Hodegetria Guide. The Tatars had already come almost close to the city, no more than 30 kilometers away by today’s standards, when a certain sexton in the Pechersky Monastery outside the city saw in a vision the Mother of God, who ordered him to bring a warrior named Mercury to Her. Entering the Pechersk Church, Mercury saw with his own eyes the Mother of God sitting on a golden throne with the Child in her arms and surrounded by angels. The Mother of God said that Mercury must save Her own destiny from desecration, which once again indicated Her special protection over the Smolensk land. She also told him about his imminent martyrdom, and that She Herself would not leave him, but would be with him to the end.

Following the command of the Mother of God, selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury raised all the townspeople, preparing them for the siege, and at night he penetrated Batu’s camp and killed many enemies, including them the strongest warrior. Then, in an unequal battle with the invaders, he laid down his head on the battlefield. His remains were buried in the Smolensk Cathedral. Soon Mercury was canonized as a locally revered saint (November 24), the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was also declared locally revered, and the legend “The Tale of Mercury of Smolensk,” which dates back approximately to the 15th – 16th centuries, was written about his feat. Moreover, the legend says that after the burial, Mercury appeared to the same sexton and ordered the shield and spear that belonged to him during his life to be hung at his resting place.

Sandals of the Holy Martyr Mercury - one of the shrines cathedral Smolensk

In 1395 The Principality of Smolensk came under the protectorate of Lithuania. In 1398, in order to avoid bloodshed in Moscow and soften the bitter relations between the Polish-Lithuanian rulers and Moscow, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas Sophia was married to the son of Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). Smolensk Hodegetria became her dowry and was now transferred to Moscow and installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the altar.

Annunciation Cathedral (Moscow Kremlin)

In 1456, at the request of the residents of Smolensk, led by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession. On June 28, according to the old style, at the Monastery of St. Savva the Consecrated on the Maiden Field in Moscow, with a large crowd of people, the icon was solemnly escorted to the bend of the Moscow River, from where the path to Smolensk began. A prayer service was served. Half a century later, in 1514, Smolensk was returned to Rus' (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 Monastery of the Mother of God of Smolensk, which we know better as Novodevichy Convent. The monastery was consecrated and began operating in 1525. From this period, the all-Russian glorification of the icon began, officially established by the Church.

Novodevichy Mother of God-Smolensky Monastery on the Maiden Field in Moscow

However, Muscovites were not left without a shrine - two copies of the miraculous icon remained in Moscow. One was erected in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - “measure in moderation” - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. In 1602 with miraculous icon an exact list was written (in 1666, along with an ancient icon new list taken to Moscow for renovation), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gate, under a specially constructed tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 - a stone one.

The Smolensk miraculous image again showed its intercession during Patriotic War 1812. On August 5, 1812, when Russian troops abandoned Smolensk, the icon was taken to Moscow, and on the eve of the Battle of Borodino this image was carried around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers for a great feat.

Prayer service before the Battle of Borodino

On August 26, the day of the battle in Borodino, three images of the Mother of God - the ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria together with the Iverskaya and Vladimir icons The Mother of God was taken in a procession around the capital, and then sent to the sick and wounded soldiers in the Lefortovo Palace, so that they could venerate the shrines, thank the Mother of God for their intercession and ask for recovery. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was transported to Yaroslavl.

After the victory over the enemy, on November 5, 1812, by order of Kutuzov, the Hodegetria icon, along with the illustrious list, was returned to Smolensk to its native Assumption Cathedral.

In 1929, the Assumption Cathedral was closed, but was not subject to desecration and destruction, like many other temples and churches during that period. Intelligence, which can be considered reliable, about the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God– prototype of other, subsequent lists ends in 1941, after the capture of Smolensk by German troops. Then, at the beginning of August 1941, the German command headquarters received a message that the list of icons attributed to historical information brushed by the Evangelist Luke, is in the same place, in good condition, the icon is considered miraculous and its location is a place of worship and pilgrimage. Nothing more is known about that icon.

Now in the place of the missing icon there is a list from the middle of the 16th century, which is not inferior to its predecessor in the number of miracles and in popular veneration, but Hodegetria of the apostolic letter is still awaited in Smolensk, they still believe that the time will come and she will reveal herself from some a hiding place, where it was miraculously preserved all these years, as it once was.

Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria of Smolensk Gateway, copy from the famous Smolensk Icon. Once it hung above the gates of the Smolensk Kremlin; now it is kept in the cathedral on the site of the Smolensk icon lost in 1941.

Lists with icons

There are many revered copies of the miraculous Smolensk Hodegetria. Many copies of that original but lost icon became miraculous (more than 30 in total) - Igretskaya Pesochinskaya, Yugskaya, Sergievskaya in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Kostroma, Kirillo-Belozerskaya, Svyatogorsk, Solovetskaya, etc.. All these images in different time and demonstrated their miraculous properties to varying degrees.

Iconography

There is little information left about the iconographic features of the image, since the icon, as is known, was lost in 1941, and therefore no one studied it. It was only known that the icon board was very heavy, the ground was made of chalk with glue, as was done in ancient times, and covered with canvas.

The Mother of God holds the Child in her left hand, the Lord’s right hand is raised in a blessing gesture, and in His left hand is the “scroll of teaching.” On back side a view of Jerusalem, the Crucifixion and the inscription in Greek were written - “The King is crucified”. In 1666, the icon was renewed, and later images of the Most Pure Mother and John the Evangelist appeared at the Crucifixion.

The iconographic image of the Smolensk Icon is very similar to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, but differs in the severity of the arrangement of the figures and the expression of the faces of the Mother of God and the Infant.

Meaning of the icon

The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church (along with Vladimir and Kazan).

An amazing thing is associated with the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God historical material, which, through the paths of her wanderings across Western Russian lands, marks all the most important events in the history of Russia up to the last century. It can be said that not a single event where the intercession of the One depicted on it was required was accomplished without Her intervention. Hodegetria the Guide pointed out and defended our west from the aggressive interests of neighboring states that sought to establish their influence in the Russian state both military and political means. But even the retreats, which were accompanied by the transfer of the miraculous shrine from its main inheritance - the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk, were only a strategic necessity, and in no way an agreement with the presence and rule of foreigners and the prevailing Latin faith on our land. The cathedral prayers of Smolensk and Muscovites before her brought their wonderful fruits - sooner or later the enemy was expelled, and the Smolensk Hodegetria returned home to Smolensk.

Believers have received and are receiving abundant gracious 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 All-Blessed Hodegetria to the faithful people, You are the Praise of Smolensk and all the Russian lands are affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, salvation for Christians!”

Celebration

The celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God takes place three times a year - July 28/August 10, established in 1525, when the miraculous image was transferred from the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin to the Mother of God of Smolensk (Novodevichy) Monastery, founded by Vasily III in gratitude to the Mother of God for the return of Smolensk to Rus' during the Russo-Lithuanian War. The festival was established in memory of the arrival of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God to Rus' in 1046.

The celebration takes place for the second time November 5/18 in honor of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

November 24/December 7 We celebrate the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, remembering the victory of the inhabitants of Smolensk over the troops of the Golden Horde through the common prayer of the people before Her icon - the Smolensk Hodegetria.

The Smolensk Mother of God helps everyone who turns to her with prayers for healing from incurable diseases, in search of family peace and in other difficult and insoluble situations, as the first intercessor for us before God.

Troparion, tone 4
Let us now diligently approach the Mother of God, sinners and humility, and let us fall down in repentance calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away your slaves, for you are the only hope of the imams.

Kontakion, tone 6
The intercession of Christians is not shameful, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance as good help to us who faithfully call Thee: hasten to prayer and strive to entreat, interceding ever since, the Mother of God, who honor Thee.

In Kontakion, tone 6
Not other imams help, the imams have no other hope than You, the Lady: Help us, we hope in You and we boast in You: If we were Your servants, let us not be ashamed.

Prayer
O Most Wonderful and Above All Creatures Queen Theotokos, Mother of the Heavenly King Christ our God, Most Pure Hodegetria Mary! Hear us sinners and unworthy at this hour, praying and falling before Your Most Pure Image with tears and tenderly saying: lead us out of the ditch of passions, Most Blessed Lady, deliver us from all sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all misfortune and evil slander, and from the unrighteous and cruel slander of the enemy. You may, O Our Blessed Mother, save Your people from all evil and provide and save You with every good deed; Do You need other Representatives in troubles and circumstances, and warm Intercessors for us sinners, not imams? Pray, O Most Holy Lady, Thy Son Christ our God, that He will make us worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven; For this reason, we always glorify Thee, as the Author of our salvation, and extol the holy and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, glorified and worshiped God in the Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.

Second prayer
To whom shall I cry, Lady? To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to You, Lady Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven? Who will accept my cry and my sighing, if not You, O Most Immaculate One, the Hope of Christians and the Refuge for sinners? Incline, O Most Pure Lady, Thy ear to my prayer, Mother of my God, do not despise me, requiring Thy help, hear my groaning and inspire the cry of my heart, O Lady Theotokos Queen. And give me spiritual joy, strengthen me, who is impatient, sad and careless towards Your praise. Enlighten and teach me how You should pray, and do not leave me, the Mother of my God, for my grumbling and impatience, but be my protection and intercession in my life and lead me to the quiet haven of blessed peace, and count me to your face Thy chosen flock and there deign me to sing and glorify Thee forever. Amen.

Documentary film “Seekers. TRACE OF HODIGITRIA" (2014)

The Assumption Cathedral is one of the most impressive buildings in Smolensk. It was here that the famous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God - the ancient Hodegetria - was kept from the day the temple was built. She, according to legend, saved the city more than once and was considered miraculous, disappeared during the Second World War. There are quite a few versions regarding the fate of Hodegetria. Many researchers are inclined to believe that the legendary image still exists, which means it makes sense to look for it!

SMOLENSK ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, CALLED “HODEGETRIA”

The miraculous icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, called the Hodegetria of Smolensk, has been known in Rus' since ancient times. "Hodegetria" translated from Greek means "Guide". There are several versions of the origin of this name, but the fact that the Most Holy Theotokos is a guide to eternal salvation for all Orthodox Christians is an undeniable truth.

According to Church tradition, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, called “Hodegetria,” was painted by the holy evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the request of the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus, for whom he wrote an essay about the earthly life of Christ, known as the Gospel of Luke. When Theophilus died, the image was returned to Jerusalem, and in the 5th century, the blessed Empress Eudokia, wife of Arkady, transferred Hodegetria to Constantinople to the emperor’s sister Queen Pulcheria, who placed the holy icon in the Blachernae Church.

The image came to Rus' in 1046. The Greek Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh (1042-1054), marrying his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise, 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 Smolensk Cathedral Church in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary . From that time on, the icon received the name Hodegetria of Smolensk .

Assumption Cathedral (Smolensk)

History of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

In 1238 The army of Khan Batu approached Smolensk. In that army there was a giant warrior who, according to legend, alone was worth almost an entire army. All Smolensk residents came out to pray in front of the image of the Smolensk Hodegetria Guide. The Tatars had already come almost close to the city, no more than 30 kilometers away by today’s standards, when a certain sexton in the Pechersky Monastery outside the city saw in a vision the Mother of God, who ordered him to bring a warrior named Mercury to Her. Entering the Pechersk Church, Mercury saw with his own eyes the Mother of God sitting on a golden throne with the Child in her arms and surrounded by angels. The Mother of God said that Mercury must save Her own destiny from desecration, which once again indicated Her special protection over the Smolensk land. She also told him about his imminent martyrdom, and that She Herself would not leave him, but would be with him to the end.

Following the command of the Mother of God, the selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury raised all the townspeople, preparing them for the siege, and at night he entered Batu’s camp and killed many enemies, including their strongest warrior. Then, in an unequal battle with the invaders, he laid down his head on the battlefield. His remains were buried in the Smolensk Cathedral. Soon, Mercury was canonized as a locally revered saint (November 24), the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was also declared locally revered, and the legend “The Tale of Mercury of Smolensk,” which dates back approximately to the 15th - 16th centuries, was written about his feat. Moreover, the legend says that after the burial, Mercury appeared to the same sexton and ordered the shield and spear that belonged to him during his life to be hung at his resting place.

Sandals of the Holy Martyr Mercury - one of the shrines of the Smolensk Cathedral

In 1395 The Principality of Smolensk came under the protectorate of Lithuania. In 1398, in order to avoid bloodshed in Moscow and soften the bitter relations between the Polish-Lithuanian rulers and Moscow, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas Sophia was married to the son of Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). The Smolensk Hodegetria became her dowry and was now transferred to Moscow and installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the altar.

Annunciation Cathedral (Moscow Kremlin)

In 1456, at the request of the residents of Smolensk, led by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession. On June 28, according to the old style, at the Monastery of St. Savva the Consecrated on the Maiden Field in Moscow, with a large crowd of people, the icon was solemnly escorted to the bend of the Moscow River, from where the path to Smolensk began. A prayer service was served. Half a century later, in 1514, Smolensk was returned to Rus' (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 Mother of God of Smolensk Monastery, which we know better as Novodevichy Convent . The monastery was consecrated and began operating in 1525. From this period, the all-Russian glorification of the icon began, officially established by the Church.

Novodevichy Mother of God-Smolensky Monastery on the Maiden Field in Moscow

However, Muscovites were not left without a shrine - two copies of the miraculous icon remained in Moscow. One was erected in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - “measure in moderation” - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. In 1602, an exact copy was written from the miraculous icon (in 1666, together with the ancient icon, a new copy was taken to Moscow for renewal), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gate, under a specially constructed tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 - a stone one.

The Smolensk miraculous image again showed its intercession during the Patriotic War of 1812 . On August 5, 1812, when Russian troops abandoned Smolensk, the icon was taken to Moscow, and on the eve of the Battle of Borodino this image was carried around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers for a great feat.

Prayer service before the Battle of Borodino

On August 26, the day of the battle in Borodino, three images of the Mother of God - the ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, together with the Iveron and Vladimir icons of the Mother of God, were carried around the capital in a procession of the cross, and then sent to the sick and wounded soldiers in the Lefortovo Palace, so that they could venerate the shrines and thank before them the Mother of God for intercession and ask for recovery.Before leaving Moscow, the icon was transported to Yaroslavl.

After the victory over the enemy, on November 5, 1812, by order of Kutuzov, the Hodegetria icon, along with the illustrious list, was returned to Smolensk to its native Assumption Cathedral.

In 1929, the Assumption Cathedral was closed, but was not subject to desecration and destruction, like many other temples and churches during that period. Intelligence, which can be considered reliable, about the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God - prototype of other, subsequent lists ends in 1941, after the capture of Smolensk by German troops. Then, at the beginning of August 1941, the headquarters of the German command received a message that the list of the icon, attributed according to historical information to the brush of the Evangelist Luke, is in the same place, in good condition, the icon is considered miraculous and its location is a place of worship and pilgrimage. Nothing more is known about that icon.

Now in the place of the missing icon there is a list from the middle of the 16th century, which is not inferior to its predecessor in the number of miracles and in popular veneration, but Hodegetria of the apostolic letter is still awaited in Smolensk, they still believe that the time will come and she will reveal herself from some a hiding place, where it was miraculously preserved all these years, as it once was.

Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria of Smolensk Gateway, copy from the famous Smolensk Icon. Once it hung above the gates of the Smolensk Kremlin; now it is kept in the cathedral on the site of the Smolensk icon lost in 1941.

Lists with icons

There are many revered copies of the miraculous Smolensk Hodegetria. Many copies of that original but lost icon became miraculous (more than 30 in total) - Igretskaya Pesochinskaya, Yugskaya, Sergievskaya in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Kostroma, Kirillo-Belozerskaya, Svyatogorsk, Solovetskaya, etc.. All these images at different times and demonstrated their miraculous properties to varying degrees.

Iconography

There is little information left about the iconographic features of the image, since the icon, as is known, was lost in 1941, and therefore no one studied it. It was only known that the icon board was very heavy, the ground was made of chalk with glue, as was done in ancient times, and covered with canvas.

The Mother of God holds the Child in her left hand, the Lord’s right hand is raised in a blessing gesture, and in His left hand is the “scroll of teaching.” On the reverse side were written a view of Jerusalem, the Crucifixion and an inscription in Greek - “The King is crucified.” In 1666, the icon was renewed, and later images of the Most Pure Mother and John the Evangelist appeared at the Crucifixion.

The iconographic image of the Smolensk Icon is very similar to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, but differs in the severity of the arrangement of the figures and the expression of the faces of the Mother of God and the Infant.

Meaning of the icon

The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church (along with Vladimir and Kazan).

Amazing historical material is associated with the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, which, through the paths of her wanderings across Western Russian lands, marks all the most important events in the history of Russia up to the last century. It can be said that not a single event where the intercession of the One depicted on it was required was accomplished without Her intervention. Hodegetria the Guide pointed out and defended our West from the aggressive interests of neighboring states, which sought to establish their influence in the Russian state by both military and political means. But even the retreats, which were accompanied by the transfer of the miraculous shrine from its main inheritance - the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk, were only a strategic necessity, and in no way an agreement with the presence and rule of foreigners and the prevailing Latin faith on our land. The cathedral prayers of Smolensk and Muscovites before her brought their wonderful fruits - sooner or later the enemy was expelled, and the Smolensk Hodegetria returned home to Smolensk.

Believers have received and are receiving abundant gracious 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 All-Blessed Hodegetria to the faithful people, You are the Smolensk Praise and all the Russian lands are the affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, salvation for Christians!”

Celebration

The celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God takes place three times a year - July 28/August 10 , established in 1525, when the miraculous image was transferred from the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin to the Mother of God of Smolensk (Novodevichy) Monastery, founded by Vasily III in gratitude to the Mother of God for the return of Smolensk to Rus' during the Russo-Lithuanian War. The festival was established in memory of the arrival of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God to Rus' in 1046.

The celebration takes place for the second time November 5/18 in honor of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

November 24/December 7 We celebrate the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, remembering the victory of the inhabitants of Smolensk over the troops of the Golden Horde through the common prayer of the people before Her icon - the Smolensk Hodegetria.

The Smolensk Mother of God helps everyone who turns to her with prayers for healing from incurable diseases, in search of family peace and in other difficult and insoluble situations, as the first intercessor for us before God.

Troparion, tone 4
Let us now diligently approach the Mother of God, sinners and humility, and let us fall down in repentance calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away your slaves, for you are the only hope of the imams.

Kontakion, tone 6
The intercession of Christians is not shameful, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance as good help to us who faithfully call Thee: hasten to prayer and strive to entreat, interceding ever since, the Mother of God, who honor Thee.

In Kontakion, tone 6
There are no other imams of help, no other imams of hope, except You, the Lady: Help us, we hope in You and we boast in You: We are Your servants, let us not be ashamed.

Prayer
O Most Wonderful and Above All Creatures Queen Theotokos, Mother of the Heavenly King Christ our God, Most Pure Hodegetria Mary! Hear us sinners and unworthy at this hour, praying and falling before Your Most Pure Image with tears and tenderly saying: lead us from the pit of passions, O Most Blessed Lady, deliver us from all sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all adversity and evil. slander, and from the unrighteous and cruel slander of the enemy. You may, O Our Blessed Mother, save Your people from all evil and provide and save You with every good deed; Do You need other Representatives in troubles and circumstances, and warm Intercessors for us sinners, not imams? Pray, O Most Holy Lady, to Thy Son Christ our God, that He may make us worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven; For this reason, we always glorify Thee, as the Author of our salvation, and extol the holy and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, glorified and worshiped God in the Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.

Second prayer
To whom shall I cry, Lady? To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to You, Lady Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven? Who will accept my cry and my sighing, if not You, O Most Immaculate One, the Hope of Christians and the Refuge for sinners? Bend, O Most Pure Lady, Thy ear to my prayer, Mother of my God, do not despise me, requiring Thy help, hear my groaning and inspire the cry of my heart, O Lady Theotokos Queen. And give me spiritual joy, strengthen me, who is impatient, sad and careless towards Your praise. Enlighten and teach me how You should pray, and do not leave me, the Mother of my God, for my grumbling and impatience, but be my protection and intercession in my life and lead me to the quiet haven of blessed peace, and count me among Your chosen flock and there deign me to sing and glorify You forever. Amen.

Documentary film “Seekers. TRACE OF HODIGITRIA" (2014)

The Assumption Cathedral is one of the most impressive buildings in Smolensk. It was here that the famous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God - the ancient Hodegetria - was kept from the day the temple was built. She, according to legend, saved the city more than once and was considered miraculous, disappeared during the Second World War. There are quite a few versions regarding the fate of Hodegetria. Many researchers are inclined to believe that the legendary image still exists, which means it makes sense to look for it!

On August 10, the celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, which belongs to the “Hodegetria” iconographic type, takes place. 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 blessed his daughter Anna with this icon in 1046, 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 copy of the ancient Blachernae icon created by the Evangelist Luke.

The icon became the ancestral shrine of the Russian princes, symbolizing the continuity and dynastic closeness of Constantinople and Rus'. In 1095, Vsevolod Yaroslavovich's son Vladimir Monomakh moved the icon from Chernigov to Smolensk, where in 1101 the cathedral church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was founded, in which the icon was placed. Since then they began to call it Smolenskaya.

The miraculous deliverance of Smolensk in 1239 from the hordes of Batu is associated with this holy image. Following the prayer of the city residents addressed to the Mother of God, the Tatars stopped 24 versts from Smolensk. The hero 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.

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

August 10 – Smolensk: signs and rituals

At this time, thunderstorms often occur, so 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 religious procession - they walked “through barns filled with bread.” After the public prayer service, the peasants could take the icons home and walk around the yard and home with them. The prayer service 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 the blacksmith has always stood apart - this man had power over fire and iron, and was responsible for the strength and sharpness of the tools with which they cultivated the land. Blacksmiths were credited with having power over evil spirits.

There is a belief that on August 10 you cannot change anything, because the exchanged item will not last long: it will either get lost or break. This day was also considered unlucky for trading.

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

• if fog spreads across the water in the morning, the weather will be good;
• if the fog rises, it will 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 should not do needlework on August 10th. To Smolenskaya, as well as to others church holidays, you cannot swear, blaspheme, or judge other people. You should get rid of bad thoughts and try to do good, godly deeds. After morning prayer you can begin your daily activities. Cleaning the house, cooking and gardening are not considered a sin on this day.

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

Theotokos Hodegetria her daughter when she became his wife Prince of Kyiv Vsevolod Yaroslavich. Most descriptions of the Smolensk icon call the princess Anna, but here there was a confusion of historical realities: Prince Vsevolod was married to the daughter of Constantine Monomakh, but her name, according to most researchers, was Aria or Anastasia. Anna was the name of another Byzantine princess - the wife of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, she was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, but not Monomakh, but Porphyrogenitus.

Church tradition says that the first icon of the Mother of God, which later received the name Hodegetria, or Guide, was painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. Although none of the icons painted by the apostle have reached our time, those lists that date back to early Christian times allow us to say that even then there was a strong faith in intercession Holy Virgin. “Let us never be silent, O Mother of God, to speak Your strength unworthy. If You weren’t there to pray, who would save us from such troubles? Who would have kept them free until now? We will not retreat, O Lady, from You, for Your servants always save you from all sorts of fierce ones” (hereinafter, quotes are given from the service of Hodegetria of Smolensk, July 28). According to this faith, gracious help was given from copies of ancient icons of the Mother of God, and, glorified by many miracles, they were equally revered in the Church with the original icons painted by the Apostle. The words of the Mother of God according to polyeleos: “Your most pure icon, Virgin Mary, the spiritual medicine of the whole world, we resort to it, worshiping You, we honor and kiss you, the healing grace that draws from it...” cannot be attributed to a specific image - this prayer appeal to any icon of the Virgin Mary.

Here it is appropriate to recall the words of N.P. Kondakov that the pious custom of antiquity made it possible to consider the list as the original if the original was far away or was lost.

Our article will discuss how, on the basis of the ancient iconographic type of Hodegetria, a whole tree of various icons of the Mother of God grew, which left their mark on the history of the Church.

In the canon of the Most Holy Theotokos Hodegetria of Smolensk, written in the middle of the 9th century. monk Ignatius, a minister of Sophia of Constantinople, later Metropolitan of Nicaea, there is almost no mention of those grace-filled types of help that served as the basis for calling Her Hodegetria proper, i.e., the Guide. Here are a few examples:

“Rejoice, Mother of God Hodegetria, who always instructs the faithful to follow every path of salvation... Rejoice, O Odegetria, the ship that sails in need, delivering the faithful...” (troparia of the 7th song of the canon).

In the literature one can find such an interpretation of the name of the icon of Hodegetria - the Guide: it was assigned to it allegedly due to the fact that this shrine accompanied Princess Anna on a difficult journey from Constantinople to Chernigov. But since the name of the icon is found centuries before the Baptism of Rus', it is more correct to assume that the emperor chose for his daughter, from a considerable number of Constantinople shrines, exactly the one that would be a Guide to salvation for both her and her future offspring. Not only the Guide, but that constant Guardian in everything, about whom the Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer speaks with inspiration in the Akathist. The epithets of the Mother of God included in the Akathist are not only successful theologically meaningful poetic images inspired by Old Testament prophecies. Often they had a very specific origin, connected with the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God.

One of the earliest attested miracles of Hodegetria’s intercession for Smolensk occurred during the invasion of the Tatars in 1238. The Tale of Mercury of Smolensk at the beginning of the 16th century, used as a synaxarical reading on July 28, is entitled “Memory of the great miracle that occurred from the icon of our Intercessor of the Most Pure Mother of God of Smolensk.” . A list from the 17th century, kept in the State Historical Museum, tells that during prayer in the Smolensk Pechersk Monastery, the Mother of God appeared to Mercury. The Virgin Mary sat on a throne with the Child sitting before Her womb.

“The wise man entered the holy church and saw the Most Pure Mother of God, sitting on a golden throne, having Christ in the depths, surrounded by angelic howls.” The Mother of God prophetically informs St. Mercury, that his body will be laid in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk: “And come to your city, and there you will die, and your body will be laid in My Church.” The final episode of the Tale tells how the Smolensk Archbishop sees the Mother of God coming out of the Assumption Cathedral, accompanied by two archangels: “He sees clearly in great lordship, like at the dawn of the sun, the Most Pure Mother of God leaving the church with the Archangels of the Lord Michael and Gabriel.” Note that the vision surprisingly echoes one of the ancient images of the Mother of God - the Cypriot Pangia Angeloktissa.

In Constantinople, the focus of shrines associated with the Most Pure Virgin Mary was the Blachernae Church, which in its size and number of clergy was second only to St. Sophia Cathedral. All the revered icons of the Mother of God were here, obviously including the earliest ones that were painted by the Apostle Luke. Here was also the Robe of the Mother of God, about which Saint Photius, in connection with the attack on the city by the Russians in 860, wrote: “When we were inspired by the hopes of the Mother of the Word and our God, we resorted to Her cover as to an indestructible wall, then this most pure Robe flowed around the walls ... fenced the city, clothed it."

Of the miraculous icons of the Mother of God located in the Blachernae Church, the emperor could choose any one as a blessing for his daughter - probably one of the revered copies of the ancient Hodegetria was chosen. In addition to the Hodegetria, in the Blachernae Church there were icons of Tenderness, Oranta, and the Sign; like Hodegetria, lists from the ancients miraculous shrines also came to Rus'. All these icons had the name “Blachernae” - not as a special iconographic type, but according to the place where they were located.

But in Rus', the name Blachernae was only assigned to one - Hodegetria, donated to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1654; Her celebration takes place on July 7/20.

Another revered copy of the Hodegetria of Blachernae, which came to Rus' six centuries after the Hodegetria of Smolensk, is apparently currently the oldest (VII century!) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on Russian soil. This relief icon, made of wax mastic, is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery. But a molded icon made of wax-mastic is a very rare technique; only a few such icons are known, while there are many miraculous copies of the Blachernae Hodegetria. “An inexhaustible sea of ​​mercy and generosity,” as it is said about this icon in the stichera on the poem, is not an exaggeration (Il. 1).

Our first icon, the Smolensk Hodegetria, was a very accurate copy of the Hodegetria of Blachernae. N.P. Kondakov writes in this regard: “The striking similarity of the most ancient carved images of the Hodegetria (X1V-XV centuries) precisely with the type of our Smolensk icon forces us to see in it an exact list from the Byzantine Hodegetria, which replaced in the 13th century, after the Latin conquest, the most ancient icon, which, perhaps, then perished. The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God represents the second type of chest-length icon of Hodegetria and undoubtedly provides a copy made in antiquity from a Greek original.”

The existence of Hodegetria of Smolensk and many of its copies in Rus' is the subject of a separate, detailed study. Let us pay attention to those ancient monuments that are rare copies of the Blachernae Hodegetria or are genetically related to this original shrine. Let us present several of the most famous icons of the Mother of God Hodegetria, with the caveat that all these images go back to the most ancient iconographic type of Hodegetria, but have some peculiarities.

The encaustic icon of the second half of the 6th century is associated with the iconographic type of Hodegetria. from the Khanenko collection (Kiev Museum of Western and Eastern Art); this is one of the few icons of pre-iconoclastic times that have reached us.

Another ancient icon of the Mother of God (from the first half of the 7th century), which can be attributed to the Hodegetria type, is a mosaic one, located in Cyprus in the apse of the church of Pangia Angeloktissa (“The most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim”). The Mother of God with the Child Christ (Ill. 5) is presented full-length between the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The archangels are in flowing robes, they are depicted walking widely and energetically. The Mother of God herself is also in motion, which is emphasized by the diverging cloak.

Of the Russian icons of the Mother of God Hodegetria that have survived to our time, the Pskov icon of the late 13th century, located in the Tretyakov Gallery, should be noted. Hodegetria icons of this type are given the name Periveleptus (“Glorious”, “Beautiful”) in literature.

It is interesting to compare with the Pskov icon the Cypriot icon of Hodegetria (13th century), close in time, from the Church of St. Luke in Nicosia. Researchers see in it traces of the influence of Western painting of the Renaissance.

The icon of Our Lady Hodegetria, located in the Tretyakov Gallery, dating back to 1397, belonged to the Monk Kirill of Belozersky and was in his cell in the Moscow Old Simonov Monastery. Having founded a new monastery, the Monk Kirill placed this, revered as miraculous, icon in the local row of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. After the monastery was closed, the frame was removed from the icon, and it was all covered with radiating cracks and traces of nails from the “expropriated” frame. During the restoration (restorer E.A. Pogrebnyak), more than four hundred nail holes were repaired. This is also Our Lady Peribleptos.

Two remarkable icons of Hodegetria from the mid-15th century are in the Andrei Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art. The icon of Hodegetria from Macedonia, reminiscent of more ancient examples, has a number of features dating back to the post-Byzantine period (smoothed brushwork, “writing with light,” creating the impression of a chiseled roundness of shape).

Another icon is from the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Dmitrov. Its uniqueness lies in the features of the depiction of robes that are not found in Russian icon painting of the 15th-16th centuries: these are the wide sleeves of the tunic of the Infant God, the unusual drapery of His himation with a loop-shaped fold at the knees; The maforium of the Mother of God is lowered on the forehead.

Of course, not only in “light and color”, not only in writing technique, those presented in our brief overview Guide icons. Behind each image are the prayers of many generations of Orthodox Christians, prayers heard, those prayers about which the stichera on Psalm 50 says that the Mother of God makes them useful.

In the iconography of the Mother of God Hodegetria, which over the centuries has preserved the features of that Prototype, which was captured by the holy Apostle Luke, one can see that lively response to the gracious help of the Blessed Virgin, which very accurately reflects the hymnography of the feast of Hodegetria: “Let us never be silent, O Mother of God, Thy powers verb, unworthy. If You weren’t there to pray, who would save us from such troubles? Who would have kept them free until now? We will not retreat from You, Lady..."

Archpriest Nikolai Pogrebnyak

Source of material: magazine “Moscow Diocesan Gazette”, No. 7-8, 2013.

The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God belongs to the Hodegetria iconographic type. The name can be translated from Greek as “Guide”.

This is one of the most common images in Byzantine and Russian art.

Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God: compositional features

The composition of the Hodegetria iconography is as follows: the Mother of God and the Infant Christ are depicted almost frontally, their faces facing the praying person do not touch. The head of the Mother of God may be slightly inclined towards the Son, the hand raised in a prayer gesture at chest level. The Divine Infant sits in the arms of the Mother; He blesses with his right hand, holds a scroll with his left, and less often, a book. The Mother of God is most often represented in a half-length image, but there are also full-length and shoulder-length versions, for example, the Kazan Icon. The Baby can be located either to the right or to the left of the Virgin Mary; more often He is depicted sitting on the left hand of the Blessed Virgin.

Mosaic icon. 1st half of the 13th century National Gallery, Palermo, Italy

The idea of ​​the image of Hodegetria

The defining theological idea of ​​this image is the coming into the world of the Son of God, the incarnation of God for the sake of the salvation of mankind. The Fragile Baby is the Heavenly King and the Coming Judge. Gesture right hand The Mother of God can be interpreted not only as a prayer, expressing Her personal prayer to God. With this gesture, the Mother of God seems to point believers to the One to whom their thoughts and prayers should be directed.

N.P. Kondakov, who studied the iconography of the Mother of God, believed that the image of Hodegetria is one of the most ancient. It developed in Palestine or Egypt before the 6th century. Starting from the 6th century, it spread widely throughout the Orthodox East and Byzantium.

Mosaic icon. Byzantium. XIII century Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai, Egypt

According to Church Tradition, the first such icon of the Virgin and Child was painted by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. In the middle of the 5th century, this image, along with other shrines, was brought from the Holy Land to Constantinople by Empress Eudokia, wife of Emperor Theodosius the Younger. Some sources report that the icon was placed in the temple convent Odigon, but on Holy Week the icon was transferred from the monastery to the imperial palace. Near the monastery there was a spring that healed the blind. The nuns took care of those who came to the source. The area was called “place of guides” or “place of leaders”, and the monastery began to be called Odigon - “Guide”, “Guide”. Based on the name of the monastery, the main shrine - the icon of the Mother of God - began to be called Hodegetria. Initially given as a topographical name, it was also endowed with a deep meaning: the Mother of God is a guide to believers, instructing them in the true, even if protecting them from the enemy. The icon was one of the most revered shrines of Constantinople and was considered the palladium of the city. During enemy attacks, the image was raised to the city walls.

Empress Evdokia. Marble icon with inlay. From the church of Lipsa Monastery. X century Archaeological Museum, Istanbul

Researchers believe that it was with the icon of the Odigon monastery that a procession of the cross took place throughout Constantinople on Tuesdays. During this prayer procession, a miracle regularly occurred, which was described by the Russian pilgrim Stefan Novgorod, who visited the capital of Byzantium in 1348 or 1349. The heavy, large icon was carried across the square by only one person. “That icon is taken out every Tuesday. This is an amazing sight: then all the people come together, and they come from other cities. This icon is very large, skillfully bound, and the singers walking in front of it sing beautifully, and all the people cry with tears: “Lord, have mercy!” ... A wondrous sight: seven or eight people will place the icon on the shoulders of one person, and he, by the will of God, walks as if unburdened by anything,” reports Stefan. Numerous miracles and healings took place in front of the icon.

Our Lady Hodegetria. Byzantium. 1st quarter of the 15th century

According to one version of the legend, the icon written by the Apostle Luke and brought from the Holy Land ended up in the Blachernae Church, where it was also healing spring and where other shrines were kept: the chasuble and part of the belt of the Virgin Mary. Perhaps one of the copies made from the original icon by the apostle was placed in the Blachernae church. It is known that several copies were made from the original image, which became famous for miracles. In any case, in the Blachernae Church there was a particularly revered icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria.

Blachernae icon. Wax mastic. XIII – XIV centuries Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

Numerous copies of the miraculous image of the Mother of God Hodegetria were sent to all parts of the empire and beyond. From Byzantium, the iconographic type of Hodegetria came to Rus', where, based on the place of creation, stay or miraculous discovery, similar icons received names: Toropetskaya, Smolenskaya, Tikhvinskaya, Iverskaya, Sedmiezernaya, Kazanskaya.

Our Lady Hodegetria. Pskov. The end of the XIII - the beginning of the XIV century. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

History of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”

The icon of Our Lady Hodegetria, called “Smolensk”, arrived in Rus' in the middle of the 11th century. In 1046, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh blessed his daughter Anna with this icon for her marriage to Prince Vsevolod, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. After the death of Vsevolod, his son, Vladimir Monomakh, moved the icon to Smolensk, where the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was founded, in which the shrine was subsequently placed.

According to legend, when the hordes of Khan Batu approached Smolensk in 1239, the city was saved from ruin through the intercession of the Mother of God. A warrior named Mercury, praying in front of the icon, received instructions from the Mother of God to fight the enemy standing near the walls. The Mongols saw that Mercury was helped in battle by lightning-fast men and a radiant Wife. Seized with horror, throwing down their weapons, the enemies fled, driven by an unknown force. Mercury suffered a martyr's death in battle and was canonized by the Church.

Our Lady Hodegetria. Byzantium. Mid-15th century Private collection.

At the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century, the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria was brought from Smolensk, captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, to Moscow, where, as a particularly revered shrine, it was placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, on the right side of the royal gates. There are three versions of the circumstances under which the icon ended up in Moscow. One of possible options transferring icons is associated with dynastic marriage. Perhaps the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas gave this icon to his daughter Sophia, the wife of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich, when she was in Smolensk in 1398 to meet with her father and received from him many icons in Greek writing. According to another version, the last of the Smolensk princes, Yuri Svyatoslavovich, expelled in 1404 by Vitovt, arrived in Moscow and brought with him the icon of Hodegetria along with other icons. The third version, set out in the Russian Vremennik, says that a certain Yurga, Pan Svilkoldovich, when he left Svidrigail, the Lithuanian prince, for the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Vasilyevich, plundered Smolensk on the way, took the icon of Hodegetria along with other things and brought it as a gift to the Moscow to the Grand Duke.

In 1456, Bishop Misail of Smolensk arrived in Moscow, accompanied by the governor of the city and noble citizens. The people of Smolensk asked the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark to return the icon to Smolensk. The prince, seeing in this step a guarantee of the future reunification of Smolensk with Moscow, decided to return the shrine. An accurate, “measure in measure” list was made of the icon, which remained in Moscow, in the Annunciation Cathedral. In a religious procession, the icon was taken out of the Kremlin, walked to the Maiden Field, which is at the entrance to the Old Smolensk Road, and after the prayer service, the icon was released to Smolensk. On the list icon, the scroll in the Child’s hand is depicted in a vertical position. Researchers suggest that this feature was also on the sample - the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, sent from Constantinople.

List of the Smolensk Icon of Hodegetria. Moscow. 1456 Recorded in the 19th century. Armory Chamber, Moscow Kremlin museums

In 1514, the troops of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III Ivanovich Smolensk is recaptured from Lithuania. In memory of this event, in 1523, the prince founded the Novodevichy Convent not far from the place where Muscovites said goodbye to the icon. On July 28, 1525, the copy of the icon that was kept in the Annunciation Cathedral was solemnly transferred from the Kremlin to the monastery church, consecrated in the name of the Smolensk Icon of Hodegetria. In 1927, this icon, thanks to its rich gold frame from the time of Boris Godunov and the pearl robe, was transferred to the Armory Chamber.

In 1602, in Smolensk, an exact copy was written from the miraculous icon, which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gate, under a specially constructed tent. Later, in 1727, a church was built there. In 1666, the ancient Smolensk icon was in Moscow for the second time: it was brought here by Archbishop Barsanuphius of Smolensk to renew the painting, which had darkened over time.

In 1812, during the French invasion, the icon was taken from Smolensk by Bishop Irenei (Falkovsky) and taken to Moscow, where residents could pray before it in the Assumption Cathedral. On the day of the Battle of Borodino, August 26, Muscovites walked around the White City, Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin walls in a religious procession with Smolensk, Iveron and Vladimir icons. Before the occupation of Moscow by the French, the Smolensk icon was sent to Yaroslavl, where it remained until the very end of World War II, and then returned to Smolensk. The icon, which was located in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk until 1941, was revered as the original one, brought from Constantinople. IN During the Great Patriotic War, the ancient icon disappeared without a trace.