What is the name of the first icon revealed to the world. Icons of the Mother of God
When did the first icon of the Mother of God and her miraculous power appear?
For more than 1000 years, since the time of ancient Russia and the adoption of Christianity, the image of the Mother of God has been revered and occupies a special place in every home. V Orthodox churches, monasteries, churches, icons with the face of the Virgin are placed on the most remarkable and honorable place of the iconostasis. Each of them was painted by the best icon painters. They are decorated precious metals, white lilies, sex precious stones to emphasize how invaluable the icons of the Mother of God are.
How and when did the first icon of the Mother of God appear?
Old traditions say that the Mother of Christ provided help and interceded for everyone who turned to her with any request. This is where the expression “ Mother of god- the intercessor ". In the old chronicles it is written that the very first icon with the Mother of God was painted by one of the apostles, whose name was Luke. The Evangelist painted the face of the Mother of God with the baby right on the table at which the Mother of God dined with Jesus Christ.
It was from this picture that further lists and reproductions of icons were compiled. On the right, the Mother of God herself was depicted, and on the left was little Jesus, whom she was tender and caring. right hand hugs her while the baby touches her mother's cheek.
The most revered in Russia is the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God ( we recommend looking at the options for images in the workshop). There are legends about its power dating back to 1395. At this time, bloodshed and battles of Russian troops with Khan Tamerlane took place in Russia. The princes prayed to God and the Virgin Mary to save them from invasion and invaders, for 10 days they walked in a procession of the cross from the city of Vladimir to Moscow. After which a real miracle happened, the troops of Tamerlane retreated. That is why the Vladimir icon began to be considered the patroness of the family hearth, well-being, home, and was used more than once in the fight against foreign invaders.
What are the icons with the Mother of God and how do they help?
There are many variations of the image of the Mother of God on icons, each of them is remarkable in its own way, they are also called icons - helpers, intercessors, patrons. The most miraculous are:
- « Uncapable Bush»- helps every home and protects from possible fires, fires;
- « Three-handed»- relieves pain in the hands and helps with learning needlework;
- « Inexhaustible Chalice"- helps in the fight against alcohol, drug addiction;
- « Quick-hearted"- helps in all troubles, problems, affairs very quickly, for which it received such a name;
- « All Tsaritsa"- cures cancer and other deadly diseases;
- « Unexpected joy ”- prayer before this icon relieves prolonged depression;
- « Joy to all who sorrow»- improves well-being and relieves of material needs;
- « Tikhvin"- the intercessor of children, they pray to her and ask for the healing of babies, pregnancy.
The Kazan, Smolensk, Iveron icons with the face of the Virgin Mary, sung by all believers, have the same power. If you want to bring real happiness, prosperity and peace to your home, you need to place all these icons. And, of course, believe in the power of the patroness, sincerely read prayers and ask for help. I, as the author of this material, acquired one of the images Vladimirskaya Mother of God in the vseikony.ru store, and I want to leave a good review about this workshop for my truly high-quality and inspired work.
What is the difference between the icon, painted during the life of the saint from the one created in more late time, from memory and descriptions of contemporaries, passed down from generation to generation? The analogy with portraits, one of which was taken from life, and the other from a photograph, would be rather rough, but generally correct.
The Lives of the Saints bring to us testimonies of how the martyrs, saints, reverend and righteous, after their death, appeared to church writers and icon painters, inspiring their labors, informing important details and pointing out errors in the work. And yet, works of spiritual art - and these are, without a doubt, the holy icons - carry a special, incomparable grace in the event that they were created by people who have seen the life (and sometimes death) of the ascetics with their own eyes. Christ's.
The founder Christian icon painting the holy apostle and evangelist Luke is revered. His brush, as Holy Tradition says, belongs to about seventy icons Holy Mother of God... The most famous of them - Bethlehem and Jerusalem - holy images revered in different parts of the planet, each of which is associated with a centuries-old dramatic history.
However, among the icons painted by the Apostle Luke, there are three special icons painted during the life of the Most Pure Virgin and awarded Her sovereign blessing. Here is what the pre-revolutionary Chetya-Menaea say about this on the day of remembrance of the Evangelist Luke: “The ancient church writers report that Saint Luke, satisfying the pious desire of the leading Christians, was the first to paint with paints the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, holding in His hands the Eternal Child, our Lord Jesus Christ, and then he painted two other icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and brought them for the consideration of the Mother of God. She, having examined these icons, said: "The grace of Him who was born of Me and My mercy be with these icons."
What are these three icons that the Lady had time to see and bless before her Assumption in the mid-forties of the first century? Tradition calls them by name. This is the image of the Mother of God of Kykkos "Merciful", as well as the Sumele and Filermskaya icons of the Most Pure Virgin. Each of them is undoubtedly worth telling in more detail.
Kikk icon Mother of God"Gracious" received this name because the Queen of Heaven is depicted on her pleading with the Lord for mercy to Christians. Tradition says that the apostle and evangelist Luke, who wrote it, handed it over to the children of the Church in Egypt, in whose Christian environment a monastic and hermitic residence was already beginning to emerge. The icon remained here until the tenth century - and then, due to the incredibly intensified persecution of Christians and their relics, it was secretly transported to Constantinople. In the capital of Byzantium, the Kykkos icon until the twelfth century, surrounded by the greatest reverence, remained in the royal palaces.
It is known that through fervent prayers before her, the daughter of the emperor Alexy Komnenos received healing, suffering from a serious illness, which doctors were powerless to cure. It happened like this. The ruler of Cyprus, Manuel Vitomit, arrived in the capital of the empire by sea with a bold request: to give the holy image to the monastery on Mount Kykkos. Obeying the first good impulse, the emperor agreed - after which his daughter was healed in an incomprehensible way.
Convinced of the miraculous power of the holy image, the emperor began to regret his generosity and announced that he had changed his mind and would not give the icon to the Cypriot monastery. The ruler of the island left Constantinople in sorrow. And Alexy Komnin fell ill himself after that. In a dream, the Queen of Heaven appeared to him, commanding to immediately send the icon to the Kykkos monastery in Cyprus. While the ship was being equipped, which was to deliver the icon to the island, the emperor ordered to make a copy of the miraculous icon.
The emperor recovered, as did the long-time paralyzed Cypriot ruler. In Cyprus, where the icon was delivered, an imperial temple was built with the contribution made by Alexis Comnenus.
In subsequent times, the Kykkos Icon, being in a monastic monastery, showed many miracles. When one pagan, in a frenzy, wanted to strike the holy image, his hand immediately withered. In remembrance of this, the monastic brethren attached an iron hand to the frame of the icon.
On the Kykkos icon, the faces of the Queen of Heaven and the Divine Infant are covered, as it were, with a veil, located diagonally from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. How and when it appeared - no one knows. This veil was also reproduced on a copy of the icon, which is now open for worship in the monastery. The original is also in the holy monastery in Cyprus, but in our time it is not available for viewing.
The most famous list of the miraculous Kykkos icon "The Merciful" in Russia is located in Moscow, in the Conception Monastery. An akathist is read regularly in front of him. Believers ask the Mother of God from Her Graceful Icon to end drought, to stop bleeding, to get rid of infertility, to be encouraged in need and sorrow, to strengthen on the monastic path, to relieve headaches, to heal the paralyzed, as well as in various family sorrows.
Another icon of the Mother of God, written during Her life by the Apostle Luke, - Sumelskaya. Its origin and the miracles associated with it are known from ancient sources. In 385, two monks, Barnabas and Sophronius, came to one of the churches in Athens to worship the Mother of God at Her icon, painted by the holy evangelist. The apostle himself once gave it to Thebes, and from there one of his disciples transferred it to the very big temple Athens.
Standing at the revered image, Barnabas and Sophronius heard the voice of the Most Pure One, commanding them to go east, as far as Pontus, and to build a monastic monastery near Mount Mela. Not daring to disobey, not demanding clarifications, the monks set off on a long journey - and stopped only when they found an icon they already knew standing on a high ledge of a rock.
No matter how wonderful the transfer of the image was, the monks began to be overcome with doubts: the place literally hanging on the slopes of the cliff, where there was not even water, seemed to them of little use for a future monastery. However, the Mother of God appeared to the monks - and from the rock, at Her command, a spring began to flow. Ashamed of their own lack of faith, Barnabas and Sophronius zealously set about building a temple, and then a monastery, which over time was filled with brethren and became known as the abode of the Mother of God of the Black Mountain or Panagia Sumela.
The holy monastery, where since then the icon of the Mother of God, which was carried through the air, located at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, has become over time the center of the spiritual life of the whole of Pontus - and the source, which clogged at the behest Blessed virgin, beat here continuously (and beats to this day). More than one generation of Comnenos was crowned here. And each of the emperors made rich contributions to the monastery, allocated funds for construction, and granted privileges to the monastic brethren. The relics of the founders of the holy monastery were also here.
And even after the fall of Byzantium, the monastery continued to operate. An old legend is associated with this time. Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled in the 16th century, once while hunting, found himself at the foot of the Black Mountain. Looking up and seeing a Christian monastery with a golden cross shining over it, the Sultan was furious and ordered the soldiers accompanying him to level the monastery to the ground. Before he had time to finish, he was thrown from his horse to the ground by an invisible force and was thrashed in a fit, as is sometimes the case before death. The next day, nevertheless coming to his senses, the Muslim ruler left all the former privileges for the Sumely Monastery, adding to them his favor.
However, centuries later, during the forced resettlement of the Greeks to Hellas in 1922, the inhabitants still had to leave the Sumel monastery. The monks, leaving the place of prayer, took the miraculous icon of the Mother of God with them. A ancient monastery gradually turned into picturesque ruins, albeit having the status of an architectural monument in modern Turkey.
In 2010, in great holiday Dormition, the first liturgy in almost ninety years was solemnly celebrated here, for which thousands of Christians from different countries prayed together.
The original of the miraculous icon is currently in Greece; many lists from her are known. Before the icon of the Mother of God Sumelskaya, parents pray for the recovery of their children, spouses - for deliverance from infertility and the gift of children, and all Christians, regardless of gender, age and marital status - for help in urgent needs.
Of the three icons painted by the Apostle Luke during the life of the Mother of God, Filermskaya- the only one where She is depicted without the Baby in her arms. The face of the Most Pure One as if begs the Lord for leniency towards people. Having painted this icon, the holy Evangelist gave it to the Antiochian Nazirite monks, who bound themselves with vows of a strict life. They had the image for almost three centuries, and then was sent to Jerusalem. There she was discovered by the wife of the emperor Evdokia, who was visiting the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. With the blessing of the Jerusalem bishop, she transported the icon to Constantinople, where she gave it to her husband's sister, Pulcheria the Blessed.
After that, the image was solemnly installed in the newly built Blakherna church of the capital, where many believers received healing and other things that they asked in prayer in front of the icon. And in 626, the holy image, before which the believers offered up fervent prayers, saved Constantinople from the conquest by the Persians - after that the icon was compiled an akathist, a special spiritual chant that was supposed to be listened to while standing.
All in all, this image of the Mother of God was in Constantinople for more than seven centuries. But the name by which it is known, the icon received later, when, together with the knights-crusaders who seized Constantinople, it first came to Jerusalem, then to Acra - and after its capture by the Turks - to Crete, and, finally, in 1309 - to the island Rhodes, where she stayed for the next two centuries.
In Rhodes, especially for the miraculous icon, the knights erected a temple on the foundations of the Byzantine basilica in Yalis, on Mount Filermios. This is where its name comes from - Filermskaya. This temple has survived, it is still in operation, and Orthodox Christians and Catholics pray in it in front of the list with the revered icon, while being in different parts buildings, each in its own.
When in 1522, after a long siege, Rhodes was completely captured by the Turks, the knights left the island, taking with them christian shrines, among which was the Filermskaya icon. For seven years the Maltese knights remained in Italy, moving from place to place - and the relics traveled with them. Finally, in 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V handed over Malta, Comino, Gozo and other Mediterranean islands to the order. The Filermskaya icon was transported to the Fort of Saint Angel, and later to the residence of the order, the Castle of Saint Michael.
The icon is associated with the victory over the Turks who attacked Malta in 1565. But during the conquest of Mostrov by the troops of Napoleon in 1798, the master of the Order of Gompesh had to hastily take out the relics from the island: together with the Filermsky icon, he took away the right hand of St.John the Baptist and Of the Life-giving Cross Of the Lord.
After the Russian Emperor Paul I became the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the transfer of the Maltese shrines to St. Petersburg took place. For the Filermskaya Icon, Paul ordered a massive golden robe with precious stones. The icon remained in Russia until the revolutionary events and was marked by many miracles. So, the terrible fire that raged in the capital of the empire in 1837 did not damage it at all, although literally everything around was destroyed by fire. While in Gatchina, the icon was solemnly brought out for the worship of believers, which was accompanied annually religious procession and other church ceremonies.
For many decades, the Order of Malta did not stop trying to return the Filerme image. Nicholas II intended to give it away, and even ordered a list and photocopies of the icon, but known events prevented his intention. The relics that belonged to the Order of Malta, including the Filermskaya icon, were secretly taken out of Russia and after they had been in Estonia for some time, they were handed over to the mother of the last Russian tsar, Empress Maria Feodorovna, in Denmark. The Maltese Order received an exact copy of the icon, made at the order of the king, which is currently located in the basilica of the city of Assisi. There are also revered copies of the icon in Russia - for example, in the Pavlovsk Cathedral of Gatchina there is a copy of it, made by Archpriest Alexy of the Annunciation.
After Empress Maria Feodorovna died in 1928, her daughters transferred the shrines to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky). He gave his blessing to place the Vilermskaya icon in the Orthodox cathedral in Berlin. On the eve of the Nazis coming to power, fearing for the fate of the shrines, Bishop Tikhon gave the image to the Yugoslav king Alexander I Karadjordievich. After the Second World War, the Filermskaya icon and other Maltese relics, kept in the cache of the Montenegrin monastery of Ostrog, fell into the hands of the special services of the established communist regime and were inaccessible to believers until 1993.
Currently, the Filermskaya Icon of the Mother of God is separated from other relics and is located in the Blue Chapel of the Monastery in Cetinje, on the territory of the National Museum. This chapel is a windowless room, in the middle of which, in an illuminated glass showcase, there is a holy image, to which many pilgrims come every year. Orthodox Montenegrins deeply revere this ancient shrine, which by the will of God ended up in their country, and they call the icon of the Mother of God Filermoz.
Before the Filermskaya icon, they pray for the strengthening of faith, for the multiplication of spiritual strength, for preservation from strife and heresy. The Mother of God of Filermskaya is revered as the patroness of monks and pious laity.
In addition to the Filermskaya, Sumelskaya and Kykkos icons, the Holy Tradition does not name other images of the Mother of God painted during Her earthly life. However, there are many miraculous faces of the Most Pure One, created by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke after the Dormition of the Theotokos. Some of them, perhaps not as widely known as Bethlehem or Jerusalem icons, but also marked by many miracles, we will definitely tell you in one of our future articles on the site "The Candle of Jerusalem".
The earliest prayer icons that have survived to this day date from no earlier than the 6th century. They were made using the encaustic technique (gr. Ἐγκαυστική - burning out), when the paint was mixed with heated wax. It should be noted that all paints consist of a paint powder (pigment) and a binder - oil, egg emulsion, or, as in in this case, wax.
Encaustic was the most common painting technique the ancient world... It was from the ancient Hellenistic culture that this painting came to Christianity.
The encaustic icons are characterized by a certain "realism" in the interpretation of the image. Striving for documentary reflection of reality. This is not just a cult object, it is a kind of "photograph" - a living testimony to the real existence of Christ, the Mother of God, saints and angels. After all, the holy fathers considered the very fact of the true incarnation of Christ to be the justification and meaning of the icon. Invisible god that does not have an image cannot be depicted.
But if Christ was truly incarnate, if His flesh was real, then it was depicted. As St. John Damascene: “In ancient times, God, incorporeal and without appearance, was never depicted. Now, when God appeared in the flesh and lived among people, we represent the visible God. " It is with this testimony, a kind of "documentary", that the first icons were permeated. If the Gospel, in the literal sense, the good news is a kind of reportage about the incarnate Lord crucified for our sins, then the icon is an illustration of this reportage. There is nothing surprising here, because the very word icon - εἰκών - means “image, image, portrait”.
But the icon conveys not only and not so much the bodily appearance of the depicted one. As the same St. John: "Every image is the discovery and revealing of the hidden." And on the first icons, despite the "realism", the illusory transmission of light and volume, we also see signs of the invisible world. First of all, it is a halo - a disk of light surrounding the head, symbolizing the grace and radiance of the Divine (St. Simeon of Thessaloniki). In the same way, the icons depict symbolic images of disembodied spirits - angels.
The most famous encaustic icon now, probably, can be called the image of Christ the Almighty, kept in the monastery of St. Catherine on Sinai (it should be noted that the collection of icons of the Sinai monastery is completely unique, oldest icons since the monastery, being from the 7th century outside the Byzantine Empire, did not suffer from iconoclasm).
The Sinai Christ was painted in a free painting manner inherent in a Hellenistic portrait. Hellenism is also characterized by a certain asymmetry of the face, which already in our time has caused a lot of controversy and prompted some to search hidden meanings... This icon was most likely painted in one of the workshops of Constantinople, as evidenced by the high level of its execution.
Christ the Almighty. VI century. Monastery of St. Catherine. Sinai
Most likely, the icons of the Apostle Peter and the Mother of God on the throne, accompanied by saints and angels, also belong to this circle.
Apostle Peter. VI century. Monastery of St. Catherine. Sinai
Theotokos with the forthcoming saints Theodore and George. VI century. Monastery of St. Catherine. Sinai
The Mother of God is depicted as the Queen of Heaven, seated on a throne, accompanied by saints, dressed in court robes, and angels. The regal and humbleness of Mary is interestingly demonstrated at the same time: at first glance, she is dressed in a simple dark tunic and maforium, but its dark purple color tells us that it is purple, and purple robes in the Byzantine tradition could only be worn by the Emperor and Empress.
A similar image, but written later in Rome, represents the Mother of God - already without any hints - in full imperial vestments and a crown.
The Mother of God is the Queen of Heaven. Early VIII century. Rome. Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastavere
The icon has a ceremonial character. She follows the style of ceremonial imperial images. At the same time, the faces of the depicted characters are filled with softness and lyricism.
The Mother of God is the Queen of Heaven. Angel. Fragment
The image of the saints in court clothes was supposed to symbolize their glory in the Kingdom of Heaven, and to convey this height, Byzantine masters resorted to forms that were familiar, understandable for their time. The image of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, which is now kept in Kiev in the Museum of Arts named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko, is executed in the same style.
Sts. Sergius and Bacchus. VI century. Kiev. Museum of Art named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko
But, in addition to the refined art of the cultural centers of the Empire, early icon painting is also represented by a more ascetic style, which is distinguished by greater sharpness, a violation of the proportions of the characters depicted, emphasized by the size of the heads, eyes, and hands.
Christ and St. Mina. VI century. Paris. Louvre
Such icons are typical for the monastic environment of the East of the Empire - Egypt, Palestine and Syria. The harsh, sharp expressiveness of these images is explained not only by the level of provincial masters, which is undoubtedly different from the capital, but also by local ethnic traditions and the general ascetic orientation of this style.
Bishop Abraham. VI century. State Museums of Dahlem. Berlin.
Without any doubt, one can be convinced that long before the iconoclastic era and the 7th Ecumenical Council, which condemned iconoclasm, there was a rich and varied tradition of icon painting. And the encaustic icon is only part of this tradition.
Dmitry Marchenko
The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands - the first icon of Jesus Christ in history
Sacred Tradition tells us the history of this first icon, which Christ Himself created. Read about the history of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands - one of the most important in Christianity.
The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands is the first icon of Jesus Christ in the history of mankind
Praying in front of the icons, people rarely think about where the icons came from, when and by whom the tradition of veneration of icons was established. Prayer before the image is so familiar to us that it seems to be eternal. Meanwhile, in the Gospel, Christ never spoke about icons. But Sacred Tradition tells us the history of the first icon that Christ created - it was not made by human hands, but has a miraculous origin, which is why it is called the Savior Not Made by Hands (the word Savior is an abbreviation for "Savior", the title of Christ as the one who saved all people from the slavery of sin) ... This image has been preserved by humanity for a long time, it has a long history and deep theological significance.
The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is one of the most important in Christianity. In the article you will learn how the first icon was made, what miracles were created from it, what is its significance for the art of icon painting, and what is the difference between the versions of the Savior Not Made by Hands “on the ubruse” (Mandylion) and “on the chrepium” (Keramidion).
The history of the creation and veneration of the Savior Not Made by Hands
In the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles, there is absolutely no description of the appearance of Christ. Nevertheless, all the icons of the Lord show us the same image of the God-man (even the icons of the Mother of God in the image of Her are more different from each other). This is due precisely to the miraculous creation of Christ's own icon. The history of this amazing event was recorded by the Roman historian Eusebius from Palestine, a Christian, and also by the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, a holy ascetic of the Syrian desert. The document is a real historical source, thanks to the descriptions of Eusebius, many everyday details of the life of the Roman Empire of that period have come down to us.
Eusebius wrote that during the life of Christ, the glory of Him and His miracles spread even to other countries. The ruler of the city of Edessa (now in Turkey) named Avgar sent a servant and a skilled artist to Christ. Avgar was an elderly man and suffered greatly from a disease of the joints of the legs. He asked to pray for him and heal the disease, and in order to see Christ himself (due to illness, he could not do this, and there were no images of the Lord yet) - he instructed the artist to sketch Christ from nature. It was a common practice in the Roman Empire to create portraits and sculpt busts from life. At the time of Christ's earthly life, art was sufficiently developed to be depicted with the help of chiaroscuro: many believe that the schematic features of icon painting were the result of a lack of understanding by the creators of the images of painting, but this is not so; icon painting has its own drawing language, which consists in the techniques of reverse perspective and symbolism.
When the emissaries of the king conveyed to Christ a request for healing, the Lord promised that one of His apostles would visit Edessa and enlighten his people with the light of the New Testament teaching. At this time, the tsar's artist tried and could not sketch Christ in any way. Then the Lord Himself took a towel (a handkerchief, "ubrus" in Church Slavonic) and wiped his face with it - the Face of the Lord was imprinted on the handkerchief. That is why this image is called Not Made by Hands: the hands of a person could not depict Him with the help of paints, but the grace of the Lord, His own energy and the power created the image. Probably, this image was like the Turin Shroud, where the Face of Jesus Christ is visible, as in the photograph.
So even during the life of the Savior, the first icon arose. The royal ambassadors delivered a wonderful image on fabric to Edessa. The miraculous Image-Mandylion (in Greek - on cloth) began to be revered as great shrine king. And when, after the Ascension of Christ, the city was visited by the holy Apostle Thaddeus, according to the testimony of another historian, Procopius of Caesarea, he healed King Abgar, preached Christianity and performed many miracles. Then the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands became the city's shrine, protecting the Edessians, and was placed over the city gates as the banner of Edessa. Over the course of several centuries, through prayers, many miracles were performed in front of him, and the chronicler Evagrius of Antioch recorded testimonies of the miraculous deliverance of Edessa from the siege of enemies thanks to him.
Alas, one of the descendants of Abgar became a pagan and iconoclast. To protect the revered image from destruction, the Christians of Edessa laid the icon with stones in the wall. The image was hidden for so long that the generation of Christians who survived the persecution no longer remembered the location of the shrine. Only during a new war, in the 6th century, after the townspeople prayed for salvation, the bishop of the city saw in a dream the place where the image was hidden. When the stonework was removed, it turned out that the Face of Christ was also imprinted on the stones (“on the chrepia,” in Church Slavonic). The small lamp, erected in previous centuries, continued to burn wonderfully.
Both images have become an object of worship. The icon, imprinted on the stones, was named Keramidion and placed in an icon case, and Mandalion was transferred to the altar of the city cathedral, from where it was taken out to worship the believers only twice a year.
At the end of the 11th century, the Byzantine army laid siege to the city and demanded that it surrender under the rule of the emperor. In exchange for peace, the people of Constantinople offered to give them a wonderful Image Not Made by Hands - Mandalion. The inhabitants of Edessa agreed and the icon was transferred to Constantinople. And this day - August 29 in a new style - is now church holiday... This is the Third, Bread or Nut Spas, the day of commemoration of the transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands. On this day in Russia, the harvesting of grain was completed and the nuts ripened, for the collection of which the peasants took blessings. After the Liturgy, home-made bread and pies baked from the flour of the new harvest were consecrated.
In 1011, a copy of the Image Not Made by Hands was made by an artist of the Western Church. It was transferred to Rome under the name "vero eikon" - true image and became known with the name "Veronica's Plaque". Miracles also occurred from this list, it provided the basis for the extensive iconography of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church.
Unfortunately, the miraculous Mandylion has not survived to this day. During the crusade in 1204, he was captured by the crusaders and, according to legend, drowned along with the ship of the kidnappers.
Mandylion was never brought to Russia, but there were lists glorified by miracles. The oldest Russian icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands refers to XII century and was written presumably in Novgorod. There is no image of the fabric on it, therefore the image is attributed to Ceramidion (this type of iconography of the Image Not Made by Hands is called "Savior on a Chrepia"). According to art critics, this icon is close to the miraculous image of Edessa. Perhaps his list was brought to Russia in the first centuries after its Baptism by Prince Vladimir. The image was a revered shrine of the Moscow Kremlin, and now it resides in Tretyakov Gallery.
Features of the iconography of the Savior Not Made by Hands
The description of the icon created by Christ for King Abgar and preserved by the Edessans has come down to us from historical evidence. It is known that the ubrus - the fabric with the Lik's imprint - was stretched over a wooden frame, as artists today do on a stretcher canvas.
The icon represents the image of only the Face of Christ with the surrounding hair, without the neck - indeed, as if a person washed and dried himself with a towel to his chin.
Perhaps this is the only icon that specifically focuses on the Face of Christ, especially His eyes. The symmetry of the image of the Savior's Face also creates recognizability and a special impression of the icon. The eyes of Christ in the image often look to the side, indicating the providence of God for man. The slanting gaze makes the expression on the face spiritualized, full of understanding of the Mystery of the Universe. Art critics evaluate the Novgorod list of the Savior Not Made by Hands as the embodiment of ideal beauty in Ancient Russia and antiquity, they find in it the proportions of the golden section and the ideal of symmetry - such an image indicates the Perfection of the Lord and the one created by Him.
An important role in creating an impression and a prayerful mood when looking at an icon is played by the expression of the Face of the Savior: fleeting emotions are absent on Him, the Face reflects only spiritual peace, purity, sinlessness.
The Novgorod list is a rarity: more often on the icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands, Mandalion or "Savior on the Ubrus" is depicted. The face of Christ is manifested in a golden glow against the background of white fabric (sometimes its purpose is even emphasized by stripes along the edges of the towel) with different folds, knots at the top and even Angels holding the ends of the fabric. Less often, Lik is depicted against the background of the actual brickwork or simply against a gold background.
The meaning of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands for the traditions of icon painting and theology
Miraculous phenomenon the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the VI century became a great impetus for icon painting. He appeared precisely during the period of iconoclasm (at this time Christians were even killed for venerating icons, the icons themselves were mercilessly destroyed - that is why so few images have come down to us from the first centuries of Christianity), when the memory of the establishment of the tradition of the generation of icons by Christ Himself became the most important argument in disputes with heretics. An icon is a window into the spiritual world, an image of the Prototype (Christ, Mother of God, saints), through which we give honor and turn to Him. That is why it is not entirely correct to say "Prayer to the Icon" or "The Kazan Mother of God": they pray in front of the icon, and the icons of the Mother of God are called, for example: the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
In the first centuries, the icon, in addition to the theological, also carried the function of a "Bible for the illiterate" - not everyone could purchase a book, for many centuries they were very expensive. However, to this day, many images are illustrations for events from the life of the Lord, His saints or the Mother of God.
The miraculously remaining imprint of the Face of Christ on the fabric reminds of the Divine beginning of icon painting. The image of the Savior's Face edifies every Orthodox Christian: you need to have a personal relationship with God. Prayer, even in your own words, communion with God in the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, changing your life according to the teachings of Christ - this is what brings us to the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. No rituals and rituals, special words of prayer-conspiracies do not help. To live with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven, you need to get to know Him here, in our life. The look of the Savior Not Made by Hands calls us to follow Him, to imitate the Lord in wisdom, kindness, self-sacrifice - this is the meaning of the Christian life.
It is interesting that the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands as the first Christian icon and as the most important expression of the teaching of Christ is obligatory for pupils of icon painters. In many schools, this is the first independent work of students.
What they pray for the icon "Savior Not Made by Hands"
The life of the Son of God on Earth, the mystery of the Incarnation are described in detail in the Gospel, interpreted in many books of the Church Fathers. The Lord gave himself up as a sacrifice for human sins and conquered death itself, in His Resurrection, returning the entire human race to paradise. That is why, despite the importance of our prayers to the saints - our holy helpers - and the Mother of God, an appeal to God Himself is a necessary daily prayer... Let us remind you that the Church blesses the daily reading of the morning and evening prayers, turning to the Lord and Heavenly Forces.
They pray to the Lord in all needs:
- About recovery from diseases;
- About the mercy of God in the needs of yours and your loved ones;
- About his health, relatives and children;
- About help in business, welfare;
- About the right choice, making the right life decisions;
- About deliverance from sins and vices.
Conduct a prayer dialogue with God, measure your actions against the example of Christ, more often - imagine what God Himself would say, seeing your deeds and hearing your thoughts - after all, He is Omniscient. Do not despair at any mistakes, hurry to church for Confession and unite with God (with proper preparation, which is better to read about in Orthodox literature) in the Sacrament of the Sacrament. In no case should icons be used in conspiracies, divination, in rituals. Communication should be only with God and His saints, His Angels - psychics, "folk healers" and sorcerers communicate only with evil spirits But no one can order the angels.
Thank God for His help in your life: He responded to your requests, expressed and not expressed - remember many happy occasions in life. The Lord really rules our life for the better, showing our capabilities, leading to gratitude to God for everything. And humility in the face of difficulties, turning to God with prayer and without anger at this time is the guarantee of our salvation and upbringing of the soul, personal growth. We must strive for pleasing to God life, visit the temple, pray for worship, help people, forgive the sins and mistakes of our neighbors, calmly behave in conflicts.
The Lord is a great Power and great Love, you just need to believe - and therefore trust Him with your life and your soul. Christ, being Almighty, voluntarily, in order to erase from the history of the universe the past and future sins of mankind, went to humiliation, torture and terrible suffering on the Cross. The teaching of the Lord Jesus is a call to repentance, to the love of all people for each other, compassion and pity even for terrible sinners.
You can pray to the Lord Jesus Christ in front of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands both in your own words, and church prayers... It is worth more often reading before this image the Lord's Prayer, recorded in the Gospel from the words of Christ Himself - "Our Father". It can also be read in the morning and before bedtime, before meals and before starting any business.
Prayer to Jesus Christ in front of the icon "Savior Not Made by Hands" can be in Russian online according to the text below:
Our good Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God! You in ancient time During Thy earthly life, Thy flesh, Thy face was washed and wiped with holy water, miraculously Thy Face was depicted on this towel, You blessed to send it to King Abgar of Edessa to heal the disease.
So we now, Your sinful servants, suffering from mental and physical illnesses, Your Face, O Lord, are looking for and with the King the Psalmist David with a humble soul we pray: do not turn away from us, but take Your anger away from Your servants, be a Strong Helper for us, do not reject us and don't leave us alone. O All-Merciful Lord, our Savior! Settle yourself by your grace in our souls, so that in holiness and righteousness, living on earth, we become true sons and daughters of Thy, and heirs of Thy kingdom, where You, all the mercies of our God who gives us, together with the Fatherless Father and the Holy Spirit, will not cease to praise forever.
God! I am Your vessel: fill me with the gifts of Your Holy Spirit! Without Your help, I am empty and do not have grace, often full of all sin. God! I am Your ship: fill me with a load of good deeds. God! I am Your ark: fill me instead of passions with love for You and for Your image - my neighbor. Amen
May the Good and Merciful Lord protect you!
Church Tradition states that the first icon of the Savior appeared during His earthly life. This is the image that we know under the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands (acheiropoietos). The history of the origin of the first image of Christ is transmitted to us primarily by the texts of the service to the Savior Not Made by Hands on August 16:<Пречистаго Твоего лика зрак изобразив, Авгарю верному послал еси, возжелавшу Тя видети, по Божеству Херувимы невидимого...>(Verse 8 at Vespers). Or a stichera in the morning (4 tones):<...ко Авгарю богоначертанна письмена послав, просящему спасения и здравия сему, еже от подобия Твоего зрака Божественного>.
The history of Avgar is mentioned quite often, especially in the service performed in temples dedicated in honor of the Image Not Made by Hands. But liturgical texts do not convey details about the origin of the image: they only talk about the fact itself.
As for the ancient authors, they do not mention him until the fifth century. This is apparently due to the fact that the image remained walled up, its location was not known, and it was forgotten. The oldest known mention of this image is in a monument called<Учение Аддаи>... Addai was bishop of Edessa (541) and in his work (if only<Учение...>really written by him) used, obviously, some local legend or written monuments unknown to us. The oldest - known to us - writer, whose authorship is recognized as undeniable, who speaks of the Image Not Made by Hands, sent by Christ to King Abgar, is Evagrius (6th century). In its<Церковной истории>he calls this image<богозданной иконой>.
As for the plate itself, with the image of the face of Christ imprinted on it, it was kept in Edessa for a long time as the most precious treasure of the city. His veneration was widespread throughout the East, and in the eighth century Christians celebrated the Image Not Made by Hands in many places, following the example of Edessa.
At the time of iconoclasm, St. John Damascene, and in 787 the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council mention him several times. A reader of the St. Sophia Cathedral of Constantinople, the name of Leo, who was present at this Council, said that during his stay in Edessa he worshiped this image. In 944 the Byzantine emperors, Constantine Porphyrogenitus and Roman I, bought the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa. He was solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the temple of Our Lady, called Pharos, and the emperor Constantine himself composed a sermon in honor of the Image, in which he glorified him as a palladium Byzantine Empire... Probably, at the same time, at least for the most part, the service of the holiday celebrated on August 16, the day when the transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands to Constantinople is remembered. After the defeat of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204, traces of the icon are lost.
In France, there is a miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which is currently kept in the sacristy of the cathedral in the city of Lan. This icon is considered to be of Balkan origin, perhaps of Serbian origin, and dates back to the 12th century. In 1249 this icon was sent to France from Rome by Jacob Panteleimon Tarcinius, the future Pope Urban IV, his sister, abbess of the Cistercian monastery.
The day of the celebration of the Savior Not Made by Hands is celebrated as<от Едеса пренесение в Константинь град Нерукотворенного Образа Господа нашего Иисуса Христа, рекше святаго Убруса>... However, the service of this day is far from limited to the memory of transferring the Image from one place to another. The main thing in it is the dogmatic substantiation of the Image and its content.
Expression value<нерукотворный образ>to be understood in the light of the Gospel of Mark ch. 14, art. 58: This image is above all Christ Himself, the incarnate Word, manifested<в храме Тела Его>(John 2:21). Since the time of His appearance of Moses, the prohibition of the image (see Ex. 30.4) loses its meaning, and the icons of Christ become irrefutable evidence of the incarnation of God. Here is not the image of God, made according to human conjecture, but the true face of the Son of God who has become a Man, which the Tradition of the Church raises to direct contact with His living face. On the day of the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Church venerates the first icon of God who became Man.
As we have seen, the above stichera, as well as other texts of the service, emphasize the historical origin of this image. In the eyes of the Church, it is especially important to emphasize that the Person of Jesus Christ and His image are not some kind of personification of high moral qualities or great idea that the Savior is not a certain ideal, sublime and abstract, but a concrete historical face who lived in a certain place and at a certain time.<Возводя на первообразное Спас образ Адамов поползшийся, на земли с человеки поживе, зрим же и осязаем и описуем Неописанный существом>, - says the service of the holiday (2nd stichera of the first voice at small vespers).
The Old Testament and New Testament readings of the service are of particular importance in terms of our analysis. As you know, the set readable texts Holy Scripture reveals the meaning of the celebrated event: in the paremias his Old Testament preconceptions are shown, and in the New Testament readings their fulfillment is revealed, the doctrinal content of the holiday and its eschatological significance are indicated. And now the selection of these readings reveals exactly what we already know from the works of St. John of Damascus, that is, how the Church understands the Old Testament prohibition, its meaning, its purpose, as well as the meaning and purpose of the New Testament image.
The first two paremias are taken from Deuteronomy (the first - ch. 4, v. 1, 6-7 and 9-15; the second - ch. 5, v. 1-7, 9-10, 23-26 and 29; ch. 6 , vv. 1-5, 13 and 18), the third - from the 3rd Book of Kings, ch. 8, Art. 22-23 and 27-30.
The first two paremias speak of God's revelation of the Law to Israel on Mount Horeb, on the path of the chosen people to the Promised Land. The meaning of these paremias boils down to the fact that in order to enter this Promised Land and to possess it, it is absolutely necessary to observe the given law and worship the one true God, worship is uncompromising, without any possibility of admixing the cult of others.<богов>... At the same time, a reminder, already known to us, is given about the impossibility of depicting God who is invisible:<Глас словес Его вы слышасте, и образа не видесте, токмо глас>and<снабдите души своя зело, яко не видесте всякаго подобия...>... In other words, the whole law and, in particular, the prohibition to worship others<богам>and the prohibition of the image is an indispensable condition for the fulfillment of the promise given to the chosen people, and its introduction into the Promised Land. But this land has a representative meaning: it is the image of the Church, the image of the Kingdom of God.
The third paremia is also a preformation of the New Testament Revelation. This is Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the temple he built:<Яко аще истинно вселится Бог с человеки на земли, аще небо и небо небесе не довлеют Ти, кольми паче храм сей, егоже создах Имени Твоему...>... It speaks about the coming coming of God to earth, about His participation in the course of temporal human history and about His presence, Who<не довлеет и небо небесе>, in the earthly, man-built temple.
The meaning of these paremias is revealed in the apostolic reading of the feast. This Epistle to the Colossians, ch. 1, art. 12-17:<Благодаряще Бога и Отца, призвавшаго вас в причастие наследия святых во свете: Иже избави нас от власти темныя, и престави в Царство Сына любве Своея: о Немже имамы избавление кровию Его и оставление грехов: Иже есть Образ Бога невидимого, Перворожден всея твари...>... This text, as we can see, indicates the fulfillment of the prophecies:<Наследие святых>, <Царство возлюбленного Сына>- this is the Church, the image of which was the Promised Land. Thus, the entire course of the events of the Old Testament, the entire law that protected the purity of the chosen people, its entire sacred history is revealed as a preparatory process for the appearance on earth of the Body of Christ, the New Testament Church. And in this preparatory process, the Old Testament prohibition of the image leads to the appearance of the One who was invisible, to<образу Бога невидимого>revealed by the God-man Jesus Christ.<Боговидения славы древле, темно Твоих задних сподобися Моисей, просив: новый же Израиль лицем ныне в лице Тя Избавителя видит ясно>(2nd troparion of the 4th canon).
The Gospel read on the day of the Savior Not Made by Hands, at Matins and at the Liturgy, is the same. This is the Gospel of Luke, ch. 9, Art. 51-56 and Ch. 10, art. 22-24.<Бысть же егда скончавахуся дние восхождению Его, и Той утверди лице Свое ити во Иерусалим. И посла вестники пред лицем Своим: и изшедше внидоша в весь самарянску, яко да уготовят Ему: и не прияша Его, яко лице Его бе грядущее во Иерусалим. Видевша же ученика Его Иаков и Иоанн, реста: Господи, хощеши ли, речема, да огнь снидет с небесе и потребит их, якоже и Илия сотвори?>... But Jesus rebuked them:<Не веста коего духа еста вы: Сын бо Человеческий не прииде душ человеческих погубити, но спасти. И идоша во ину весь. И обращься ко учеником, рече: вся Мне предана быша от Отца Моего: и никтоже весть, кто есть Сын, токмо Отец: и кто есть Отец, токмо Сын, и емуже аще хощет Сын открыты. И обращься ко учеником, един рече: блажени очи видящий, яже видите, глаголю бо вам, яко мнози пророцы и царие восхотеша видети, яже вы видите, и не видеша: и слышати, яже слышите, и не слышаша>.
As we can see, in relation to the image, both the Apostle and the Gospel text are in their meaning opposed to the first two paremias: there -<вы не видели образа Божия>, here -<блажени очи, видящий яже видите>, - see<образ Бога невидимого>- Christ. That's why last words Gospel readings are addressed to disciples alone. After all, the man Jesus was seen not only by the disciples, but also by all those around him; but only the disciples saw in the servant's gaze the Son of Man - the Son of God,<сияние славы Отчей>... These words, as we have seen, St. John of Damascus understands as a permission of the Old Testament prohibition. The visible side of this permission for us is the celebrated image:<Прежде виден бысть Человеком; ныне же явися образом нерукотворенным...>(2nd troparion of the 1st canon).
The first part of the Gospel reading (Luke 9, 51-56) emphasizes what distinguishes the Apostles from the world around them, that is, what distinguishes the Church from it: they are of a different spirit, and their motives and methods of action are not the same as in the world. ... (Recall that this difference also determines the difference in the means used by the Church, including her art.) gospel reading on the contrary, the purpose of the image is revealed. Note that the difference of spirit between the Apostles and the world is revealed by the Savior just before His entry into Jerusalem. And so, starting with the paremias, through the New Testament readings, we see, as it were, the growth of Revelation in symbolic images: the Old Testament is the preparation of the New Testament; The Promised Land, to which Israel is going, is the image of the New Testament Church. The New Testament is the fulfillment of these preparations and types. But the New Testament is not the ultimate goal, but only the next stage on a person's path to the Kingdom of God. In the way of this Kingdom, in the way<горнего Иерусалима>Jerusalem is earthly, and the entrance to it of the Savior is the image of the entrance to the Kingdom of God. V Old Testament confession of the true God and the absence of His image was an indispensable condition for Israel's entry into the land promised to him: in the New Testament, the confession of Christ and His image, the confession of faith in this way, plays the same role: this is a necessary condition for entering the Church, into the Kingdom of God, into that high Jerusalem, where the Church leads us. Therefore, this Gospel is read on the day of the Savior Not Made by Hands. If the Savior Himself leads the Apostles to Jerusalem, then His image leads us to Jerusalem above:<Славим Тя, Человеколюбце, смотрения образ видяще зрака Твоего: сим невозбранно во Едем вход, Спасе, даруй рабом Твоим>(stichera on verse, Glory, voice 6).
Thus, by the very choice of the texts of Holy Scripture and their comparison, the Church reveals before us a grandiose picture, showing us the slow and arduous march of the fallen world to the promised redemption.
So, the Church affirms the original existence of the true image of Christ. In addition to the Image of Not Made by Hands, there were, of course, His images made by people who saw and knew Him, to which we also have historical evidence. This testimony is all the more valuable because it comes from Eusebius of Caesarea, the only ancient author who can be considered iconoclastic. He not only asserts the existence of Christian images:<Он даже думает, что в его время еще существуют подлинные портреты Христа и Апостолов, он утверждает, что сам их видел>... Indeed, describing the famous statue of Christ erected in the city of Paneada by a bleeding wife known to us from the Gospel (see Matthew 9: 20-23; Mark 5: 24-34; Luke 8: 43-48), Eusebius continues:<Говорили, что статуя эта воспроизводит подобие Иисуса; она сохранилась до наших дней, и мы видели ее, когда были в этом городе. Не следует удивляться, что язычники таким образом хранят память о благодеяниях, полученных ими от Спасителя. Мы видели образы Апостолов Петра и Павла и Самого Христа, которые сохранились в красках до нашего времени. Это было естественно, так как древние имели обычай почитать их таким образом, без задних мыслей, как спасителей, согласно существовавшему у них языческому обычаю>... Eusebius, we repeat, cannot be suspected of exaggeration, since the theological trend to which he belonged far from approved of the facts that he describes.
If the icon of Christ - the basis of Christian image-making - conveys the features of God who has become Man, then in the icon of the Mother of God we have the image of the first man who fulfilled the goal of incarnation - the deification of man. The Orthodox Church affirms the blood connection of the Mother of God with fallen humanity bearing consequences original sin; she does not distinguish Her from Adam's offspring. But at the same time, Her exclusive dignity of the Mother of God, Her personal perfection, highest degree the holiness achieved by Her is explained by the exclusive veneration of Her. Of the entire human race, She was the first to achieve the goal that was set for all people - complete transformation of all human nature. She is the only one of all created beings that has already crossed the line that separates time from eternity, and is already now in that Kingdom, the coming of which the Church awaits after the Second Coming of Christ.<Бога невместимаго вместившая>, <истинно Матерь Божия>, - so solemnly proclaimed the Fourth Ecumenical Council (Ephesus, 431). She, together with Christ, rules the destinies of the world.
Therefore, Her icons also occupy a particularly significant place with us: in the church and in the divine service, their place - along with the icons of the Savior. The icons of the Mother of God differ from the icons of other saints and the icons of Angels both in the variety of iconographic types, and in their number and intensity of their veneration.
Church Tradition ascribes the first icons of the Mother of God to the holy Evangelist Luke, who after Pentecost wrote three of them: one of them belonged to the type that we call<Умиление>, which depicts the mutual caress of the Mother of God and the Child. It emphasizes the natural human feeling, maternal love and tenderness. This is the image of the Mother, deeply grieving about the forthcoming sufferings of the Son and in silence experiencing their inevitability. Another image is of a type named<Одигитрия>- Guidebook. Both the Mother of God herself and the Child are turned here directly to the viewer. This is a stern and majestic image, where the Deity of the Child of Christ is especially emphasized. The third icon, apparently, depicted the Mother of God without the Child. The data about her is extremely confusing. Most likely, this icon resembled our images of the Mother of God in the Deisis, that is, turned to Christ with prayer.
At the present time in the Russian Church there are about ten icons attributed to the Evangelist Luke; in addition, there are twenty-one of them on Athos and in the West, of which eight are in Rome. Of course, all these icons are attributed to the evangelist not in the sense that they were written by his hand; not one of the icons he himself painted has reached us. The authorship of the holy Evangelist Luke must be understood here in the sense that these icons are lists (or rather, lists from lists) from the icons, once painted by the Evangelist. The Apostolic Tradition is to be understood here in the same way as in relation to the Apostolic Canons or the Apostolic Liturgy. They go back to the Apostles, not because the Apostles themselves wrote them, but because they bear an apostolic character and are endowed with apostolic authority. The same is the case with the icons of the Mother of God, painted by the evangelist Luke.
The tradition that the Evangelist Luke was the first to paint the icons of the Mother of God is transmitted to us, among other things, by the texts of the divine services on the days of the celebration of some icons of the Mother of God, for example Vladimir icon(May 21, June 23 and August 26), belonging to the type of Affection. At Vespers, in the stichera of the lithium of the sixth voice, the following is said:<Первее написавшейся Твоей иконе евангельских таин благовестником, и к Тебе, Царице, принесенней, да усвоиши ту, и сильну соделаеши спасати чествующия Тя, и порадовалася еси, яко сущи милостива, спасения нашего Содетельница, яко уста и глас иконе бывше, якоже и Бога внегда зачинаеши во чреве, песнь воспела еси: се отныне ублажат Мя вси роди. И на ту зрящи глаголала еси со властию: с сим образом благодать Моя и сила. И мы истинно веруем, яко сие рекла еси, Госпоже, сим образом с нами еси...>... In the morning, in the first canon song, we hear:<Написав Твой всечестный образ, божественный Лука, богодухновенный списатель Христова Евангелия, изобразил Творца всех на руках Твоих>... If the second of these texts only indicates the very fact of the writing of the icon of the Mother of God by Saint Luke, then the first text, in addition, asserts that the Mother of God herself not only approved of her icon, but also imparted her grace and power. The Church uses this text in the service to several icons of the Mother of God of different types, but which all go back to the prototypes written by the Evangelist Luke. By this, the Church emphasizes the continuity of grace and strength inherent in all lists of these icons, as reproducing (with their characteristic symbols) the original features of the Mother of God, captured by the Evangelist Luke.
As for historical evidence, the oldest of them that has come down to us dates back to the 6th century. It is attributed to the Byzantine historian Theodore the Reader, who lived in the first half of the sixth century (+ c. 530) and was a reader in the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople. Theodore speaks of the dispatch from Jerusalem to Constantinople in 450 of the icon of the Mother of God, painted by the holy Evangelist Luke. The icon was sent by Empress Eudoxia, wife of Emperor Theodosius II, to her sister, Saint Pulcheria. In the 8th century, Saint Andrew of Crete and Saint German, Patriarch of Constantinople (715-730) also speak of the icon of Our Lady of Hodegetria, attributed to the Evangelist Luke, but located in Rome. Saint Herman adds that this icon was painted during the life of the Mother of God and was sent to Rome to Theophilus, the very same<державному Феофилу>, which is mentioned in the introduction to the Gospel of Luke and to the Acts of the Apostles. Another legend says that the icon, written by the evangelist and blessed by the Mother of God, was sent to the same Theophilus, but not to Rome, but to Antioch.
One way or another, in the IV century, when Christianity became state religion and there was no need to fear any more desecration of the holy places, the icon, which once belonged to Theophilus and was kept in a private house in Rome, is gaining more and more popularity. From a private house, the icon (or its reproduction) is transferred to the church, and in 590, Pope Saint Gregory the Great (590-604) carries the revered icon of the Mother of God with a solemn procession with the singing of prayers.<которая считается написанной святым Лукой>(quam dicunt a S. Lucas factam), to St. Peter's Basilica.
In addition to the icons painted by the Evangelist Luke, Tradition also speaks of the image of the Mother of God, not made by hands, manifested. Its origins are summarized in the service of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (8 July and 22 October):<Божественный Слова Апостолы, Евангелия Христова велегласнии вселенныя благовестницы, Божественную церковь создавше в пресвятое Твое имя, Богородице, и к Тебе, Госпоже, приходят, моляще Тя приити на тоя освященые. Ты же, о Богомати, рекла еси: идите с миром, и Аз с вами тамо есмь. Они же шедше обретают тамо на стене церкве Твоего, Владычице, образа подобие...>(the sedal of the 3rd canon). Tradition says that these Apostles were Peter and John, and that the temple was built by them in Lydda. (Celebration of the Lydda Icon of the Mother of God - March 12). In the 8th century, Saint Herman, the future Patriarch of Constantinople, passing through Lydda, ordered to make a copy of this icon, which later, during the time of iconoclasm, he sent to Rome. After the victory over iconoclasm, this image returned to Constantinople. Since that time, the image of the Lydda Mother of God is also called Roman (celebrated on June 26).
Notes (edit)
Avgar V Uchama - the king of the small country Osroena, located between the Tigris and the Euphrates, ruled in the capital, the city of Edessa (now Orfu or Rogais). Note, by the way, that the chronicle of this city speaks of Christian temple, which was destroyed in 201 by a flood and which the chronicle calls<древним>... This state was the first Christian state in the world (between 170 and 214 under King Abgar IX).
A more detailed account of the origin of the Image Not Made by Hands is found in the Chetya Minea. In short, it boils down to the following: King Abgar of Edessa, sick with leprosy, sent his archivist Hannan (Ananias) to Christ with a letter in which he asked Christ to come to Edessa and heal him. Hannan was an artist, and Abgar instructed him, if the Savior could not come, paint His image and bring it to him. Hannan found Christ surrounded by a thick crowd; he stood on a stone from which he could see better, and tried to portray the Savior. Seeing that Hannan wanted to make His portrait, Christ demanded water, washed, wiped His face with a cloth, and His image was imprinted on this plate. The Savior handed this payment to Hannan with the command to carry it with a letter to the one who sent it. In this letter, Christ refused to go to Edessa Himself, saying that He must fulfill what He was sent to do. After completing His work, He promised to send one of His disciples to Abgar. Having received the portrait, Avgar was healed of his main ailment, but his face was still damaged. After Pentecost, the holy Apostle Thaddeus, one of the 70, went to Edessa, completed the healing of Abgar and converted him to Christianity. Abgar attached the image to the board and placed it in a niche above the city gates, removing the idol that was there from there. He greatly contributed to the spread of Christianity among his people. But his great-grandson returned to paganism and wanted to destroy the Not-Made-by-Hands Image. Then the bishop of the city walled up the icon in the city wall with a lamp lit in front of it. Over time, this place was forgotten. But the image was regained when the city of Edessa was besieged by the Persian king Khosroi in 544 or 545. He was found by the bishop in one piece with a lamp burning in front of him; The Miraculous Image was not only preserved, but also imprinted on inside shingles covering it. In memory of this, in the Orthodox Church there are two types of icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands: the face of the Savior on the trim and the face without the trim, the so-called<чрепие>... All that is known about this last image is that it was in Hierapolis (in Syria). There is a legend that the emperor Nicephorus Phocas (963-969) transported him to Constantinople in 965 or 968.
IV, 27. PG, IV, 86, 2745-2748.
Later, in Edessa itself, starting in 843, this holiday coincided with the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
Acts of the Ecumenical Councils, v. 7; in the same place. Mansi, XIII, 169 and 190.See: Grabar A. Pansky Savior // Seminarium Kondakovianum. Prague, 1930, p. 24.
We are talking here only about the icons liturgically celebrated by the Church, But historical sources mention several icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which were played in the 6th and 7th centuries. great role, in particular in the Byzantine-Persian war. Some of them replaced the famous labarum (see: A. Grabar Byzantine iconoclasm. Paris, 1957, p.ZO et seq.). Currently, there is an icon in Georgia called the Anchiskhat Savior. It was written in encaustic technique and dates back to the 7th century (see: A. Amiranashvili, History of Georgian Art. M., 1950, p. 126)
In the 15th century, the legend of St. Veronica, who is depicted holding a plate with the face of the Savior imprinted on it Legend of St. Veronica exists in several versions. The most famous of them is the one that is usually depicted in<крестном пути>, invented by the Franciscan monks (4th stop): when the Savior was led to Golgotha, a woman named Veronica allegedly wiped sweat from His face with a cloth, on which His face was imprinted. (See article P, Perdridze // Seminarium Kondakovianum Prague, 1938, vol. 5, pp. 1-5)
See: V.Lossky. Savior Not Made by Hands// Uspensky L., Lossky V. The meaning of icons. Bern Olten, 1952 (German and English).
We take these readings not from the Menaion, but according to the index of the Church Old Testament readings in the Bible, since in the Menaion they are abbreviated, and there are no important places for us.
Schönborn X. background. Icon of Christ Theological grounds. Friborg, 1976, p. 75.
Eusebius of Caesarea. Church history, book. VII, ch. Xviii.
Note that the calendar of the Russian Church, in which the iconography of the Mother of God is very developed, has 260 of Her icons, glorified by miracles and liturgically celebrated. In general, the Sergievskaya Minea (2nd edition, 1901, vol. 1) has 700 titles of Her icons.
So, from the most ancient images of Tenderness, we still do not know a single one earlier than the 10th century. (the image in the temple of Tokale Kilisse 963-969, See: Lazarev V. N. History of Byzantine painting. Moscow-Leningrad, 1947, p. 125). As for Hodegetria, the oldest images of this type known to us date back to the 6th century. (The Gospel of Ravula. See: N. Kondakov, Iconography of the Mother of God, vol. 1, p. 191-192.)
Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 154. The icon of the Mother of God, written by the holy Evangelist Luke, is also mentioned in the famous letter in defense of icons to Constantine Copronymus, which is often attributed to St. John Damascene According to the opinion existing in science, this work belongs to an unknown author and is composed of the original speeches of St. John of Damascus, as well as St. George of Cyprus and John of Jerusalem. (See: G. Ostrogorsky // Seminarium Kondakovianum. Prague, 1927, vol. 1, p. 46; aka History of the Byzantine state. Paris, 1956, p. 179 (in French).
See N. P. Kondakov. Decree. cit., vol. 2, p. 176-179. The oldest surviving historical evidence of the Lydda image itself dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. It is spoken of in writing about 726 and attributed to St. Andrew of Crete, as well as in the conciliar epistle of the three Eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus, written in 839, and in the creation of George the Monk, dating back to 886-887. Nothing is known about the fate of this image, except that it existed in the 11th century (See: Dobschutz
Adapted from: L. A. Uspensky. Theology of the icon of the Orthodox Church. Publishing house of the brotherhood in the name of the holy prince Alexander Nevsky. 1997.
