home Medicines from A to Z The miraculous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God Hodegetria. Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”

The miraculous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God Hodegetria. Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”

Smolensk icon Mother of God - venerated in Orthodox Church icon of the Mother of God. Belongs to the Hodegetria icon painting type. The Mother of God appears in this image as the Guide of a person going to God. She is presented frontally, looking straight at the worshippers. On her left hand the Mother of God holds the Infant Christ, and with her right hand she points to him as the Savior. The Baby Himself stretches out one hand to the Mother, and in the other holds a rolled up scroll - His teaching. TO characteristic features Hodegetria is attributed to a very slight turn of the Mother of God towards the Son.
The prototype of the Smolensk Mother of God is very ancient and, according to legend, was written by the Apostle Luke himself for the Antioch ruler Theophilus. After the death of Theophilus, this image of Hodegetria the Guide returned to Jerusalem; in the 5th century, Queen Eudokia, the wife of Emperor Theodosius, moved him to Constantinople, to the Blachernae Temple. From there, the future Smolensk icon came to Rus' in the 11th century. Perhaps the icon became a parental blessing in 1046 for the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Ninth Monomakh Anna, who was married to the Chernigov prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise.
However, there is historical evidence that the Constantinople icon was destroyed by the Turks, who divided its precious frame, during the siege of Constantinople in 1453. Therefore, most researchers are inclined to believe that the icon brought to Rus' in the 11th century is a copy of an ancient Constantinople image.
After the death of Prince Vsevolod, Hodegetria found a new guardian in the person of his son, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir II Monomakh - commander, writer (author of the famous “Instruction”) and temple builder. In 1095, he moved the icon from Chernigov (his first inheritance) to Smolensk, and in 1101 he founded the cathedral church of the Assumption here Holy Mother of God. Ten years later, Hodegetria was installed in this cathedral and from that time began to be called Smolensk - after the name of the city, whose guardian remained for almost nine centuries.

In the 13th century, the hordes of Batu fell upon Rus', rapidly moving westward. Crying and praying, the people of Smolensk turned to the intercession of their Guardian. And a miracle happened: the Mother of God, through the image of Hodegetria of Smolensk, granted the city miraculous salvation. The Tatars were already standing several miles from Smolensk when a warrior named Mercury heard a voice coming from the holy icon: “I am sending you to protect My house. The ruler of the Horde secretly wants to attack My city this night with his army, but I prayed to My Son and My God for My house, so that he would not give it up to the work of the enemy. I myself will be with you, helping my servant.” Obeying the Most Pure One, Mercury raised up the townspeople, and he himself rushed into the enemy camp, where he died in an unequal battle. He was buried in the cathedral church of Smolensk and was soon canonized. In memory of Mercury, on the day of his death, a special thanksgiving service was performed in front of the miraculous image of Hodegetria.
In 1395, the Smolensk Principality lost its independence, becoming dependent on Lithuania. But just three years later, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas Sophia was married to the prince of Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich (son of Prince Dimitri Donskoy), and Hodegetria became her dowry. In 1398, the acquired shrine was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin according to right side from the royal gates. Muscovites reverently worshiped it for half a century, but in 1456 a representative of the Smolensk people, Bishop Mikhail of Smolensk, arrived in Moscow and demanded the return of the shrine. Grand Duke Vasily the Dark (1415-1462), after consulting with bishops and boyars, ordered to “release” the miraculous to Smolensk, leaving her exact list in Moscow. On July 28, in the presence of almost all Muscovites, the icon was solemnly carried through the Devichye Pole to the ford at the steep bend of the Moscow River, beyond which the road to Smolensk began. Here a prayer service was served to the Guide, after which the prototype of the miraculous woman went to Smolensk, and the mourners took the list from Smolensk to the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. On this day, July 28 (August 10), the Smolensk Hodegetria is celebrated. In Moscow, it was customary to make a religious procession from the Kremlin, along Prechistenka and Devichye Pole to the Novodevichy Convent, which was founded in 1525 by the Grand Duke Vasily III in the very place where in 1456 Muscovites saw off the miraculous icon.

In 1609, Smolensk was besieged by the Polish army, and after twenty months of siege, in 1611, the city fell. The miraculous Smolensk icon was again sent to Moscow, and when the Poles captured Moscow, then to Yaroslavl, where it remained until the expulsion of the Poles and the return of Smolensk to the Russian state in 1654, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. On September 26, 1655, the miraculous icon of Hodegetria returned to Smolensk.
The Smolensk Hodegetria appeared again in Moscow during the Patriotic War of 1812. August 26, the day of the Battle of Borodino, Smolensk, Iveron and Vladimir icons procession carried around Moscow, and on August 31, Iverskaya and Smolenskaya visited the wounded in the battle who were lying in the Lefortovo hospital. When Russian troops left Moscow, the Smolensk icon was transported to Yaroslavl. However, already on December 24, 1812, Hodegetria returned to the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk.
Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, the Smolensk Icon of Hodegetria remained in its historical place - in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk, which was not destroyed even after its closure in 1929. The latest reliable news about the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God dates back to 1941, when the city was occupied by the Nazis. Two years later, Smolensk was liberated Soviet troops, but there was no icon in the cathedral.
Now in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk, in a place of honor there is a copy of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.

One of the most revered lists of icons in Moscow is located in the Moscow Novospassky Stauropegial Monastery.

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.

Lists of Hodegetria of Smolensk

Hodegetria Smolenskaya Mglinskaya

One of the most full descriptions The miraculous icon of Hodegetria Mglinskaya is presented in the bookPictures of church life in the Chernigov Diocese from its 9th century history. Kyiv, 1911:

I. T. Tokmakov in his book “Historical and statistical description of mountains. Mglina” writes that the icon of Hodegetria was given as a blessing to the wife of the Chernigov prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, captured in the Chernigov region by the Poles and thrown near the battle site. At the bottom of the icon of Hodegetria, an ancient inscription has been preserved: “To the Rock of God 1664 msetis on September 2, the image was found of the Most Holy Theotokos... between Drokovo and Nivnoye, in a swamp”...

For some time the icon was in Kostenichy, then moved to the Mglin church, and on March 2, 1832, with religious solemnity, it was installed in Mglinsky Assumption Cathedral e.

Materials used from Wikipedia and sites:

http://silbermanfod.livejournal.com/96654.html
Http://www.vidania.ru/icony/icon_smolenskaya.html
Http://lib.pstgu.ru/icons/index.php?option=com_alphacontent&ordering=11&limitstart=3180

This article will consider the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” In addition, we will learn in more detail about the origin of this icon, as well as the antiquity of the image about which there are legends. Let's look at existing icons and lists from the original image.

Hodegetria - what is it?

Where did this image come from? According to legend, it was originally written during the life of the Mother of God. This image, which later became known as the Mother of God Hodegetria, was sent to Constantinople in the fifth century. For a long time was in the Odegon monastery. Some researchers believe that this icon was a copy from Blachernae. That first image also contained a small part of the Mother of God’s maphoria.

Today in Tretyakov Gallery one of the oldest such images is kept, which remains as it was before. originates from Pskov and dates back to the end of the 13th century. Previously, it was located in the Church of St. Nicholas of Kozh.

It should be noted that the name of this image has its own legend. It appeared before two blind men and in some incomprehensible way led them to the temple in Blachernae. She placed the sufferers in front of the icon of the same name, and they began to see clearly. Since then, this image has received the name “Hodegetria”, which is translated from Greek as “guidebook”.

According to another legend, the icon became a blessing for the wedding of Anna, who was the daughter of the Greek emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. After a long journey to Rus', it acquired its name.

"Hodegetria" in Rus'

The icon came to the territory of present-day Russia somewhere in the middle of the 11th century. She was brought by Princess Anna, who after some time became the wife of Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Chernigov. This image was originally miraculous and enjoyed special veneration by Christians. After some time, “Hodegetria” began to be called Smolensk.

Many copies of this icon quickly spread throughout Rus'. Of course, the image itself underwent some changes, since there was no strict iconographic canon for this type of Mother of God, and no one demanded an exact copy of the shrine. However common features the icons were preserved.

Special attitude towards the Mother of God in Rus'

So, the Hodegetria icon in Rus' is quite popular and very revered. Evidence of this are numerous lists of the first image, which were distributed throughout Ancient Rus'. It should be noted that the Mother of God is favorable to people living in this territory, since in many areas she is considered a patroness and intercessor.

Very often, sincere prayer saved a person from some misfortune or misfortune. There is a lot of evidence of this, both in ancient times and today.

Iconography of the image

The Hodegetria icon is a special image of the Mother of God. Translated from Greek, as already mentioned, this is a “guidebook”. The icon has special meaning for Christians. This image usually depicts the Mother of God and Child. Her hand is a finger pointing to the Son (located in front of the chest), as well as to the salvation of all mankind. This moment very important. The Baby himself sits on his left hand. His left hand occupied by a rolled scroll, and the right one raised in a blessing gesture. The Baby's legs are either crossed or straight. Usually the Son is depicted frontally, but sometimes he can be drawn half-turned. In any case, the blessing gesture is preserved. The Virgin Mary is sometimes depicted on a throne, sometimes in full height or waist-deep.

It should be noted that this image was known for quite a long time, even before the 6th century, in Palestine and Egypt. After which it became widespread throughout the Orthodox East. In the 3rd century, a theological understanding of this image took place, namely the interpretation of the moment of the Incarnation of God by the Mother of God. It should be noted that it is from this plot that new ones emerge that are directly related to the Mother of God. This is both “The Burning Bush” and “ Unbreakable Wall”, and many others.

Smolensk icon - the most popular for this type

The icon "Hodegetria of Smolensk" is considered the prototype of all similar icons in Rus'. Its history goes back centuries, but these are mostly legends that were passed down from mouth to mouth. It is believed that it is a copy of the first icon that was painted by the Apostle Luke. She came to Rus', as was written above, with the daughter of Emperor Constantine.

After Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich and his wife Anna died, the icon was inherited by their son, Vladimir Monomakh. He transferred miraculous image to Smolensk and placed it in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Since then, the icon has become Smolensk.

In terms of the number of miracles performed, she is in one of the first places among her kind. It was the “Mother of God Hodegetria of Smolensk” who in 1239 was the intercessor and savior of the Russian land from the invasion of the troops of Batu Khan.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the icon was moved to Moscow and placed in the Kremlin in the Annunciation Cathedral. After some time, she was returned to her homeland, to Smolensk. After this, the image made many more travels and migrations, especially during wars and aggressive actions, but always returned to its homeland. Unfortunately, after the events of World War II, the fate of the image is unknown.

At one time, many copies were written from this icon, which spread throughout Russia. In Smolensk, in place of the ancient icon there is now another one, which also has miraculous properties. It is considered one of the most important shrines of the Russian land.

Tikhvin icon

Along with the Smolensk image, the “Tikhvin Hodegetria” is also revered. The icon of the Mother of God has the same ancient history, during which there were wonderful moments. It is believed that the image disappeared from Constantinople after its fall, and some time later appeared in Russia near Tikhvin.

According to legend, the Patriarch of Constantinople himself said that this is the same icon that was once in the Blachernae Church. In the Tikhvin Monastery the image was placed in the same way as originally in the temple of Constantinople. He stayed there all the time until monasteries and churches began to close throughout the country (USSR times).

IN Soviet years The icon was in America, and in 2004 it returned to Russia, where the Tikhvin Monastery began to be rebuilt.

Kazan icon

Another famous “Our Lady Hodegetria” is located in Kazan. This icon was found in 1579 in the city of Kazan, after there was a terrible fire that destroyed almost the entire settlement. The image of the Mother of God was revealed to a little girl, who dug the icon out from under the ashes.

The miraculous acquisition of the image after a terrible tragedy struck everyone very much. Many at that time went to worship her, she gave hope for salvation (after all, cold weather was setting in, and many people were left on the street, without shelter or any property).

Subsequently, at the behest of Ivan the Terrible, the Kazan Cathedral was built, and near it it was founded. Miracles began to happen near the icon immediately after its discovery (the epiphany of two blind men).

Today the original icon does not exist; after some time it was lost. However, numerous lists from it still exist today, famous for their miracles.

Other famous icons of this type

The Hodegetria of Smolensk icon is, of course, the most famous among others of this type. However, there are many others similar to it. One of these icons is the Georgian one. Initially, she was in Georgia, but after 1622 she was taken to Persia (the conquest of the country took place). Her journey was long, and it stopped in the Arkhangelsk province in the Krasnogorsk monastery. Today, the original image is lost, but there are copies from it. Prayers are offered before the icon for the sake of getting rid of various epidemics, as well as to recover from ear and eye diseases.

Another, no less important, icon depicting the Mother of God Hodegetria is the Iverskaya. This image has no less mysterious story. In the 9th century, she was in the house of a pious woman. It was iconoclastic period, and she decided to save the icon from destruction by lowering it into the waters of the sea. The icon appeared only two centuries later near Mount Athos near the Iveron Monastery. A gate church was built for her, where the image is still preserved.

Of course, these are not all the images of this type, which are kept and revered in many monasteries and temples. There are quite a lot of them, and they all have their own special power and give patronage.

Temples that are dedicated to the image of “Hodegetria”

Having considered the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” - it should be noted that this image Other shrines also correspond. For example, in many cities both in Russia and other countries, there are temples that were built in honor of the image of the “Guide”. Let's look at the list:

Church in Kimzha, located in Arkhangelsk region(It does not work);
church in the city of Disna, Belarus (operating);
chapel-temple of Hodegetria, it is located in Simferopol, Crimea (operating);
church in Kasimov, located in Ryazan region(current).

And there are quite a few such churches, chapels and temples a large number of, since the veneration of the Mother of God by the Orthodox is great.

Conclusion

So, now you know the answer to the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” And also about where this iconographic type came from and what the most famous icons dedicated to it exist. It is quite understandable why this image is so revered in Rus', because more than once the Mother of God saved people from various troubles, instilled faith and hope, and did not allow them to lose heart.

The Virgin Mother is the boundary between created and uncreated nature, and Her, as the container of the incontainable, will be known by those who know God, and after God, those who sing of God will sing Her. She is the foundation of those before Her, and the eternal Intercessor.

St. Gregory Palamas

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

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

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

As long as there is faith in Rus', the Most Pure One preserves this destiny. The northern borders of our country were protected by the image of the Sign of Novgorod, the eastern borders by the Kazan Icon, and the western borders by the Smolensk Icon.

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

After the death of Prince Vsevolod, Hodegetria found a new guardian in the person of his son, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir II Monomakh - commander, writer (his “Teachings” are still studied in the course of ancient Russian literature) and temple builder. In 1095, he transferred the miraculous from Chernigov (his first inheritance) to Smolensk, and in 1101 he founded the cathedral church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary here. Ten years later, Hodegetria was installed in this cathedral and from that time began to be called Smolensk - after the name of the city, the guardian of which this miraculous one remained for almost nine centuries.

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

In the 13th century, the hordes of Batu fell upon Rus', rapidly moving westward. Crying and praying, the Smolensk people fell to the intercession of their Guardian. And a miracle happened: the Most Pure One, through the image of Hodegetria of Smolensk, granted the city miraculous salvation. The Tatars were already standing several miles from Smolensk when a pious warrior named Mercury heard a voice coming from the holy icon: “I am sending you to protect My house. The ruler of the Horde secretly wants to attack My city this night with his army, but I prayed to My Son and My God for My house, so that he would not give it up to the work of the enemy. I myself will be with you, helping my servant.” Obeying the Most Pure One, Mercury raised up the townspeople, and he himself rushed into the enemy camp, where he died in an unequal battle. He was buried in the cathedral church of Smolensk and soon canonized. In memory of Mercury, on the day of his death, a special thanksgiving service was performed before the miraculous image of Hodegetria.

When in 1395 the Principality of Smolensk lost its independence, becoming dependent on Lithuania. But just three years later, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt was married to the Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich (son of the holy noble prince Dimitri Donskoy), and Hodegetria became her dowry. In 1398, the newly found shrine was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin on the right side of the royal gates. Muscovites reverently worshiped it for half a century, until in 1456 representatives of the Smolensk people arrived in the reigning city and demanded that the shrine be returned to them. Grand Duke Vasily the Dark (1415-1462), after consulting with bishops and boyars, ordered to “release” the miraculous to Smolensk, leaving her exact list in Moscow. On July 28, in the presence of almost all Muscovites, the icon was solemnly carried through the Devichye Pole to the ford at the steep bend of the Moscow River, beyond which the road to Smolensk began. Here a prayer service was served to the Guide, after which the prototype of the miraculous woman went to Smolensk, and the mourners took the list from Smolensk to the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

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

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

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

The Moscow Novodevichy Convent also had to endure a lot. They sent here unwanted queens and princesses - Evdokia Lopukhina, Sophia; Napoleonic “twelve tongues” robbed and plundered it and even tried, before fleeing from Moscow, to blow up the monastery (it was saved by brave nuns who extinguished the already lit wicks). In 1922, Novodevichy was completely closed, dispersing its nuns. For opposing the predatory “seizure of church valuables”, Abbess Vera was sent to the camp; and in 1938, the last confessor of the monastery, Archpriest Sergius Lebedev, died a martyr’s death at the Butovo training ground, where the ashes of tens of thousands of those executed rest. Back in 1925, there were 2,811 tombstones in the cemetery inside the monastery walls; now there are no more than a hundred of them left (including the graves of the historian Sergei Solovyov and his son Vladimir, the great Russian philosopher). The “Museum of the Emancipation of Women” was set up in the desecrated monastery, and in 1934 its buildings were transferred to the State Historical Museum.

Divine services in the Novodevichy Monastery resumed in 1945, when the refectory Assumption Church was re-consecrated here, and since then prayer has been heard here again before one of the Hodegetria lists. The revival of the monastery itself began in 1994, when the nuns returned to Novodevichy, led by Abbess Seraphima (Chernaya), the granddaughter of the martyr Saint Seraphim (Chichagov), who died in 1999; Her successor was Abbess Serafima (Isaeva).

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

Until its disappearance, the prototype of Smolenskaya was never subjected to detailed scientific study. According to old descriptions, the board on which the icon was written was unusually heavy, primed with chalk and glue and covered with canvas; The Most Pure One is depicted at half height, waist-deep, supporting the Child with her left hand. The Savior blesses those praying with His right hand, and holds a scroll with His hand. The outer garments of the Virgin Mary are dark brown, the lower ones are dark blue; The Baby's clothes are dark green and gold. On the reverse side of the prototype was written the Crucifixion with the Greek inscription “The King is Crucified” and a view of Jerusalem. When painting was renewed in Moscow in 1666, figures of the Mother of God and John the Evangelist, which were not there before, were added to this Crucifixion. Features of the Smolensk Icon are the frontal position of the Child; a very slight turn of the Mother of God towards His Child; Her head is slightly bowed; characteristic hand position.

The celebration of the Smolensk Icon takes place on July 28 according to the Christian calendar. Once upon a time, on this day, a procession of the cross from the Kremlin, along Prechistenka and Devichye Pole to the Novodevichy Convent took place in the Mother See. By the beginning of the twentieth century, there were more than three dozen miraculous and especially revered lists of Smolensk; churches dedicated to this image stood in many cities, towns and monasteries of the Russian land; in Moscow alone there were four Smolensk temple, in St. Petersburg - five. And today, throughout all Smolensk churches in Russia, the troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos sounds before Her icon, called “Hodegetria”:

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.

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 before the Smolensk Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called "Hodegetria"

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 refuge for sinners?

Incline, O most pure Lady, Thy ear to my prayer. Mother of my God, do not look down on me, requiring Your 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.

Holy Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk

Cathedral of Smolensk Saints

Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (Guide Book) Smolensk

The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered images of the Mother of God throughout Russia. Praying to this miraculous icon the blind received their sight; following her call, great warriors won great victories; Kutuzov blessed his troops with it during the War of 1812, and the number of revered lists from it is incalculable...

1. The prototype of the icon: the Evangelist Luke, the blessing of the Mother of God and further history

According to legend, the prototype of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, from which all revered copies were made, was written by the Evangelist Luke during the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that is, before 45 AD.

When the Evangelist Luke humbly presented this and two other images to the gaze of the Mother of God, She said: “The grace of Him who was born of Me and My mercy be with these icons.”
And so it happened. The image, which later received - around the beginning of the 12th century - the name of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, became miraculous.

The further fate of the icon was no less interesting: before getting to Smolensk - and to Rus' in general - the icon managed to visit Jerusalem and perform its first miracle - more on that below - in the Blachernae Church of Constantinople.

In Rus', the icon appeared during the times Prince of Kyiv Vsevolod Yaroslavich, who married the daughter of the Greek Emperor Constantine Monomakh, Anna. It was with this icon that Emperor Constantine blessed his daughter - and with it Anna Konstantinovna blessed her son, Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh.

Detail: in the photo above is the prototype (!) of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God in the Smolensk Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, lost after 1941. The photograph was taken in 1912 by the pioneer of color photography Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863 - 1944).

2. The first miracle. Hodegetria

The first miracle associated with the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God happened in those days when the image painted by the Evangelist Luke was still kept in the Blachernae Church of Constantinople and, of course, was not called the Smolensk Icon.

According to legend, one day the Mother of God appeared to two blind men and told them to go and venerate this icon in the Blachernae temple. The blind men did not dare to disobey the Blessed Virgin and did everything as they were told. On the same day, both blind people regained their sight, and from then on the miraculous image began to be called Hodegetria, which translated from Greek means “Guide”.

Detail: in the photo above is a modern church on the site of the legendary Blachernae Cathedral, destroyed by fire in 1434.

3. The appearance of the icon in Rus'. The first miracle in Smolensk and forced “moves” from the city

So, in Rus' the icon appeared during the time of the Kyiv prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich (1030 - 1093, in the miniature above).

It is known that the wedding of Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the daughter of Emperor Constantine Monomakh Anna took place in 1046, which means the icon appeared in Kyiv at the same time - it was with it that Emperor Constantine blessed his daughter.

Half a century later, in 1097, the son of Vsevolod Yaroslavich and Anna Konstantinovna Vladimir Monomakh became the Prince of Smolensk, and in 1101, on his order, the Assumption Cathedral was erected in the city - the icon was placed there. It was from this moment that the image painted by the Evangelist Luke began to be called the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.

In Rus', the voice of the icon sounded for the first time in 1238. According to legend, the image of the Mother of God addressed the Russian warrior Mercury with the command to protect the city from the troops of Batu Khan approaching Smolensk. The brave warrior, under the cover of darkness, made his way into the enemy camp and killed many enemies, among whom was the strongest warrior of the detachment. Mercury himself was unable to return from the battle alive and was glorified as a saint.

The icon was kept in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk for 300 years, and only at the beginning of the 15th century did it temporarily leave its place for the first time - the city was captured by Lithuanian troops, and it was decided to transport the miraculous image to the Moscow Annunciation Cathedral. The icon returned to Smolensk in 1455, and the next time it left the city a century and a half later - in 1609, during the Russian-Polish War.
During the War of 1812, the icon was also transported from Smolensk to Moscow. On the day of the Battle of Borodino, she, along with two other revered icons of the Mother of God - Iverskaya and Vladimir - was carried around the White City and the Kremlin. Also, by personal order of Kutuzov, the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God was placed around all the ranks of the troops.

4. The disappearance of the icon

The prototype of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God disappeared from the Assumption Cathedral immediately after the capture of the city by Nazi troops. In 1943 the city was liberated, but the icon was never found and further fate her is unknown. Today, the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk houses a copy of the miraculous icon, made in the 16th century. Apparently, the author of this work was the artist Postnik Rostovets.

Other famous copies of the miraculous image include an icon by Dionysius, painted in 1482 (pictured above).

5. Iconographic features of the image

It is likely that the prototype of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is a copy from an earlier Blachernae icon, also attributed to the brush of the Evangelist Luke and considered the first image in the world belonging to the type of Hodegetria - “Showing the Way”, “Guide”.

Icons of this type are characterized by a half-length depiction of the Mother of God holding the infant Christ in one hand and pointing to Him with the other hand. The center of the composition is Christ, and Holy Virgin, pointing to Him, carries the main meaning of this image - it speaks of the appearance into the world of a “heavenly king and judge.”

Prayer to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God:

Oh, Most Wonderful and Above All Creatures, Queen Theotokos, Mother of the Heavenly King Christ our God, Most Holy Hodegetria Mary!

Hear us, sinners and unworthy, who at this hour pray to You with sighs and tears before Your Most Pure Image, and tenderly say: Lead us from the pit of passions, Good Hodegetria, deliver us from the spirit of sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all adversity and evil slander and from the unrighteous slander of the enemy.

You can, O our Gracious Mother, not only save Your people from all evil, but also provide and save Your people with every good deed, since other intercessors for You in troubles and circumstances and warm intercessors for us sinners to Your Son, Christ our God, are not imams .

Pray to Him, Lady, to save us and grant us the Kingdom of Heaven, so that through Your salvation we may glorify Thee in the future, as the author of our salvation, and extol the All-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.

Dmitry Merkulov

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 the emergency martyrdom him, and that She Herself will not leave him, but will 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 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). 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 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 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 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 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 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 Virgin Mary holds the Child in her left hand, right hand The Lord is raised in a blessing gesture, 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 that sought to establish their influence in 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. Cathedral prayers before her, the Smolensk and Muscovites bore 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 Patriotic War 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 common prayer people in front of 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, 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!

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