[Zhirovichskaya] (fest. May 7), a miraculous image on a stone, revealed near the estate of Zhirovichi (Zhirovitsy, Zhurovitsy; modern Slonim district, Grodno region, Belarus), is located in the Zhirovitsky stauropegial monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Minsk diocese), is one of the main preserved shrines and historical relics of Belarus. Revered by Orthodox, Catholics and Uniates.

The legend about the appearance of the icon, which probably took shape in the 2nd half. XVI century and was literary formalized by the Zhirovich priest. Theodosius (Borovik) (Borowik. 1622), has similar features with the stories about the appearances of the Kupyatitsky, Lesninsky, Ryshkovsky, Pyukhtitsky and other miraculous Mother of God icons. J. and. was revealed in the forest, in the crown of a blooming wild pear tree, standing under a mountain near a spring. The shepherds, who discovered the icon by the radiance emanating from it, took the image to the owner of this area, Lithuanians. podskarbiyu orthodox. religion to Soltan, who hid it in a casket, from where the icon disappeared and was again revealed to the shepherds on the same tree. Soltan built a church on the site of the double appearance of the icon and placed J. and. there, decorating it with a precious robe. A settlement subsequently arose near the temple.

In one of the handwritten versions of “History” by Hierom. Feodosia (Borovika), published by P. N. Zhukovich (Zhukovich. 1912), the phenomenon of Zh. and. attributed to con. XV century, by the time of the reign of Vladimir. book Lithuanian Casimir IV. In sources of the 17th-18th centuries. phenomenon Zh. and. dated back to 1473, 1480, 1549, 1576. Church tradition correlates this event with 1470; such dating, first given in the publication of canon I. Nardi (Nardi. 1728), was fixed in publications of the 19th-20th centuries. However, historically the most reliable is the one proposed in the 18th century. Polish historian I. Stebelsky dates the event as 1494; identification of the founder of the Orthodox Church. church in Zhirovichi with the personality of the zemstvo treasurer Alexander Yuryevich, the ancestor of the Belarusians. gentry dynasty Soltanov, who made a pilgrimage to Palestine and served at the courts of Europe. monarchs, does not have sufficient grounds. The Zhirovichi estate was granted a charter dated March 20, 1493 by the lord. book Lithuanian Alexander Jagiellonchik to the son of Alexander Yuryevich Soltan, “Marshal of the Lord Ivashka Soltan Alexandrovich” († c. 1495), who built a church in Zhirovichi. Its existence is confirmed by a copy of a document from 1516, stored in the archive of the Lithuanian Metrics (AZR. 1848. Vol. 3: p. 252), - a complaint from Ivashka Soltan Aleksandrovich’s son, Alexander, against the wife of his guardian Litavor Khreptovich; among the property are listed valuables taken by Mrs. Khreptovich from the sacristy of the church in Zhirovichi. The opinion was expressed (Mironowicz. 1991) that the phenomenon of Zh. and. happened in 1514, similar hypotheses were put forward from the 2nd half. XIX century based on untenable attempts to identify the personality of Alexander Soltan with the bishop. Joseph (Soltan), who was in 1509-1519. Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia and All Rus' (in Vilna), who actually belonged to a different family.

The legend tells that some time after its construction, the wooden church in Zhirovichi burned down, and the miraculous icon disappeared. Children returning from school saw the Virgin sitting on a stone not far from the ashes and surrounded by radiance. Having brought relatives and a priest, instead of Her they found an unharmed J. and. and a candle burning in front of her. The stone, which, according to legend, was found after the fire of J. and., has a depression reminiscent of a footprint and palm. It was believed that particles of the stone, called the “Foot of the Virgin Mary,” have healing properties, help women in labor. Currently time the stone is in the altar c. in honor of the Appearance of the Zhirovitsky Icon of the Mother of God, built in the Zhirovitsky Monastery in 1672 (according to other sources, in 1769).

Finding Zh. and. after the fire it was believed to have occurred in 1520 or 1560. Last date cannot be considered convincing, since the construction of a new wooden church in Zhirovichi on the site of the one that burned down began, probably, during the life of the court marshal of Lithuania. Alexander Soltanovich (c. † 1554), 2nd after his father, Soltan Alexandrovich, owner of Zhirovichi. Synodik of the Zhirovitsky Monastery, compiled in mid. XVIII century based on an earlier text, calls A. Soltan “the first founder under whom this miracle was shown in Zhirovitsy” (Dobryansky. 1882). An argument in favor of the fact that the acquisition of life and. on the ashes occurred earlier than 1560, the one located in the 18th century can serve. Among her decorations is a votive pendant. Bona, who left Poland for Italy in 1556.

In 1555, the son of Alexander Soltanovich, Lithuanian court marshal since 1572, Ivan Aleksandrovich Soltan († ca. 1577), became the owner of Zhirovichi. Presumably he began the construction of a stone church in Zhirovichi. Archival documents from 1572, 1575 and 1587. confirm the existence of the Orthodox Church. church in Zhirovichi and the monastery plot that belonged to it. Perhaps at this time Orthodox Christians lived near the church. bishop (Turovo-Pinsk or Brest) and monks. Archival documents from 1580 describe the miracle of Zh. I. - the resurrection of the girl Raina from Belarus. Orthodox noble family of Voynov. The girl became seriously ill, and she had a vision that healing would come if she made a pilgrimage to Zhirovichi and devoted herself to serving the Mother of God. When Raina's parents were taking her from Minsk to Zhirovichi, she died. On the 4th day, after the coffin with the girl’s body stood in the church in Zhirovichi, she rose from it completely healthy. It is believed that the miracle about which the resurrected woman testified before Stefan Batory in Grodno occurred ca. 1558. The authenticity of her story was confirmed by the great hetman and Lithuanian chancellor Lev Sapega, the Vilna Catholic bishop. Benedict (War), Smolensk and Mstislav castellan Ivan Meleshko and Dorota Voinyanka, Raina’s sister. Their testimonies were included in the files of the royal chancellery; Raina Voinyanka was approved by royal decree as the abbess of the Pinsk Orthodox Varvara monastery. Numerous cases of healing from J. and. were recorded in the 17th-19th centuries, and they are still recorded today.

In the 1st half. XVII century J. and. was well known among believers. The Basilian monastery, founded in 1613 in Zhirovichi, became one of the main marial sanctuaries of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The benefactors of the monastery were the co-owners of the Zhirovichi family, Ivan Meleshko and Dominik Soltan. In 1616 he led. Lithuanian Chancellor Lev Sapega, among the rich gifts of Mon-Ru, donated precious jewelry to J. and.

In 1629, construction of a new stone Assumption Church began in Zhirovichi; repairs and completion of the structure were carried out in the 70-80s. XVII century In the XVII-XVIII centuries. Through the efforts of the Zhirovitsky monks, books and engravings were published that glorified J. and. In 1623 in Vilna it was published in translation from the Old Belarusian. in Polish language "History" by Hierom. Feodosia (Borovik), in 1625-1629. There were 3 reprints of it. Until sep. XVII century 8 printed publications were published glorifying J. and. (including 2 panegyrics about the worship of the miraculous image in Zhirovichi of kings Vladislav IV and John Casimir), in the 18th century - 5 books and big number engravings for pilgrims. Starting from cor. Vladislav IV, who made a pilgrimage (December 9-10, 1644) to the miraculous image of the Mother of God in Zhirovichi, a tradition developed to come to worship J. and. the day before important events Rzeczpospolita: cor. Jan Casimir made a pilgrimage in 1651, going on a campaign against Bohdan Khmelnytsky, cor. Jan III Sobieski - April 29 1683, on the eve of the battle with the Turks near Vienna. In the 18th century August II Sas and Stanislav August Poniatowski made trips to Zhirovichi to worship J. and.

It was believed that through the intercession of J. and., taken by the monks in 1660 to the nearby Bytensky Assumption Monastery, the Zhirovitsky monastery was saved from ruin during the Russian-Polish. wars (1654-1667).

Information about Zh. and. included in the archbishop's collection. Ioannikiy (Galjatovsky) “New Heaven” and in the Catholic encyclopedia of miraculous icons and sculptures of the Virgin Mary published in Munich during this period. world, which uses information about the most revered icons of the Mother of God in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, collected by the rector of the Vilna Jesuit Academy A. Koyalovich. Both publications contributed to the glorification of J. and. in Orthodox Left Bank Ukraine, in Russia, in Catholic. Europe. In 1715-1716 information about Zh. and. together with an engraving signed in Polish by D. Petzoldt, they are included in the handwritten collection of the Mother of God icons “The Most Bright Sun”, compiled by the guardian of the Moscow Annunciation Cathedral Simeon Mokhovikov (NB MSU. F. 293. No. 10536-22-71 and State Historical Museum. Muz. 39).

In the 1st third of the 18th century. J. and. revered throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This was facilitated by the discovery (Aug. 15, 1718) of a fresco copy of J. and under crumbling plaster. in the narthex of Rome. c. in the name of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, transferred (1639) by Pope Urban VIII to the Basilians of the Russian province for their residence. It has been suggested that the fresco was painted in the 17th century. one of the Basilian monks who arrived in Rome from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first inhabitants of the mission to Rome. c. In the name of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, the monks Josaphat (Isaakovich) and Philip (Theodosius?) (Borovik) who arrived from Zhirovichi on July 15, 1639 (Kulczynski. 1732). The image depicted on the fresco became famous for miracles of healing and is revered under the name “Madonna del Pascolo” (Italian: Pascolo - Zhirovichi, granary). In 1719, the fresco was restored by L. G. da Cava, a student of Rome. artist V. Lomberti, a pictorial copy of it was made and sent to Zhirovichi (probably disappeared during the First World War). Received from Rome. The image of healing Mikhail Zagorsky, under the capital of Mstislav, donated a silver robe and crowns. 13 Sep. In 1730, the fresco was transferred to the main altar of the chapel in the name of the Zhirovitsk Icon of the Mother of God c. in the name of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus.

In 1726, a resolution of the papal chapter, which examined more than 200 miracles of J. and., approved the decision on her coronation, which took place on September 8. 1730 For 8 days, solemn services were held in the Zhirovitsky Monastery; in those days, approx. 140 thousand people, 38 thousand believers were present at the coronation. On the road from Slonim to Zhirovichi, 7 triumphal arches. The Assumption Church was decorated with 7 large oval painting compositions depicting the miracles of J. and. 2 golden crowns, made in Rome by the efforts of the procurator of the Basilian Order Benedict Trulevich and consecrated by Pope Benedict XIII, were placed on the icon by the Uniate. Kyiv Metropolitan Afanasy Sheptytsky, concelebrated by Bishops of Vladimir-Brest Theophilus Godemba-Godebsky and Turovo-Pinsk Georgy Bulgak. The costs associated with the coronation were borne by the King. Anna Radziwill, mother of the papal ambassador who delivered the crowns for J. and.

In 1839, the Zhirovitsky monastery passed to the Orthodox Church. Churches. J. and. was at that time in the local rank of the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral, to the right of the royal doors. Among the miracles of J. and., described in the 19th century, the rescue of the Zhirovitsky monastery from fires on March 7, 1836, November 3, was especially noted. 1854, April 10 1863 In the 2nd half. XIX century Zh. and services were established. with a prayer service to the Mother of God, akathist and kneeling prayer on March 7, April 10, November 3. On Sundays and days dedicated to the memory of the Mother of God, in the monastery after Vespers they performed an akathist service before J. and. Festive services dedicated to J. and. are held on the days of Pentecost, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation, and the memory of the Great Martyr. George, Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Intercession. In the 19th century Up to 30 thousand pilgrims from Minsk, Grodno, Kovno, Vilna, Podolsk provinces and Podlasie came to the Intercession (Yarashevich. 2001).

In 1915 J. and. in a silver frame and with other valuables, she was evacuated to Moscow, to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy. The Mother of God on the Moat, after its closure - in the Catherine the Great Martyr monastery in Vidnoye, Moscow region. In Jan. 1922, through the efforts of Archimandrite Zhivitsky. Tikhona (Sharapova) J. and. was returned to Zhirovichi (according to legend, he took her out in a jar of jam), but without salary. The monks of Pochaevskaya in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary completed the laurels for J. and. icon case (1922), in which the image was kept until 2008, until it received a new icon case. In 1938 with J. and. crowded religious processions took place in the cities and villages of the West. Belarus, the funds raised went to repair the Assumption Church. Zhirovitsky Monastery. Despite the persecution of the Polish. and Soviet authorities in the 20-70s. XX century, pilgrimages to J. and. didn't stop.

From ser. 80s XX century Every year on May 20, thousands of pilgrims come to venerate the miraculous image; they are given water from the source where the phenomenon of J. and I occurred. (at present, the source is located in the crypt of the Assumption Cathedral of the Zhirovitsky Monastery). On May 20, 1994, the 500th anniversary of the appearance of J. and. was solemnly celebrated. Since then, this holiday has been celebrated when it coincides with the days of the Ascension of the Lord or Easter. After the late liturgy the image wears out procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the Yavlenskaya Church, where a prayer service with an akathist to the Mother of God is performed in the open air. Since 2000 March 7, April 10 and 3 Nov. (days of saving the monastery from fires) a canon is added to the ordinary services before J. and. and the Great Doxology is sung (except for cases when March 7 and April 10 coincide with the period of Great Lent, with Holy or Bright Weeks). In the beginning. XXI century the custom of enclosing housing has been restored. a religious procession around the village, as a rule, this happens on May 21.

In the warm season, J. and. is located in the local rank of the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Zhirovitsky Monastery, to the left of the royal doors. On the day of remembrance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (November 4), after the cathedral akathist before J. and. the image is transferred to the lower St. Nicholas Church, under the left choir, where it remains in the winter; in its place in the Assumption Church a copy is placed in an icon case, which was made from a coil according to the size of the original in 1994 by the priest. Andrey Lyanov. In the sacristy of the monastery there is a picturesque copy of J. and. XIX century in the setting of the 17th century. (presumably the time of the coronation of the icon). More than 30 years since mid. 50s XX century star-shaped ark with J. and. was located in the St. Nicholas Church on the branches of a tree (mounted by seminarians under the direction of Hierarch John (Snychev) (later Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga)); Now it is placed in a wooden carved icon case.

Miraculous J. and. (5.7×4.1×0.8 cm) is similar to a cameo or breastplate icon. The image of the Mother of God with the Child is given in low relief on an oval jasper plate with a slight narrowing towards the top; the reverse of the icon is smooth. Jasper has shades of green and dark red, or hematite (purple), colors, the optical mixing of which creates the impression of an ocher color. Already in 1621 it was noted that the image on J. and. strongly erased, smoothed out. Currently At the time it is difficult to distinguish: only the general outline and certain details are readable. The icon was undergoing restoration: having split into pieces, it was glued together with wax; its traces, visible along the line of the joint of the chips, were mistaken for the 3rd shade of jasper color (Kulczynski. 1732). Traces of thermal destruction of quartz grains are visible on the surface of the stone. The inscription: “The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption,” noticed in the 17th century. and included in the iconography of Zh. and., was not preserved on this image. Perhaps it was placed on the rim of the lost metal frame of the painting. Despite the unusual oval shape, J. and. Typologically comparable to the works of Belarusian. small sculptures of the 13th-15th centuries: stone and bone-carved icons created under the influence of the Byzantines. traditions in Polotsk, Turov, Novogrudok, Minsk, Grodno (Gorodnya). Among them is the later stone Lesninskaya miraculous icon of the Mother of God.

J. and. belongs to the iconographic type “Tenderness”, to the version closest to the iconography of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God; in comparison with them the letter of J. and. distinguished by great expression in conveying the movement of figures. The Mother of God, represented almost generationally with the Child Christ on her right hand, holds left hand at the chest, Her uncovered head is strongly bowed to the right and touches the head of the Son. The baby in a short chiton, which leaves his bent knees open, clings to the Mother, his right hand is directed towards Her, his head is thrown back. The halos are elliptical in shape; one can discern the cross pattern of the Baby’s halo, the dynamic folds on the maphoria of the Mother of God; distinguishable traditions. Greek letters in the designation of Their names.

The first graphic reproduction of J. and., placed in the re-edition of the book by Hierom. Theodosius (Borovik) (1628), most closely corresponded to the iconography of the original. The inscription: “The most honorable Cherub...” is missing from the engraving. The Renaissance ornament of the background of the engraving may have reproduced the design of the 1st silver frame of J. and. Descriptions of the 18th and 19th centuries. give an idea of ​​the 2nd icon case in the Baroque style, lost after 1915. The gold oval, crystal-covered icon case, sprinkled along the perimeter in one row with small diamonds, was mounted in a silver gilded plate (rounded?) weighing 2 pounds 1 lot. Above the image there were 2 small crowns, also sprinkled with diamonds. Above is a large crown with gold filigree, above it is a copper globe covered with enamel, with 17 large pearls. Around J. and. 16 silver votive tablets, 7 medals with inscriptions, a medal in memory of the coronation of the icon, several. silver legs and hearts, silver plates with the image of the Surdeg Icon of the Mother of God and J. and. This frame was placed on a large wooden board, overlaid with silver and decorated with gilding: in the chased relief at the top there is a scene of the coronation of the Most Holy. Trinity of the Mother of God, who stands on the crescent moon. On the sides of the miraculous image are 2 saints; Below are the righteous Joachim and Joseph the Betrothed. Composition of an unsurvived baroque frame frame for paintings. similar to the solution of the copper engraving made in 1682 in Vilna by L. Tarasevich according to Fig. P. Batsevich. The last one at the top depicts the “New Testament Trinity” on the clouds, in the middle in an oval with a Cyrillic inscription: “The most honorable Cherub...” - Zh. and., reproduced to the extent of the miraculous image. The icon is supported by 2 angels with palm branches in their hands, below are the apostles Peter (with the keys and a model of the temple, reminiscent of the Church of Yavlenskaya in Zhirovichi, which probably indicates the church in Lydda, where the Mother of God first showed Her image not made by hands to people) and Paul (with a sword in his left hand). At the bottom of the engraving there is a board with the inscription in Polish: “Life-size image of the miraculous image of Our Virgin Mary of Zhirowitskaya.”

In 1713-1714 G. P. Tepchegorsky made an engraving of Zh. and., this image became the first among reproductions of Zh. and. as part of the engravings and pictorial icons of the collection of miraculous images of the Mother of God, created in Russia in the end. XVIII-XIX centuries

Among the engraved reproductions of J. and. XVIII - beginning XIX century Belarusians are known. popular print (Pushkin Museum) with the image of worship revealed on a pear tree by J. and. shepherds and nobleman A. Soltan; metal engraving published in Italy with the text of a prayer to Madonna del Pascolo (Jagiellonian Church of the University of Krakow).

In the 17th century picturesque lists of J. and. appeared. Among them is an icon by Nikita Ivanov Pavlovets (1669, SPGIAHMZ) and the Gorodishche Icon, revered as miraculous in the Carpathians, on it in the lower left corner under the oval with traditions. The prayer text framing the image includes a chest-to-chest image of the donor (Castle-Museum in Lancut, Poland). Presumably the prototype for the creation of these icons was the mentioned fresco in Rome. c. in the name of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (perhaps the inscription in Church Slavonic, missing from the painting: “The most honorable Cherub...” - and the images of angels were lost during restoration in 1719). This image is decorated with a chased gilded silver frame (1730), silver crowns (on the background are gilded metal Greek letters of the names of the Savior and the Mother of God and chased stars) and is framed with a stucco frame in the Baroque style (1730). One of his early pictorial copies (1719) is presumably in the present. time in the main altar of St. Andrew's Church in Slonim and is considered miraculous. The icon is painted on an oval-shaped canvas, along the edge of which there is a Cyrillic inscription: “The most honorable Cherub...”, surrounded by numerous tablets, crowns and other precious offerings. About the misunderstanding of the reproduced Church Slav. The text of the prayer is evidenced by many. errors, inaccuracies in writing letters. From this icon to an unknown Belarusian. artist 1st half. XVIII century a list was made, honored in the Assumption Church. With. Byten. On it, the expanded text of the beginning of the prayer “It is worthy to eat” is reproduced without errors; images of crowns are added above the heads of the Mother of God and the Child. In pictorial reproduction of paintings and. the colors of the clothes did not have strict regulations. On the icons from Slonim and Byten, in accordance with the Catholic tradition, the Mother of God is represented in a robe of 3 colors - a red dress, a blue dress and a white (light pink) povoe, the Child - in a short golden-ocher chiton.

2 Western Polesie icons, ser. 18th century - one was created by icon painter Tomasz Makowski for the Prechistenskaya Church. in the village Divin (MDBK), another dated 1751 (NHM) - made using the technique of carving on gesso. The faces, hands, and feet of the Baby are painted. The clothes of the Mother of God and the Child are made in low relief, which is silvered and gilded. Characteristic of the iconography of J. and. The oval outline is missing on both copies of the icon. Originating from the village. Verkhov in Volyn icon (1745, not preserved) from the collection of the Volyn church ancient repository depicts J. and. in the clouds and below them kneeling donors - the weaver Verbsky with his wife and daughter.

Among the picturesque lists of Zh. and., glorified by miracles and given their own names, are the Lyadanskaya and Rakovskaya icons of the Mother of God. The Lyadan miraculous icon, created no later than the 1st third of the 18th century, was a family heirloom of the Lithuanians. swordsman Ignatius Zawisza and his wife Marcibella (nee Oginska), placed by them in the Basilian Annunciation Monastery founded (1732) at their expense in Lyady near Minsk. Dr. list of J. and. is located in the Orthodox Church. Preobrazhenskaya C. (1793) places. Rakov near Minsk; The icon is mentioned as miraculous already in archival descriptions of the church. XVIII - beginning XIX century It is executed on canvas in a painterly manner; in iconography it is close to the lists of J. and., dating back to the fresco from Rome; The text located on an oval is written in Latin, its letters are carved from a silver plate.

A significant number of picturesque lists of Zh. and. XVIII-XIX centuries located in the churches of Belarus and Podlasie - in the Grodno convent in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the churches of the villages of Chernyany, Zabolot, Mileichitsa (made in 1851 by the icon painter from Kobrin Theodor Vasilevich).

In 1871, in Moscow, A. Morozov printed a lithograph on which the image of J. and. framed in an oval with a wreath of flowers. It became the basis for many. pictorial lists and color printed reproductions of J. and. in the present time (for example, an icon in the manner of Russian academic icon painting of the 19th century in Sofrino, commissioned by Archimandrite Stefan (Korzun; now Archbishop of Pinsk and Luninets)). They bear the maforia of Our Lady of Traditions. for Eastern Christian icon painting colors (purple-red, brown), can be written in gold or have White color. Modern Belarusian icon painters bring into their interpretations the excerpts of J. and. The iconographic features of the images “Our Lady of Feodorovskaya” and “Our Lady of Vladimir” depict the Child in a long golden-red tunic, covered with assist rays. These are the icon letters of the archimandrite. Zinon (Theodore) in the Zhirovitsky monastery, lists of J. and. in the churches of Minsk, Bialystok, and other cities and villages of Belarus and Poland.

In the extended version, the image of Zh. and. presented in radiance on a pear tree: an unpreserved panel of 1730, painted for the coronation of J. and.; engraving of 1742 in the handwritten list of the brethren of the Zhirovitsky monastery. The plot of the worship of the shepherds found on a pear tree by J. and. placed on the hallmark of the royal gates. third of the 18th century in Yavlenskaya Ts. Zhirovitsky monastery, in whose museum the Assumption Church, which was previously located in the iconostasis, is kept. an icon depicting those kneeling before the image of the saints - the heavenly patrons of the Uniates - shown on a pear. hierarchs: Met. Joseph Velyamin of Rutsky and Archbishop. Josaphat Kuntsevich. Icons of the 19th and 20th centuries. with the image of the worship of the shepherds shown on the pear Zh. and. found in many churches in Belarus. Less common, found on Belarusian icons of the 19th-20th centuries. plot of the phenomenon of J. and. after the fire with the image of the Mother of God seated on a stone in the radiance of light with the miraculous J. and. in hand: the already mentioned pictorial panel of 1730; painting con. 50s XX century in the Assumption Church in Zhirovichi, made by the Belarusian self-taught artist V. Kovalchuk with the blessing of the Zhirovichi archimandrite. Antonia (Melnikova).

From the beginning 90s XX century in honor of J. and. churches and chapels were consecrated in Vitebsk at the home for the disabled, in the city of Berezovka, Grodno region, in the village. Lapichi, Osipovichi district, Mogilev region. (Belarusian Exarchate).

About the existence of rites in honor of J. and. to the uniat. period no information available. Now the troparion of J. and. is being sung. “Those who demand help from You...” goes back to the 1st quarter. XX century Its initial words are focused on the 1st troparion of the 8th song of the prayer canon, 8th tone “Contain the misfortunes of many...”, the troparion is sung in the 2nd tone. The special troparion (“Before Your holy icon...”) completely repeats the troparion Pochaevskaya icon Mother of God and is believed to have been put into use by Archimandrite. Tikhon (Sharapov) at the beginning. 20s XX century, when the veneration of the Pochaev Icon began to dominate among Orthodox Christians. population of Poland. In relation to J. and. this troparion has some inconsistency (mention of the “Hagarian invasions”). The exaltation of J. and. compiled according to the model of the glorification of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Initial words kontakion of the 4th tone “Who will confess Your greatness...” is repeated by the sedalen according to the 3rd song of the canon from the service to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush”, which was compiled in the beginning. XIX century archim. Photius (Spassky). Certain parts of the service of Zh. and. are likened to the texts of the service to the icon of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush”. The author of most of the liturgical texts in honor of J. and. and the akathist is read to her by Archpriest. Konstantin Znosko. Metropolitan blessed them for church use. Warsaw and all Poland Dionysius (Valedinsky) in the end. 20s XX century Service in honor of the appearance of J. and., the text of which was included in the liturgical Menaions of the Moscow Patriarchate, edited in mid. 80s XX century, under Metropolitan Filarete (Vakhromeev).

J. and. devoted to poetic works, theological, philological, local history and art studies.

Source: Main church and sacristy inventory of the Zhirovitsky Assumption second-class monastery // RGIA. F. 834. Op. 3. D. 2745.

Source: Borowik Th. Historia abo Powieść zgodliwa przez pewne podanie ludzi wiary godnych, o obrazie przeczystey Panny Mariey Zyrowickim cudotwornym... W powiećie Słonimskim, y o rozmaitych cudách... pilnie zebrana y... to drugi ráz w druk podána. Wilno, 1622, 1628 (Russian translation: Gistoryya or The Tale of people of rose faith, worthy of the miraculous image of the Most Serene Virgin Mary of Zhirovitsky in the Slonim povet... collected by the many-sinful Father Theodosius // IORYAS. 1912. T. 17. Book 2. With .245-249); Dubieniecki J. Historia de imagine B. V. Mariae Żyrovicensi. Wilno, 1653; Ioannikis (Galjatovsky), Hierom. New Heaven, created with new stars. Lvov, 1665. L. 104b-129a; Drews J. Methodus peregrinationis menstruae Marianae ad imagines Deiparae Virginis. Vilnae, ; Nardi I. Relazya historyczna o zjawieniu obrazu Najsw. Panny Zyrowickiej pod rzadem Bened. Urlewicza. Suprasl, 1728; Kulczynski I. Il diaspro prodigioso di tre colori ovvero Narrazione istorica della tre immagini miracolose della Beata Vergine Maria la prima in Zyrowice in Lituania, la secondo in Pascolo di Roma e la terza copia della seconda parimente in Zyrowice detta da; quei popoli Romana. R., 1732.

Lit.: Nikolai (Redutto), archimandrite. About the Zhirovitsky miraculous icon of the Mother of God and about the Zhirovitsky monastery // Lithuanian EV. 1863. No. 3. P. 83-100; Dobryansky F.N. Description of the manuscripts of the Vilna publ. b-ki, church glory. and Russian Vilna, 1882. P. 187; Paevsky L. S., priest. An ancient legend about Zhirovitsy and the miraculous image of the Zhirovitsy Mother of God. Grodna, 1897; Dikovsky N. R., prot. Coronation of the Zhirovitsk Icon of the Mother of God. Grodna, 1902; RIB. 1903. T. 20: Lithuanian metrics. pp. 871-872; Zhukovich P. N. Unpublished Russian. legend about the Zhirovitsk Icon of the Mother of God: In connection with the history of Russian. noble family Soltanov Zhirovitsky // IORYAS. 1912. T. 17. Book. 2. P. 175-244; Menaea (MP). May. Part 1. 1987. pp. 283-296; Putsko V. Zhyrovitsky relief // Memories of the history and culture of Belarus. Minsk, 1989. No. 2. P. 23-24; Kempfi A. O Żyrowicach i żyrowickim wizerunku Matki Bożej // W drodze. Poznań, 1989. N 5; Mironowicz A. Jozafat Dubieniecki: Historia cudownego obrazu żyrowickiego // Rocznik Teologiczny. Warsz., 1991. T. 33. N 1. S. 195-215; Yarashevich A. A. Zhyrovitski abraz Matsi Bozhai // Religion and Tsarva in Belarus: Encyclopedia. davednik. Minsk, 2001. P. 113, 470-471; Parishes and monasteries of Belarus Orthodox Church: Ref. Minsk, 2001; Chomik P. Kult ikon Matki Bożej w w wielkim księstwie litewskim w XVI-XVIII wieku. Białystok, 2003. S. 49-58; Popov V.V. The appearance of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Zhirovichi” according to written sources of the 16th-18th centuries. // Minsk EV. 2004. No. 1. P. 59-62.

Prot. Georgy Sokolov, S. F. Evtushik, Yu. A. Piskun

Complete collection and description: prayer of the Zhirichi icon of the Mother of God for the spiritual life of a believer.

Among the vast forests in the treasurer's domain Principality of Lithuania Boyar Soltan, an icon depicting the Mother of God and Child was found in Zhirovichi. Local pious legends indicate the time of the appearance of the icon in 1470, linking the emergence of the Holy Dormition monastery itself with this date. However, this information needs clarification: in a special essay by the Basilian historian of the 18th century Stebelsky about the Soltanov family, it is stated that until 1493 Zhirovichi and its surroundings were in the possession of the Goitsevich family, and only after the death of the last representative of this family Grand Duke Lithuanian Alexander, with his charter dated March 20, 1493, granted Zhirovichi to Marshal Soltan. Last time his name is mentioned in historical documents the following year, and a year later he is listed in the papers as deceased. The boyar Soltan Aleksandrovich was first mentioned in 1467 in connection with his trip abroad, from which he returned to Lithuania no earlier than 1476, becoming the owner of Zhirovich seven years later. In the travel letter given to him by the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kazimir Jagailovich, it is noted that the boyar Soltan belongs by religion to the Orthodox Church.

During the First World War, the monastery's church property was transported to Moscow and placed in the basements of St. Basil's Cathedral. The monastic archive was sent to Novorossiysk. Having occupied Zhirovichi, the Germans occupied the premises of the monastery as barracks, chopped up the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas Church for firewood, and destroyed a lot.

Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Zhirovitskaya”

Before Your holy icon, Lady, those who pray are honored with healing, accept the knowledge of true faith and repel the Hagarian invasions. Likewise, for us who fall to You, ask for the remission of sins, enlighten our hearts with thoughts of piety, and offer a prayer to Your Son for the salvation of our souls.

We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and venerate Thy venerable icon, which Thou hast glorified since ancient times in the monastery of Zhirovitsk.

Akathist to the Holy Mother of God in front of her Icon, called "Zhirovitsky"

We will bring songs of praise to the Queen and Lady chosen from all generations, as the Intercessor and Intercessor of the Christian family. But You, as a good Representative before the Lord, beseech Your Son and our God to grant us the inheritance of eternal blessings, so that we may rejoice in You: Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Archangel Gabriel, sent to you from heaven, pure virgin thing: Rejoice, gracious Lord with you! We, by the grace of God through the illumination of you, will praise you with songs of gold: Rejoice, chosen before the ages by the Council of God; Rejoice, O Lamb, who gave birth to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Rejoice, treasury of our salvation, exceeding the powers of the angels; Rejoice, most immaculate Youth and Mother of Light. Rejoice, insectless mountain, who brought forth the fountain of living water; Rejoice, flower-bearing Paradise, who brought forth the Divine Tree of Life. Rejoice, God-pleased Mother, who gave birth to joy to heaven and earth; Rejoice, overshadowed by the power of the Most High, the Divine class, the Savior of the world, the vegetated one. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Seeing Your faithful children despondent in the troubles of everyday life and demanding heavenly help from You, You, Mother of God, gave hope to Christians, by the miraculous appearance on the tree of Your holy icon as a monk of Zhirovitsky, You filled their sorrowful hearts with joy and gladness, so that they all cried out to You in gratitude to God: Alleluia.

Not having understood with reason the mystery of the miraculous appearance of Your icon on the tree, Most Pure Lady, the boyar Soltan hid in the ark Your most honorable image, which You had revealed. But You, Virgin Mother of God, by the special appearance on the same tree of this icon, you taught him, so that everyone will recognize the gift of mercy sent to people by You, and cry out in joy: Rejoice, treasury of inexhaustible joy; Rejoice, fragrant flower of indescribable sweetness. Rejoice, like the tree of life, spiritually delighting the faithful; Rejoice, you who give weightless wealth to all who honor you. Rejoice, you who do not deprive the erring of your grace and mercy: Rejoice, you who overshadow all those who flow to your icon with your protection. Rejoice, obedient to the voice of the prayer of all those who mourn; Rejoice, Mother of mercy, inexhaustible. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

By the power of admonition about the appearance of Your miraculous icon, the enlightened boyar Soltan knew that this icon was sent down from above for the consolation of those suffering by You, and, tearfully praying for his foolishness, he erected a temple on the site of its appearance, and all people, offering prayers to God in it, would give unceasing praise of You: Alleluia.

Having the wealth of mercy unspeakable, You did not reject Your chosen ones in the midst of great sorrow. When the temple, where Your most honorable icons were, was given over to fire, You, the All-Good One, the Comforter, having preserved them undamaged from the fire, again showed them on the stones near the temple, which was burned by fire. People, behold such a miracle, hurriedly sing a song of praise to You: Rejoice, unburnt Bush, preserving Your most honorable image in the fires; Rejoice, sorrowful people, who did not deprive Thy miraculous icon. Rejoice, covering Christians with the shelter of Your wing; Rejoice, through Thy intercession protecting Thy shrines. Rejoice, who once again showed Your most honorable image on the stone; Rejoice, through Thy admonition we have established our feet on the stone of faith. Rejoice, for the indestructible wall of our refuge is Your treasure; Rejoice, for I have known You as the beneficial Protectress. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Through a storm of passions and temptations, the obsession of Your faithfulness, praying before miraculous icon Through yours, they find peace and spiritual joy. You, O pure Virgin, are the Guide of Christians, instructing them in the right path and helping them to understand the meaning of earthly existence, so that everyone praises God with a red song of God, singing to Him: Alleluia.

People who have heard that the icon You have revealed with the gift of miracles is abundant, with faith and trust in Your mercy they flow to it and, enriched by the wealth of Your bounty, sing the following praise to You: Rejoice, Mother of mercy, pouring out a sea of ​​bounties for Christians; Rejoice, you who bring joy to the whole world. Rejoice, sacred refuge of the faithful; Rejoice, Giver of eternal blessings. Rejoice, Sweetener of our sorrows; Rejoice, strong rise of all the fallen. Rejoice, O intercessor and strengthener of the weary; Rejoice, everlasting consolation in our suffering. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

More than the godlike star that rose from the east, you were like the Most Holy Virgin, when in radiant radiance you appeared as a wife of indescribable beauty as a child, indicating the place of the appearance of your most honorable icon, miraculously preserved by you from the fire. You did not deprive these little ones of Your goodness, teaching them about Your great mercy, so that, imitating the children of Israel who exclaimed to Christ: Hosanna, they would sing praises to God about You. Alleluia.

Having seen the strange and glorious miracle revealed by Thy icon, the Most Pure One, when a certain maiden Irina, in illness, moved to worship Thy shrine, died on the way, and when the foreigners began to perform the rite of her burial before Thy icon, rose again, all people exclaimed with trepidation: Rejoice, who gave birth to the Word of life in the flesh; Rejoice, having raised up Your dead servant through Your prayers. Rejoice, O ark of our life, preserving us from the mortal flood; Rejoice, most luminous mind, who bestows upon us the sweets of eternal life and knowledge. Rejoice, through Your icon you show us the sources of great miracles; Rejoice, you who drive away the darkness of cruel circumstances from those who worship you. Rejoice, you who encourage those who pray with incomprehensible signs; Rejoice, you who visit all those who come to You with your mother’s generosity. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

The preachers of Your goodness have all appeared, flowing to Your celibate icon, the Lady. For You have not rejected any of them, who in warm prayer stretched out their hands to her, so that, having recognized the power of the wonderful gift You have shown in her, they will cry out a song of gratitude to God: Alleluia.

The all-honorable monastery of Zhirovitsk appeared, erected under the roof of Your shrine, the Mother of God, as a shining ray of light illuminating the path of good moral living. This house of monastic exploits, and the school of divine understanding for young men, illumine the land of Lithuania with the rays of true knowledge of God, so that all may sing to You, the Mother of the Divine Mind, in songs of praise: Rejoice, Mother of God of incomprehensible light; Rejoice, thou never-setting dawn of the Sun. Rejoice, ladder leading to heaven; Rejoice, thou who makest the foolish by the Divine mind wise. Rejoice, school of piety in our Motherland; Rejoice, all-wise Leader in the knowledge of the teachings of Christ. Rejoice, thou who graciously nourishes the souls of the faithful; Rejoice, faithful one who satisfies the milk of wisdom. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Desiring to give veneration to Thy icon, which shone with many miracles, I visited the Zhirovitsky monastery not only of the noble ones, but also of the kings of the earth, falling to Thy Most Pure Image, the Lady, and, expecting great and rich mercy from Thee, offering to Thy a song of praise and chanting to God: Alleluia.

You have shown truly marvelous industry. Mistress, Thy faithful, when the Zhirovitsky monastery was fenced off from Orthodoxy by flattery and violence, by Thy intercession it was again given to Orthodox people. For this reason, all worshipers of the right faith flocked to Your Most Pure Image, hurrying with joy: Rejoice, our reliable refuge in sorrowful circumstances; Rejoice, a quiet refuge for those seeking salvation. Rejoice, O apostles of the faith of Christ, Planter; Rejoice, depth of the word of God, all-wise Teacher. Rejoice, lamp of the Trisolar Light, illuminating us with truth; Rejoice, pillar of fire, showing us the path of right faith. Rejoice, we are protected from harmful teachings; Rejoice, shame on harmful teachings. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

We recognized strange and glorious miracles in You, Mother of God, Your faithfulness, for not only did You show your grace-filled gifts to them, but also to the waters of the source, at the place of the appearance of Your icon that flowed, you gave the gift of healing ailments, and all, great and rich mercy, from You Having received it, they will sing a song of praise to God: Alleluia.

All who resort to Your protection do not leave You empty-handed and are not heard; For You, Mother of God, who accepted the sorrows of motherhood at the cross of Your Son, weigh the burden of our sorrows. Moreover, to You, Mother, in more experienced sorrow, as a fellow participant in the sorrow and suffering of Your Son, we thus cry out: Rejoice, hopeless hope; Rejoice, consolation for the sorrowful. Rejoice, quenching our sorrows; Rejoice, you who give joy to the whole world. Rejoice, you who quickly give a helping hand to those in trouble; Rejoice, you who show us maternal love and mercy.

Rejoice, through Your prayers we are our Intercessor before God; Rejoice, great protector in adversity. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

All the angelic hosts magnify you, Mother of God, as the highest of heaven and the pure lordship of the sun: for you conceived God in flesh and you gave birth to the Light of lights. In the same way, we, earthly beings, like the most honest Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, magnifying You, will sing about You to the Gods: Alleluia.

All the ornateness of earthly beings is not sufficient to glorify the icon You revealed, but from it, like from an ever-flowing source, those who flow in draw an abundance of benefits. Moreover, bewildered to praise You according to your inheritance, as the primary source of these blessings, with tenderness of heart we cry out to you: Rejoice, Housebuilder of our salvation, organizing our earthly life for good; Rejoice, Guide, who leads us to the heavenly fatherland. Rejoice, guilty one, who does not deprive eternal sinners of the blessings; Rejoice, our Representative before God, who transforms the righteous wrath of God into mercy. Rejoice, thou who teachest us the vanity of this world to despise us; Rejoice, thou who by the insight of our mind attracts us to a more divine love. Rejoice, quick deliverance from all troubles; Rejoice, reliable salvation for the desperate. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

For those who want to be saved, and for those who come running under Your roof, be, O Most Holy Virgin, your inexhaustible Helper. Save us from troubles and misfortunes, especially despair and the fall of the sinful, and, reveling in the virtues of Christ, with joy about Your previous intercession we cry out in gratitude: Alleluia.

You were the strong wall of the Orthodox Church, O Most Holy Virgin, in the days of her grave trials; In the same way we pray to Thee: intercede, protect and protect us in our evil days from the evil enemies who rise up against us, so that we all cry out joyfully for You: Rejoice, protector and champion of Orthodoxy for the Church of Christ; Rejoice, for through Your intercession the Church shines brightly. Rejoice, for the apostates of the faith of our forefathers are being admonished by You: Rejoice, for by You the machinations of the enemies of Orthodoxy are put to shame. Rejoice, for through Your admonition the true faith is being implanted in our country; Rejoice, for the anger of the enemy burning upon you is being quelled. Rejoice, solid strengthening of Orthodoxy; Rejoice, shame on those who are heretical. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and sad intercession.

It is not enough to praise any kind of singing according to the wealth of Your generosity, O Most Pure One, which You have revealed to people. There is no reason capable of cognizing the depth of Your mercy, not a word in which to praise You worthily. Moreover, O good being, accept our wretched praises, and we, glorifying Your greatness, will sing a song to God about You: Alleluia.

With the luminous ray of grace-filled help inherent in Your most pure image, illuminate, Lady, the path of our sorrowful life, so that all from troubles, sorrows and fierce misfortunes, delivered by You, we may have the right to stand in the law of the Lord, thanking You and singing to the Lord: Rejoice, miracles, through Your icon appearing as an omophorion covering us; Rejoice, you who give countless bounties to everyone. Rejoice, you who calm our passions and carnal thoughts; Rejoice, you who heal all our physical and mental illnesses. Rejoice, through Your intercession you deliver from all troubles; Rejoice, you who quickly comfort us in sorrows and sorrows. Rejoice, intercession of widows and care for the orphans; Rejoice, correction of the young and consolation of the old. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Ask for grace from heaven from God for us, Lady, flowing to Your most pure image, and You, Mother of Light, magnifying in songs, so that, overshadowed by Your protection, we will live in all piety and purity and be worthy to appear before the Throne of the King of Glory without condemnation, singing praises about You song: Alleluia.

Singing Your greatness, Most Holy Virgin, we all praise You, and, as the steadfast Representative of our salvation, we earnestly pray: be your Helper for the good of all of us and hear us touchingly calling upon You: Rejoice, O wise Pointer of the right path to Christ; Rejoice, protector of purity and chastity. Rejoice, Nourisher of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; Rejoice, vigilant Intercessor of those who seek Your intercession. Rejoice, help to those who are weary; Rejoice, protection for the whole world. Rejoice, our Guide, who protects us on all the paths of life; Rejoice, even after death in the air ordeals, protecting us from the spirits of evil. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Oh, Most Holy Lady, Virgin Mother of God, hymned by the angelic ranks in heaven, accept from us, Thy unworthy servants, this prayer, offered in praise of Thee, and delivering us from the falls of sin, make us heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that we may sing to God with You forever. : Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Prayer of the Zhirovichi icon of the Mother of God

In the Grodno region, in the Zhirovichi Holy Dormition Monastery, there is a deeply revered icon of our All-Merciful Intercessor - the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Mother of God. There are always many pilgrims and pilgrims in the monastery. People approach the shrine with prayer and exceptional trepidation.

In 1470, the shepherds of the town of Zhirovichi in the forest of the Orthodox boyar Alexander Soltan noticed a light streaming through the branches of a pear tree. The shepherds came closer and on a tree in a radiant glow they saw a small icon of the Mother of God. It was taken to Alexander Soltan, but he did not attach any importance to the shepherds’ story and hid the icon. The next day, guests came to Soltan, and the owner wanted to show the find. But, surprisingly, she was nowhere to be found. The shepherds found her again on the pear tree. This time, Alexander Soltan treated the icon with great respect and decided to build a wooden temple on the site of its appearance. Thus, an Orthodox church was built in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around 1520 it burned down, and everyone thought that the icon was lost. But the peasant children, at the site of the burnt temple, saw a wondrous scene: there, on a large stone, sat a Virgin of extreme beauty. Having learned about this, the residents of the town, led by the priest, went to the stone and saw on it a lit candle and an icon of the Mother of God that had not been damaged by the fire. After such an incident, the icon was in the priest's house. When a stone church was built on the site of a wooden church and consecrated in the name of the Mother of God, the miraculous icon was placed in it.

A hundred years later, a monastery. At the beginning of the 17th century, it was captured by the Uniates, but the Zhirovichi icon was revered not only by them, but also by Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became a place for the revival of Orthodox worship in Western Belarusian lands.

During the First World War, the Zhirovichi icon was taken to Moscow, and in the early 20s it was returned to the monastery. Now she is there in the Assumption Cathedral and is deeply revered for her gracious power.

It is noteworthy that the Zhirovichi icon is one of the 100 most significant Orthodox icons in the world. And therefore, on May 20, Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God.

in front of the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God

O Most Merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God! With my lips I will touch Your shrine, or with my lips I will confess Your generosity, which is revealed to people: no one else, who flows to You, leaves thin and unheard. From my youth I have sought Your help and intercession, and I would never again be deprived of Your mercy. See, O Lady, the sorrows of my heart and the ulcers of my soul. And now, kneeling before Your most pure image, I offer my prayers to You. Do not deprive me of Your all-powerful intercession on the day of my sorrow, and on the day of my sorrow intercede for me. Do not turn away my tears, O Lady, and fill my heart with joy. Be my refuge and intercession, O Merciful One, and enlighten my mind with the dawnings of Your light. And I pray to You not only for myself, but also for the people who flow to Your intercession. Preserve the Church of Your Son in goodness, and protect it from the evil slander of the enemies who rise against it. Send Thy help to our archpastors in the apostolate, and keep them healthy, fruitful, rightly ruling the word of the truth of the Lord. As a shepherd, ask God Your Son for zeal and vigilance for the souls of the verbal flock entrusted to them, and to send down upon them the spirit of reason and piety, purity and divine truth. Ask the same way, Lady, from the Lord for wisdom and strength from those holding power and the city ruler, from the judges truth and impartiality, and from all who flow to You the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. I also pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One, to cover our country with the shelter of Thy goodness, and deliver it from natural disasters, invasions of foreigners and civil unrest, so that all who live in it may live a quiet and serene life in love and peace, and enjoy eternal blessings through eternal prayers Having inherited yours, they will be able to praise God together with you in heaven forever.

Creation date: 03/24/2008 07:35:00

Official website of the temple of St. Seraphim Vyritsky

192284, St. Petersburg, Zagrebsky Boulevard, 26

The arrival of the temple in the name St. Seraphim Vyritsky in Kupchino

Icon of the Mother of God "Zhirovichi" included in the 100 most significant Orthodox icons in the world. This icon is the smallest of the venerated icons of the Mother of God. Its size is 5.6 / 4.4 cm. The icon is an oval piece of jasper with a relief image of the Virgin Mary with the Child in her arms.

Initially, the icon emitted beautiful light and a subtle aroma and only later did it fade and darken (until 1638 it was kept open, without glass), and from the frequent touching and kissing of pilgrims its surface was somewhat smoothed out. Clearly visible cracks in the image are reminiscent of the fire she was in. From the very moment the icon appeared near it, miraculous healings began to occur, evidence of which is recorded in the chronicle of the Zhirovichi monastery.
According to researchers, There are virtually no analogues to the Zhirovichi icon. There are only three similar icons dating back to the 14th - early 16th centuries. The shrine is revered as not made by hands, for it was revealed miraculously. During the time of the Union, the Zhirovichi icon was revered by both Uniates and Catholics.

The main source of information about the appearance of the miraculous icon, the foundation of the temple and monastery is written in 1622 by the Zhiromonk Theodosius (Borovik) “History, or the story of noble people, worthy of faith, about the miraculous image of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of Zhirovitsky in the Slonim povet...”. This short work occupies five pages in the handwritten polemical collection “On Images and Relics” (edition of “Descriptions against the Luthers”). Book owned before early XIX V. monastery library, was taken to Russia by Bishop Pavel (Dobrokhotov), ​​a former professor at the seminary in Zhirovichi. Today it is kept in the Library of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. There is also the manuscript “Image of the Miracle-Working Mother of God in Zhirovitsy,” the author of which is Zhirovych Archimandrite Josaphat (Dubenetsky). The manuscript was written between 1652 and 1654. in Zhirovichi and was based on the legend recorded by Father Theodosius. It is divided into seven chapters, each of which is devoted to a description of certain circumstances of the history of the appearance of the icon and the founding of the monastery. Josaphat Dubenetsky supplemented the “sanctuary” of the icon with a story about miracles that occurred after 1622, with eyewitness accounts. In 1653, the Vilna Basilians published a book about the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos in Zhirovichi, based on Dubenetsky’s manuscript. Both manuscripts, stored in the Library of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, are little known and have never been published in their entirety.

According to legend, the icon was miraculously revealed at the end of the 15th century in a forest near the town of Zhyrovitsy in the Grodno region. Question about exact date the acquisition of the image remains unresolved. The date “1470”, established in the literature in the last century, according to recent research, seems quite doubtful. The icon was found in a dense forest on a forest pear tree, which stood under a mountain above a stream, by local shepherds, who took it to their master Alexander Soltan. But he did not pay much attention to the icon and hid it in a casket. The next day, the icon mysteriously disappeared from the casket. Soon the shepherds found her again on the same tree. Soltan realized that his house was not the place to store this icon, and made a vow to build a church on this place. After the construction of a wooden church, a village arose here and a parish was formed.

Around 1520 there was a strong fire that destroyed both the wooden temple and almost all the buildings. Only the church school survived. The miraculous icon also disappeared in the fire. The searches undertaken in the ashes were in vain. After some time, the students of the church school, frolicking after school, climbed the mountain, at the foot of which the church had recently stood, and They saw the Mother of God sitting on a huge stone in the heavenly radiance. In her hands was that same icon. The children did not dare to approach her, but hastened to tell their parents about what they had seen, who, together with the local priest, went to that place. Already from a distance they saw a burning candle on the stone, and when they came closer, they found an icon of the Mother of God on it, not damaged at all by the fire.

A wooden church was built on the site of the second discovery of the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God, consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God. The stone church that replaced it was built in 1672. Today it is called Yavlenskaya and is the oldest surviving building of the monastery. The stone on which the icon was found was consecrated as the Holy See of the church.

The icon found shelter for some time in the priest's house, then was placed in a rebuilt wooden church. After completion of construction stone cathedral, consecrated in honor Dormition of the Virgin Mary, The miraculous icon was transferred to where it is kept to this day in a special icon case to the left of the royal doors as the greatest shrine. IN winter time transferred to St. Nicholas Church.

“I also pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One, to cover our country with the shelter of Thy goodness and deliver us from natural disasters, invasions of foreigners and civil unrest, so that everyone living in it may live a quiet and serene life in love and peace and enjoy eternal blessings through eternal prayers.” Having inherited yours, they will be able to praise God together with you in heaven forever. Amen"- these are the words from the prayer before the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God, which is located in the most revered monastery in Belarus.

(Materials from the site http://www.piligrim.by/ were used)

ZHIROVICHI – THE ORTHODOX PEARL OF WHITE Rus'

Shrines of White Rus'

Any Orthodox country has its main symbols and shrines, which determine the very essence of its Orthodox life.

Such a place for Belarus is, of course, Zhirovichi - small village in the Grodno region, a little over 10 kilometers from the regional center of Slonim. The Grodno region, by the way, is also traditionally a region with a strong Catholic influence. There are 1,509 Orthodox religious communities and 470 Catholic ones registered in Belarus, while in the Grodno region there are 186 Orthodox communities and 170 Catholic ones. We see a similar picture if we compare the number of Orthodox and Catholic clergy and churches: in Belarus there are 1564 Orthodox priests and 414 Catholic priests, in the Grodno region - 209 priests and 188 priests; There are 1,315 Orthodox churches and 462 Catholic churches in Belarus, while in the Grodno region there are 227 churches and 226 churches. For comparison: there are 15 churches and 6 churches in Minsk. Thus, it is absolutely obvious that the Grodno region is religiously exceptional, and that this is an important spiritual center Belarusian Orthodoxy.

The main shrine of Orthodoxy in Zhirovichi is the Assumption Monastery, in which the Zhirovitsky Icon of the Mother of God, highly revered by believers not only in Belarus, is reverently kept.

The Zhirovichi Assumption Monastery traces its history back to the 15th century. Tradition tells how once on a wild pear tree growing in the forest owned by Alexander Soltan - he held a very important post at that time - he was the treasurer (that is, treasurer) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia - shepherds found a small icon of the Mother of God. The shepherds took the icon to their master, and he hid it in a casket. A day later, Alexander Soltan decided to look at the icon, but it was not in the casket. The image was soon found in its original place - on a wild pear tree. Amazed by this, Soltan decided to build a church there. And soon people began to settle around the church in the initially dense and impenetrable forests - this is how a village arose.

The Zhirovitsk Icon of the Mother of God is the smallest of the revered Mother of God icons: it is an oval measuring 5.6 x 4.4 cm made of jasper with a relief image of the Mother of God holding the Child in her arms. The image belongs to the “Tenderness” iconographic type. Over the past five centuries, many copies have been made from it.

It so happened that around 1520 the church (it was wooden) burned down in a fire. At first they could not find the icon and decided that it had died in the fire. However, the image survived. As the legend tells, students of a church school playing on the street saw the Virgin Mary sitting on a large boulder and holding an icon in her hands on the site of the burnt church. The children ran away to tell the adults about what they had seen. The adults went to the boulder and from a distance noticed a candle lit on it and an icon that had miraculously survived. This boulder began to be revered as a holy place, it was fenced off, and then the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God was built on that spot. A little later, around 1549, construction of the monastery began. Moreover, the Zhirovichi monastery became a kind of cultural center: here, as in other monasteries, church books were copied, there was its own rich library, and there was a school where children were taught to read and write. The monastery at that time was the property of the Soltanov family. It is also known that in 1587 Yaroslav Ivanovich, who was Alexander Soltan’s great-grandson, ceded part of the Zhirovichi estate to his brother Ivan, along with half of the monastery and the peasants assigned to it.

In 1596, a union was concluded in Brest; most Orthodox hierarchs (with the exception of two bishops), led by Metropolitan Michael of Kyiv, submitted to the pope, essentially becoming apostates. The Russian population perceived the union with hostility, considering it a betrayal of their faith. Fermentation among the Cossacks began, which grew into an open uprising of Nalivaiko, whose “corrals” penetrated deep into Belarus. The leader of the Orthodox of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Russian voivode Konstantin Ostrozhsky did not dare to lead the Orthodox uprising and even restrained the active actions of the Orthodox, condemning Nalivaiko and his lads; True, he tried to convince King Sigismund III of the error of his course. Nalivaiko's uprising was defeated. And after the death of K. Ostrogsky in 1608, the Orthodox were left without a leader. Sigismund III and his Jesuit-Catholic entourage launched an open attack on Orthodoxy, which immediately affected the position of the Zhirovichi monastery.

At the request of the Vilna Tribunal, the monastery accepted the union in 1609. The first abbot of the monastery was the notorious Josaphat Kuntsevich - the same one who was killed in 1623 by the rebels of Vitebsk for extreme oppression of the Orthodox. Thus, the history of the Zhirovichi monastery turned out to be connected with the name of one of the most important detractors of Orthodoxy in White Rus'.

In 1613, the monastery and its churches became the spiritual and political center of the Uniate Basilian order. Uniate cathedrals and congregations were held here.

What about the famous image of the Mother of God? It was still the main shrine of the monastery, to which numerous pilgrims came. In order to protect the image, to which everyone who prayed in front of it touched, from abrasion and protect it from exposure to light, it was covered with glass in 1638.

In 1644, King Vladislav IV visited the Zhirovichi monastery. The icon made such a strong impression on him that he granted Zhirovichi the status of a city. And in 1652, Zhirovichi, although they were not a significant settlement in terms of the number of inhabitants, was given Magdeburg law.

In 1655, the 20,000-strong army of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who fought against Polish-Lithuanian expansion, occupied the monastery. The wooden buildings were burned, and the Basilian monks, whom the Cossacks considered apostates, were dispersed and many were killed. And there were reasons for this: the Basilians were in special favor with the kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, who repeatedly visited Zhirovichi and the monastery itself, which - and this is understandable - could not meet with sympathy and in no way be approved by the Orthodox Cossacks who fought for the liberation of Little and White Rus' from Polish rule.

But the Cossacks left - and the Uniate monks returned to the monastery. The monastery was restored, and Polish kings came here more than once. And over time, it became a Polish “educational” center: prayer books and other liturgical literature in Polish began to be printed in the monastery printing house.

In 1672, on the site of the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, a stone temple was erected, which in memory of the miraculous appearance of the Zhirovitsky icon is now called Yavlensky. Image of the Mother of God of Zhirovitskaya for a long time was in this temple, and then was moved to the newly built Assumption Cathedral.

The reunification of Zhirovichi with Russia took place only in 1795 - after the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But for a number of reasons, the Zhirovichi monastery remained in the hands of the Uniates for several decades. In 1810, the Assumption Cathedral even became cathedral Brest Uniate Diocese, and in 1828 the diocesan administration moved from Novogrudok to the monastery.

On July 14, 1839, an event finally occurred that, after reunification with Russia, Orthodox clergy and parishioners had been waiting for so long: Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) signed an act on the liquidation of the union and the transfer of churches and parishes of the metropolis to the Russian Orthodox Church. The centuries-old division of believers imposed by Polish-Lithuanian rule was eliminated. The decision of Metropolitan Joseph and the clergy who supported him was truly a historical event.

Returned to the fold of Orthodoxy, the Zhirovichi monastery became the center of the Lithuanian diocese. By that time, the monastery had four churches: in addition to the main Assumption Church, there were the stone Holy Cross and Yavlenskaya churches, as well as the wooden St. George Church. There was also a three-story cell building (it also housed a theological seminary), a chapel, a refectory, and many other buildings, including utility buildings. The garden and fish ponds of the monastery were famous throughout the area.

In the monastery before mid-19th The Zhirovichi Gospel, an ancient illustrated Slavic manuscript with a volume of more than 400 pages, was also kept for centuries. It is noteworthy that on two pages at the end of the Gospel - 376th and 377th - there is a dedicatory record of the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia Lev Sapieha - therefore the manuscript is also called the “Gospel of Sapieha”.

By the decision of the Synod in 1845, the department, theological seminary, and with them the archive were moved from Zhirovichi to Vilna. The “Zhirovichi Gospel” also ended up there, which is still in Vilnius, in the Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

In the Zhirovichi monastery, a theological school was opened, which raised many priests, whose place of service became the Belarusian land. This school operated successfully until 1915, but the First World War, and due to the threat of the German occupation, both the school itself and the most valuable church property (including the Zhirovitsky Icon of the Mother of God) were taken to Russia - away from the front. Subsequently, only the icon returned to the monastery.

In 1921, as a result of the Riga Peace Treaty concluded between Soviet Russia and Poland, Zhirovichi, like the entire Grodno region, went to Poland. The Zhirovichi monastery experienced many shocks, like almost all cities, villages and shrines and temples of Western Belarus. But the Polish and then the German occupations passed. And after the war, Archbishop Vasily (Ratmirov), who endlessly visited the doors of various Soviet and party institutions, nevertheless received permission to open pastoral and theological courses in the Zhirovichi monastery (it continued to operate, although there were very few monks), on the basis of which in 1947 started its educational activities Zhirovichi Theological Seminary.

New trials befell the monastery under N.S. Khrushchev, who, as you know, threatened that under him the USSR would live until the time when the CPSU “shows the Soviet people its last priest.” Convents in Grodno and Polotsk were closed, and the nuns had no choice but to move to Zhirovichi. At first it seemed that their stay here would be short-lived, but the nuns lived in Zhirovichi until the very beginning of Perestroika, when the attitude towards Orthodoxy and religion in general in the USSR changed dramatically. And in 1963, Zhirovichi faced a new blow: the theological seminary was closed.

Only with the beginning of Perestroika, after the events dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', the Church, which turned to the leadership of the Belarusian SSR with a request to revive closed monasteries and seminaries, received permission to do this. In 1989, the Zhirovichi Theological Seminary was reopened. Then the monastery itself began to come to life. In 2002, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II visited Zhirovichi. He specially came to the monastery to celebrate the Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovitskaya.

Now the monastery, academy and seminary have been revived and restored. St. Nicholas Church is adjacent to the Assumption Cathedral (the Zhirovitsky Icon of the Mother of God is moved here in winter). There are also other churches of the monastery. And it is joyful and gratifying that the Zhirovichi monastery and its churches and buildings escaped even partial irreversible destruction.

It is worth noting that the most famous holy springs in White Rus' are located in Zhirovichi. One of them is under the altar of the Assumption Cathedral (according to legend, it was in this place that a stream flowed, flowing from under the roots of a wild pear tree, on which the icon of the Virgin Mary was discovered). And there is also a spring in the Viknya tract (2 kilometers from the monastery), springs consecrated in the name of John the Baptist, the Vladimir (with font) and Kazan icons of the Mother of God, as well as a spring with Epiphany water.

It is interesting that during the Soviet period they tried to fill the spring under the Assumption Cathedral with soil, but the water still found a way out, and the spring filled up again. And the latter seems very symbolic to me, because Zhirovichi, like the holy source of the Assumption Cathedral, carried the light of Orthodoxy through the centuries, reviving after the difficult times of Uniate rule and Soviet atheism.

Holy Dormition Zhirovichi Stavropegic Monastery

Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Zhirovitsk they pray during persecution of Orthodoxy, in doubt, for deliverance from fires, in case of any bodily weakness.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos before Her Zhirovitskaya Icon

O Most Merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God! With my lips I will touch Your shrine or with which words I will confess Your generosity, which is revealed to people: for no one, flowing to You, leaves empty and is not heard. From my youth I sought Thy help and intercession and was never again deprived of Thy mercy. See, O Lady, the sorrows of my heart and the ulcers of my soul. And now, kneeling before Your most pure image, I offer my prayers to You: do not deprive me of Your all-powerful intercession on the day of my sorrow and on the day of my sorrow intercede for me. Do not turn away my tears, O Lady, and fill my heart with joy. Be my refuge and intercession, O Merciful One, and enlighten my mind with the dawning of Your light. And I not only pray to Thee for myself, but also for the people who flow to Thy intercession. Preserve the Church of Your Son in goodness and protect it from the malicious slander of the enemies who rise up against her. Send Thy help to our archpastors in the apostolate and keep them healthy, long-living, rightly ruling the word of the truth of the Lord. As a shepherd, ask God, Your Son, for zeal and vigilance for the souls of the verbal flock entrusted to them, and for the spirit of reason and piety, purity and Divine truth to be sent down to them. Ask in the same way, Lady, from the Lord for wisdom and strength from those in power and the ruler of the city, from the judges truth and impartiality, and from everyone who flows to You, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. I also pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One, to cover our country with the shelter of Thy goodness and deliver it from natural disasters, invasions of foreigners and civil unrest, so that all who live in it will live a quiet and serene life in love and peace and enjoy eternal blessings through Thy prayers Having inherited, they will be able to praise God together with You in Heaven forever. Amen.

Troparion of the Mother of God before Her Zhirovitskaya icon.

Troparion, tone 5:
Before Your holy icon, Lady,/ those who pray are granted healing,/ receive the knowledge of true faith/ and the Hagarian invasions are reflected/ Likewise, for us who fall to You,/ ask for remission of sins,/ enlighten our hearts with thoughts of piety/ and offer a prayer to Your Son/ about the salvation of our souls.

Special troparion, voice 2:
Do not despise the one who requires help from You, Lady, / and open an abyss of mercy to everyone / who flows to Your wholesome icon. / Assuage our everyday sorrows, O All-Generous One, / and from this deplorable vale / leave Your faithful to eternal joy: / For You are all riches hope and affirmation, / mercy is the source, protection and salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4:
Who confesses Your greatness,/ Most Holy Virgin,/ Who gave birth to Christ God, the Creator of all?/ For You are One, Mother and Virgin/ Most Blessed and Most Glorified,/ Our hope, the source of goodness,/ Refuge and salvation for the faithful.

Magnification:
We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and venerate Thy venerable icon, which Thou hast glorified since ancient times in the monastery of Zhirovitsk.

Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovitsk

Story

Iko-na Bo-zhi-ey Ma-te-ri Zhi-ro-vic-kaya appeared in 1470 in the town of Zhi-ro-vi-tsy in the Grodno region. In the forest, near the right-to-glory-to-the-great-great Alek-san-dru Sol-to-well, graze-tu- Hey, did you see an unusually bright light that came through the branches of the tree that appeared above a stream under the mountain. Pas-tu-hi went closer and saw on the de-re-ve a small icon of God Ma-te-ri in the lu-che-zar-nom si -I-nii. Pas-tu-hi with the b-go-ve-ni-em took the icon and took it to Alek-san-dru Sol-to-well, which he did not give special attention to -go-go-know-what-so-society-pas-tu-khov, but still took the icon and locked it in a casket.

The next day, guests came to Sol-to-nu, and the owner wanted to show them how to go. To his surprise, he did not see the icon in the casket, although he had seen it not long before. After some time, he grazed the icon again in the same place and again took it to Alek-san-dru Sol-to-nu. This time he treated the icon with great blessing and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy One at the site of the apparition. Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy. A village soon appeared near the temple and a parish appeared. Around 1520, the temple completely burned down, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to save the heat and save the icon. Everyone thought that she was dead. But one day the peasant children, returning from school, saw a wonderful vision: The girls were unusually no-kra-so-you in the lu-che-zar-ny si-i-nii si-de-la on the stone at the burnt-down temple, and in Her hands there was an icon- Well, I think everyone thought it was burnt out. The children did not dare to approach Her, but were quick to tell their relatives and friends about the vision. Everyone accepted the story about the vision as a Divine revelation and, together with the priest, went to gor. On a stone near a lit candle there is a hundred from the fire. For a while, Iko-well was sacred in the house, and the stone was so-wives. When a stone temple was built, there was a miraculously created icon.

Subsequently, a men's monastery arose near the temple. His brotherhood led the fight for the Right to glory against union and Latinity. In 1609, mo-na-styr was captured by the Uni-a-ta-mi and remained in their hands until 1839. all this time -to-li-kov. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the right-glorious and became the first place of restoration of the right-glorious Bo -service in the Western-Russian region.

During the first world war, the Zhi-ro-vic-kuyu icon of God Ma-te-ri was transported to Moscow, and in In the 1920s she was returned to the monastery. Nowadays she goes to the congregation in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy God Minsk diocese and deeply respected for its blessed help. Icon-on-re-on-stone on a stone measuring 43 x 56 mm.

Prayers

Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos before the Icon of Her “Zhirovitskaya”

Before Your holy icon, Lady,/ those who pray are granted healings,/ the faiths receive true knowledge,/ and the Agarian invasions are repelled./ Likewise, we, who fall to You,/ sin Ask for instructions, / enlighten our hearts with thoughts of piety, / and offer a prayer to Your Son // about the salvation of our souls.

Translation: Before Your holy icon, Lady, those who pray are rewarded with healing, receive true knowledge of the faith and repel enemy attacks. Therefore, for us, who kneel before You, ask for forgiveness of sins, enlighten our hearts with the thoughts and offer a prayer to Your Son for the salvation of our souls.

Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos before the Icon of Her “Zhirovitskaya”

Do not despise those who require help from You, Lady, / and open the abyss of mercy to all, / who flow to Your wholesome icon. / Quench our worldly sorrows, O All-Generous One, / and sow weeping from the vale Evny / for the eternal joy of Your faithful cease: / For you are all acquisitive , hope and affirmation, // mercy is the source, protection and salvation of our souls.

Translation: Do not reject those who ask You for help, Lady, and reveal the depth of mercy to everyone who comes to Your healing icon. Calm down our everyday sorrows, O Generous One towards everyone, and from this sorrowful life to the eternal joy of Your believers we have moved, for in You we have all found hope and strength, a source of mercy, protection and salvation of our souls.

Kontakion to the Most Holy Theotokos before the Icon of Her “Zhirovitskaya”

Who will confess Your greatness,/ Most Holy Virgin,/ Who gave birth to Christ God, the Creator of all?/ For You are One, Mother and Virgin,/ Most Blessed and Most Glorified,/ Our hope, the source of goodness,// To the faithful refuge and salvation for the world.

Translation: Who will proclaim Your greatness, Holy Virgin, Who gave birth to the Creator of all, Christ God? One for You are the Mother and the Virgin, the Most Blessed and the Most Glorified, our hope, the source of blessings, refuge for believers and salvation for the world.

Second prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos before the icon of Her “Zhirovitskaya”

Oh, All-Singing and Most Blessed Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, accept our prayers of those who glorify You, who bring thanks to You and who venerate this venerable icon, dating back to ancient times in the monastery of Zhirovitskaya revealed. We do not hide Your good deeds, Mother of God, and again we confess that this icon, by Your grace-filled power, exudes boundless mercies to all who come to it with faith: it enlightens the hearts with piety, strengthens restores weakened strength and heals spiritual and physical infirmities. Oh, All-Singing Queen of Heaven, accept the song of thanksgiving and never deprive us of Your Heavenly protection and intercession - all the Mother’s prayer to the Merciful Divine Son can do, announcing this great intercession A small icon shines for us, like a priceless treasure found in this place.
Gracious Mother of God, You, who have preserved this image in the fire, again bestow it as a pledge of Your closeness to us and your everlasting gracious intercession. Most Pure Lady, soften our hearts, petrified by sin, so that, warmed by your gracious prayers, we will fulfill the Divine commandments of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus achieve It is the never-ending day of the Kingdom of God, to which we are called along with all the saints. Amen.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos before the icon of Her “Zhirovitskaya”

Oh, Most Merciful Lady, Virgin Mary! With my lips I will touch Your shrine or with my words I will confess Your generosity, which is revealed to people: no one who flows to You goes away empty-handed and is not heard. From my youth I sought Thy help and intercession and was never again deprived of Thy mercy. See, O Lady, the sorrow of my heart and the ulcers of my soul. And now, kneeling before Your most pure image, I offer my prayers to You: do not deprive me of Your all-powerful intercession on the day of my sorrow and on the day of my sorrow intercede for me. Do not turn away my tears, O Lady, and fill my heart with joy. Be my refuge and intercession, O Merciful One, and enlighten my mind with the dawn of Your light. And I not only pray to Thee for myself, but also for the people who flow to Thy intercession. Keep the Church of Your Son in goodness and protect it from the evil slander of the enemies who rise against it. Send Thy help to our archpastors in the apostleship and keep them healthy, long-living, rightly ruling the word of the truth of the Lord. As a shepherd, ask God, Your Son, for zeal and vigil for the souls of the verbal flock entrusted to them and for the spirit of reason and piety, purity and truth of the Divine to be sent down to them. Ask therefore, Lady, from the Lord for wisdom and strength from the rulers and city rulers, from the judges truth and impartiality, and from all who flow to You, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. I also pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One, to cover our country with the blood of Thy goodness and deliver it from natural disasters, invasions of foreigners and civil strife, and to all who live in it, in love and kindness They will live an abiding, quiet and serene life and, blessings of the eternal through Your prayers Having inherited it, they will be able to praise God together with You in Heaven forever. Amen.

Canons and Akathists

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of the Zhirovitskaya icon

Kontakion 1

We will bring songs of praise to the Queen and Lady chosen from all generations, as the Intercessor and Intercessor of the Christian family. But You, as a good Representative before the Lord, beseech Your Son and our God to grant us the inheritance of eternal blessings, so that we may rejoice in You: Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Ikos 1

Archangel Gabriel, sent to you from heaven, pure virgin thing: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you! We, by the grace of God through the illumination of you, will praise you with songs of gold: Rejoice, chosen before the ages by the Council of God; Rejoice, O Lamb, who gave birth to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Rejoice, treasury of our salvation, exceeding the powers of the angels; Rejoice, most immaculate Youth and Mother of Light. Rejoice, insectless mountain, who brought forth the fountain of living water; Rejoice, flower-bearing Paradise, who brought forth the Divine Tree of Life. Rejoice, God-pleased Mother, who gave birth to joy to heaven and earth; Rejoice, overshadowed by the power of the Most High, the Divine class, the Savior of the world, the vegetated one. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 2

Seeing Your faithful children despondent in the troubles of everyday life and demanding heavenly help from You, You, Mother of God, gave hope to Christians, by the miraculous appearance on the tree of Your holy icon as a monk of Zhirovitsky, You filled their sorrowful hearts with joy and gladness, so that they all cried out to You in gratitude to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Not having understood with reason the mystery of the miraculous appearance of Your icon on the tree, Most Pure Lady, the boyar Soltan hid in the ark Your most honorable image, which You had revealed. But You, Virgin Mother of God, by the special appearance on the same tree of this icon, you taught him, so that everyone will recognize the gift of mercy sent to people by You, and cry out in joy: Rejoice, treasury of inexhaustible joy; Rejoice, fragrant flower of indescribable sweetness. Rejoice, like the tree of life, spiritually delighting the faithful; Rejoice, you who give weightless wealth to all who honor you. Rejoice, you who do not deprive the erring of your grace and mercy: Rejoice, you who overshadow all those who flow to your icon with your protection. Rejoice, obedient to the voice of the prayer of all those who mourn; Rejoice, Mother of mercy, inexhaustible. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 3

By the power of admonition about the appearance of Your miraculous icon, the enlightened boyar Soltan knew that this icon was sent down from above for the consolation of those suffering by You, and, tearfully praying for his foolishness, he erected a temple on the site of its appearance, and all people, offering prayers to God in it, would give unceasing praise of You: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having the wealth of mercy unspeakable, You did not reject Your chosen ones in the midst of great sorrow. When the temple, where Your most honorable icons were, was given over to fire, You, the All-Good One, the Comforter, having preserved them undamaged from the fire, again showed them on the stones near the temple, which was burned by fire. People, behold such a miracle, hurriedly sing a song of praise to You: Rejoice, unburnt Bush, preserving Your most honorable image in the fires; Rejoice, sorrowful people, who did not deprive Thy miraculous icon. Rejoice, covering Christians with the shelter of Your wing; Rejoice, through Thy intercession protecting Thy shrines. Rejoice, who once again showed Your most honorable image on the stone; Rejoice, through Thy admonition we have established our feet on the stone of faith. Rejoice, for the indestructible wall of our refuge is Your treasure; Rejoice, for I have known You as the beneficial Patroness. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 4

Through a storm of passions and temptations, when possessed by Your faithfulness, praying before Your miraculous icon, they find peace and spiritual joy. You, O pure Virgin, are the Guide of Christians, instructing them in the right path and helping them to understand the meaning of earthly existence, so that everyone praises God with a red song of God, singing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

People who have heard that the icon You have revealed with the gift of miracles is abundant, with faith and trust in Your mercy they flow to it and, enriched by the wealth of Your bounty, sing the following praise to You: Rejoice, Mother of mercy, pouring out a sea of ​​bounties for Christians; Rejoice, you who bring joy to the whole world. Rejoice, sacred refuge of the faithful; Rejoice, Giver of eternal blessings. Rejoice, Sweetener of our sorrows; Rejoice, strong rise of all the fallen. Rejoice, O intercessor and strengthener of the weary; Rejoice, everlasting consolation in our suffering. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 5

More than the godlike star that rose from the east, you were like the Most Holy Virgin, when in radiant radiance you appeared as a wife of indescribable beauty as a child, indicating the place of the appearance of your most honorable icon, miraculously preserved by you from the fire. You did not deprive these little ones of Your goodness, teaching them about Your great mercy, so that, imitating the children of Israel who exclaimed to Christ: Hosanna, they would sing praises to God about You. Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Having seen the strange and glorious miracle revealed by Thy icon, the Most Pure One, when a certain maiden Irina, in illness, moved to worship Thy shrine, died on the way, and when the foreigners began to perform the rite of her burial before Thy icon, rose again, all people exclaimed with trepidation: Rejoice, who gave birth to the Word of life in the flesh; Rejoice, having raised up Your dead servant through Your prayers. Rejoice, O ark of our life, preserving us from the mortal flood; Rejoice, most luminous mind, who bestows upon us the sweets of eternal life and knowledge. Rejoice, through Your icon you show us the sources of great miracles; Rejoice, you who drive away the darkness of cruel circumstances from those who worship you. Rejoice, you who encourage those who pray with incomprehensible signs; Rejoice, you who visit all those who come to You with your mother’s generosity. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 6

The preachers of Your goodness have all appeared, flowing to Your celibate icon, the Lady. For You have not rejected any of them, who in warm prayer stretched out their hands to her, so that, having recognized the power of the wonderful gift You have shown in her, they will cry out a song of gratitude to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The all-honorable monastery of Zhirovitsk appeared, erected under the roof of Your shrine, the Mother of God, as a shining ray of light illuminating the path of good moral living. This house of monastic exploits, and the school of divine understanding for young men, illumine the land of Lithuania with the rays of true knowledge of God, so that all may sing to You, the Mother of the Divine Mind, in songs of praise: Rejoice, Mother of God of incomprehensible light; Rejoice, thou never-setting dawn of the Sun. Rejoice, ladder leading to heaven; Rejoice, thou who makest the foolish by the Divine mind wise. Rejoice, school of piety in our Motherland; Rejoice, all-wise Leader in the knowledge of the teachings of Christ. Rejoice, thou who graciously nourishes the souls of the faithful; Rejoice, faithful one who satisfies the milk of wisdom. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 7

Desiring to give veneration to Thy icon, which shone with many miracles, I visited the Zhirovitsky monastery not only of the noble ones, but also of the kings of the earth, falling to Thy Most Pure Image, the Lady, and, expecting great and rich mercy from Thee, offering to Thy a song of praise and chanting to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

You have shown truly marvelous industry. Mistress, Thy faithful, when the Zhirovitsky monastery was fenced off from Orthodoxy by flattery and violence, by Thy intercession it was again given to Orthodox people. For this reason, all worshipers of the right faith flocked to Your Most Pure Image, hurrying with joy: Rejoice, our reliable refuge in sorrowful circumstances; Rejoice, a quiet refuge for those seeking salvation. Rejoice, O apostles of the faith of Christ, Planter; Rejoice, depth of the word of God, all-wise Teacher. Rejoice, lamp of the Trisolar Light, illuminating us with truth; Rejoice, pillar of fire, showing us the path of right faith. Rejoice, we are protected from harmful teachings; Rejoice, shame on harmful teachings. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 8

We recognized strange and glorious miracles in You, Mother of God, Your faithfulness, for not only did You show your grace-filled gifts to them, but also to the waters of the source, at the place of the appearance of Your icon that flowed, you gave the gift of healing ailments, and all, great and rich mercy, from You Having received it, they will sing a song of praise to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

All who resort to Your protection do not leave You empty-handed and are not heard; For You, Mother of God, who accepted the sorrows of motherhood at the cross of Your Son, weigh the burden of our sorrows. Moreover, to You, Mother, in more experienced sorrow, as a fellow participant in the sorrow and suffering of Your Son, we thus cry out: Rejoice, hopeless hope; Rejoice, consolation for the sorrowful. Rejoice, quenching our sorrows; Rejoice, you who give joy to the whole world. Rejoice, you who quickly give a helping hand to those in trouble; Rejoice, you who show us maternal love and mercy. Rejoice, through Your prayers we are our Intercessor before God; Rejoice, great protector in adversity. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 9

All the angelic hosts magnify you, Mother of God, as the highest of heaven and the pure lordship of the sun: for you conceived God in flesh and you gave birth to the Light of lights. In the same way, we, earthly beings, like the most honest Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, magnifying You, will sing about You to the Gods: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

All the ornateness of earthly beings is not sufficient to glorify the icon You revealed, but from it, like from an ever-flowing source, those who flow in draw an abundance of benefits. Moreover, bewildered to praise You according to your inheritance, as the primary source of these blessings, with tenderness of heart we cry out to you: Rejoice, Housebuilder of our salvation, organizing our earthly life for good; Rejoice, Guide, who leads us to the heavenly fatherland. Rejoice, guilty one, who does not deprive eternal sinners of the blessings; Rejoice, our Representative before God, who transforms the righteous wrath of God into mercy. Rejoice, thou who teachest us the vanity of this world to despise us; Rejoice, thou who by the insight of our mind attracts us to a more divine love. Rejoice, quick deliverance from all troubles; Rejoice, reliable salvation for the desperate. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 10

For those who want to be saved, and for those who come running under Your roof, be, O Most Holy Virgin, your inexhaustible Helper. Save us from troubles and misfortunes, especially despair and the fall of the sinful, and, reveling in the virtues of Christ, with joy about Your previous intercession we cry out in gratitude: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You were the strong wall of the Orthodox Church, O Most Holy Virgin, in the days of her grave trials; In the same way we pray to Thee: intercede, protect and protect us in our evil days from the evil enemies who rise up against us, so that we all cry out joyfully for You: Rejoice, protector and champion of Orthodoxy for the Church of Christ; Rejoice, for through Your intercession the Church shines brightly. Rejoice, for the apostates of the faith of our forefathers are being admonished by You: Rejoice, for by You the machinations of the enemies of Orthodoxy are put to shame. Rejoice, for through Your admonition the true faith is being implanted in our country; Rejoice, for the anger of the enemy burning upon you is being quelled. Rejoice, solid strengthening of Orthodoxy; Rejoice, shame on those who are heretical. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 11

It is not enough to praise any kind of singing according to the wealth of Your generosity, O Most Pure One, which You have revealed to people. There is no reason capable of cognizing the depth of Your mercy, not a word in which to praise You worthily. Moreover, O good being, accept our wretched praises, and we, glorifying Your greatness, will sing a song to God about You: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

With the luminous ray of grace-filled help inherent in Your most pure image, illuminate, Lady, the path of our sorrowful life, so that all from troubles, sorrows and fierce misfortunes, delivered by You, we may have the right to stand in the law of the Lord, thanking You and singing to the Lord: Rejoice, miracles, through Your icon appearing as an omophorion covering us; Rejoice, you who give countless bounties to everyone. Rejoice, you who calm our passions and carnal thoughts; Rejoice, you who heal all our physical and mental illnesses. Rejoice, through Your intercession you deliver from all troubles; Rejoice, you who quickly comfort us in sorrows and sorrows. Rejoice, intercession of widows and care for the orphans; Rejoice, correction of the young and consolation of the old. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 12

Ask for grace from heaven from God for us, Lady, flowing to Your most pure image, and You, Mother of Light, magnifying in songs, so that, overshadowed by Your protection, we will live in all piety and purity and be worthy to appear before the Throne of the King of Glory without condemnation, singing praises about You song: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing Your greatness, Most Holy Virgin, we all praise You, and, as the steadfast Representative of our salvation, we earnestly pray: be your Helper for the good of all of us and hear us touchingly calling upon You: Rejoice, O wise Pointer of the right path to Christ; Rejoice, protector of purity and chastity. Rejoice, Nourisher of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; Rejoice, vigilant Intercessor of those who seek Your intercession. Rejoice, help to those who are weary; Rejoice, protection for the whole world. Rejoice, our Guide, who protects us on all the paths of life; Rejoice, even after death in the air ordeals, protecting us from the spirits of evil. Rejoice, Most Merciful Lady, our intercession and all-joyful intercession.

Kontakion 13

Oh, Most Holy Lady, Virgin Mother of God, hymned by the angelic ranks in heaven, accept from us, Thy unworthy servants, this prayer, offered in praise of Thee, and delivering us from the falls of sin, make us heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that we may sing to God with You forever. : Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon, called “Zhirovitskaya”

Oh, Most Merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God! With my lips I will touch Your shrine, or with these words I will confess Your generosity, which is revealed to people: for no one, flowing to You, leaves empty and is not heard. From my youth I have sought Your help and intercession, and I would never again be deprived of Your mercy. See, O Lady, the sorrows of my heart and the ulcers of my soul. And now, kneeling before Your most pure image, I offer my prayers to You. Do not deprive me of Your all-powerful intercession on the day of my sorrow, and on the day of my sorrow intercede for me. Do not turn away my tears, O Lady, and fill my heart with joy. Be my refuge and intercession, O Merciful One, and enlighten my mind with the dawning of Your light. And I pray to You not only for myself, but also for the people who flow to Your intercession. Preserve the Church of Your Son in goodness, and protect it from the evil slander of the enemies who rise against it. Send Thy help to our archpastors in the apostleship, and keep them healthy, long-living, rightly ruling the word of the truth of the Lord. As a shepherd, ask God your Son for zeal and vigilance for the souls of the verbal flock entrusted to them, and to send down upon them the spirit of reason and piety, purity and divine truth. Ask the same way, Lady, from the Lord for wisdom and strength from those in power and the city ruler, from the judges - truth and impartiality, and from all those who flow to You - the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. I also pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One, to cover our country with the shelter of Thy goodness, and deliver it from natural disasters, invasions of foreigners and civil unrest, so that all who live in it may live a quiet and serene life in love and peace, and enjoy eternal blessings through eternal prayers Having inherited yours, they will be able to praise God together with you in heaven forever. Amen.