The meaning of the "Old Russian" icon of the Mother of God

In Staraya Russa in the church of St. George there is a list with the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God. Like the original, lost once, he is revered as a miracle-working one, which was repeatedly proved by the most convincing evidence. His story is still full of unclear circumstances and worries the minds of researchers. But first of all you need to talk about that ancient icon, a copy of which it is.

Assumptions about the appearance of icons in Staraya Russa

The time and place of appearance of the Old Russian icon of the Mother of God in Russia are not known exactly. One version says that in 1470, the inhabitants of Byzantium, attacked by the Turks to save the shrine, secretly forwarded it to Russa and placed in the Transfiguration Monastery of the Transfiguration. According to another version, the icon in 1570 miraculously appeared in the church of St. George, in one of the villages of Tver province, from where it was later transferred to Staraya Russa.

Stay of the icon in Tikhvin

Anyway it was actually - it's hard to say. But it is known for certain that in 1570 the inhabitants of Tikhvin appealed to the Rushans with a request to send them a miracle-working image, hoping with his help to get rid of the terrible disaster that has befallen them - the frosty weather. Residents of Old Russa acted as true Christians and came to the aid of the Tikhvinites. The icon was on its hands, with the procession of the cross, taken to the epidemic-ridden city, after which the frosty weather began to decline and soon ceased altogether.

Further events unfolded as follows. Residents Tikhvin, having received such an obvious confirmation of the wonderworking of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God and filled with love and gratitude to her, refused to return the shrine to its owners. Initially, they were dragging out their time under various pretexts, and finally they refused categorically.

Three-Century Litigation

This was followed by an unprecedented lawsuit that lasted more than three hundred years. Only in 1888, after countless trials and bureaucratic delays, Old Russ regained its sanctity. Again, as in 1570, it was carried solemnly by the procession of the cross. By the way, the size of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God is quite impressive: 278 cm x 202 cm. It is considered to be the largest portable icon in the world.

In order to somehow comfort the Tikhvin people, who had to part with an icon that was so kind to their hearts, the residents of Staraya Russa gave them a copy of the shrine, made in 1787. In that year, having lost hope for the return of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God, the rushans sent masters to Tikhvin to make copies of it. Masters were very adept and executed the order in exact accordance with the original.

The miracle shown by the icon

What was the general astonishment when, in 1888, when an original was exchanged for a copy, it suddenly became clear that the image of the Infant Jesus on the copy had inexplicably changed. In the original Jesus with his face fell to the face of the Mother of God, whereas in the list kept in Staraya Russa, his figure was unfolded in such a way as if He turned away from the Most-Pure Virgin and aspires away from Her.

There could be no question of falsification and substitution of the icon, since the specialists who examined it unanimously declared that this is the very image that was executed in 1787. There were suggestions that in view of the fact that the picturesque layer of the original was badly damaged by time, the masters who executed the copy could simply be mistaken without having the opportunity to examine it in detail, but this was little like the truth.

And so, without finding any convincing explanations for what happened, it was decided to consider it a miracle, which was shown by the icon of the Old Russian Mother of God. The meaning was interpreted as follows: - The child, depicted on the list with an ancient icon, turned away from the Virgin, filled with sorrow for the sins of the people. This version is considered final and generally accepted up to the present day.

The fate of the holy image in our days

After the revolution, the new authorities treated sacred objects without the least respect. They were decorated with precious jewelery, decorated with them, and they themselves became exhibits of the museum of local lore. During the war, when Old Russa was in occupation, the ancient image disappeared without a trace, its fate is unknown. A copy, the one on which the position of the Infant Jesus miraculously changed, was transferred by the Germans to the temple that was opened in the city.

Today, this miraculous image is kept in Staraya Russa, in the church of St. George. The Feast of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated twice a year: on May 17 - the day when the icon first appeared in Staraya Russa, and on October 1 - the day of its return after a three-hundred year stay in Tikhvin.

Before this icon it is customary to pray for the sending of protection against theft and all thefts. She herself was actually for many years stolen from the legitimate owners and it is from this disaster that she is protecting today. The meaning of this image is laconically and clearly expressed in the eighth Commandment of God - "Do not steal." She reminds us of this and calls for this.