Your mercy, Theotokos, like an inexhaustible sea, covers all sinners and pours out healings of souls and bodies to the afflicted.

 

The Image Panagia Paradisiotissa

The image of the present post is called Panagia Paradisiotissa or Panagia tou Paradisos and was recently chronicled.

It is inscribed with the blessing of the Elder Gabriel and is kept in the Holy Church of Saints Raphael, Irene and Nicholas in Pachyamos, Cyprus.

The children at the bottom of said image are fetuses lost to miscarriage, stillborn babies, or infants who did not live long enough to be baptized.

It is the image of the Virgin of Paradise and symbolizes the protection of unborn children.

The Mother of God intercedes for the souls of all these children.

OCTOBER 28 - ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD "SHE WHO RIPENS THE GRAIN"

The icon of the Mother of God “She who ripens the grain” (also called "Multiplier of Wheat) was painted with the blessing of St. Ambrose of Optina. Elder Ambrose burned with childlike faith in the Mother of God. He especially honored all the feasts of the Mother of God and intensified his prayer on these days. With the icon “She Who Ripens The Grain”, Father Ambrose blessed the Shamordino Convent, which he founded near the Optina Monastery in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. “She Who Ripens The Grain” is an icon with an unusual iconography, previously unknown to the Christian world. Filled with deep spiritual content, the icon depicts  the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneathe – is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye.

 Her gaze, directed directly at us, is both merciful and stern at the same time. It is no coincidence that the Lady is depicted sitting on a cloud - a symbol of heavenly waters and, accordingly, fertility. This cloud irrigates the earth, producing a harvest of grain gathered into sheaves. In the icon, the Mother of God blesses the earth, which gives birth to the bread we need in everyday life to maintain our bodily strength. Elder Ambrose, calling the image “She Who Ripens the Grain” indicated by this that the Most Holy Theotokos is “the Helper of people in their labors to earn their daily bread.” For a Christian, “daily bread” is not only and not so much the bread that we eat, but also “the uneaten bread of the hungry,” since “man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In their interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, the holy fathers reveal to us the true meaning of the petition with which we turn to the Heavenly Father: “Give us this day our daily bread.” By bread here we mean the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world. “Our bread” is that which the Lord prepared from the beginning in order to immortalize our nature. “Grant to us this day”—to us who are in this mortal life, so that feeding on the bread of Life will overcome the death caused by sin. And only in prayer does the soul find the Word of God, this daily bread, life-giving and satiating it. And therefore, the field that the Queen of Heaven blesses is the field of our spiritual life, bringing us closer to the Lord. We see Her with her arms outstretched crosswise over a field of grain, where each ear of grain is an image of each of us, ripening to our own measure of perfection. The Mother of God (in the theology of the icon this is the image of the Church - the Body of Christ) prays that the Word of God will spore in our souls, so that the grains of the meaning of truth and the likeness of God will ripen in us.

Elder Ambrose established the celebration of the icon on October 15/28, after the end of the harvest and harvesting, and it was on this day the following year that the elder’s body was buried. Love and trust in Elder Ambrose, boundless faith in the intercession of the Mother of God made the icon “She Who Ripens the Grain” truly popular. In front of this image, they pray for an increase in earthly and heavenly fruits, asking for blessings for their work.

Prayer before the Icon of the Mother of God "She Who Ripens the Grain"

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Most Gracious Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Benefactress of every Christian home and family, blessing to the laboring, inexhaustible wealth to the needy, Provider of the orphans and widows, and Provider of all people! Our Nourisher, who gave birth to the Nourisher of the Universe and Spurrier of our Bread, O Mother of God, send down Your Motherly blessing to our towns, villages and fields, and to every home that trusts in You. With reverent awe and broken heart we humbly pray to Thee: be to us, too, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, wise Homebuilder, who will make our life good. But keep every community, house and family in piety and orthodoxy, unanimity, obedience and contentment. Provide for the poor and indigent, support the aged, nurture the infants, and teach all to cry sincerely to the Lord: "Give us this day our daily bread". Preserve, O Most Pure Mother, Thy people from every need, disease, famine, destruction, hail, fire, from every evil circumstance and every disorder. Grant peace and great mercy to our abode, homes and families and to every Christian soul and to our whole country, that we may glorify Thee, our gracious Nourisher and Feeder, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Akathist to the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos

Before the Icon of the Life-Giving Spring of the Most Holy Mother of God believers pray before the image for any eye disease, in general for any bodily ailments; with requests for the conversion of loved ones to Christ; and to strengthen faith.

Here is an amateur translated Akathist to the Theotokos, the "Life-giving Spring"
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
To your Life-giving Spring, O One graced-by-God,
Your fervent servant now approaches,
O Lady, and has dared to hymn, O Theotokos,
But as you are the Mother of the King of All,
Shed upon me the streams of your mercy,
That I might cry to you:
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
Angels together with men, truly out of need, O Virgin say to you: "Rejoice," (3) and as you gave birth to Christ, and look with motherly favor upon those in pain, we stand in awe and cry out to you such things:
Rejoice, through whom joy has been granted,
Rejoice, through whom the curse has ceased.
Rejoice, the revelation of the ancient mystery,
Rejoice, the fulfillment of the Will of the Most-High.
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit came upon you,
Rejoice, for He Who was born from you is Holy.
Rejoice, you who are revered by mortals and Angels,
Rejoice, you who are glorified unto the ages of ages.
Rejoice, through whom we receive remission,
Rejoice, through whom we partake of healing.
Rejoice, river in the house of the Lord,
Rejoice spring of saving water.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
The God-seer [Moses] beheld you as the [Burning] Bush, when he heard the Divine voice, while Leo the great King, within the forest, having heard your holy voice, found the water, and in astonishment cried out: Alleluia.
The race of Adam is saved through you, O All-Spotless Pure One, beholding the Savior and Creator unspeakable and supernaturally born from you. Therefore, you move every tongue to utter these in your praise:
Rejoice, honor of the mortal race,
Rejoice, glory of the whole world.
Rejoice, Mariam, the sweetest name,
Rejoice, the meditation of my wretched soul.
Rejoice, for you gave birth to my Savior, Christ,
Rejoice, for you nursed Him Who is the nourishment of all.
Rejoice, for you sprouted from the root of Jesse,
Rejoice, for you were paradoxically born of a barren womb.
Rejoice, the prelude of God's good pleasure,
Rejoice, the cornerstone of our salvation.
Rejoice, for you are she who is called upon by all the faithful,
Rejoice, for you are the help that is sought for.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
The power of the Most-High, is truly beheld in the waters of your Spring, O Virgin, for those who hasten to it: blind, deaf, and all people in general, partake of healing of soul and body, crying out: Alleluia.
Your city, having your Spring as a treasure of healings, O Virgin Theotokos, is enriched in the faith, and having you as her firm protectress, we rejoice together with her, and cry out these things:
Rejoice, the glory of the Church,
Rejoice, the radiance of Orthodoxy.
Rejoice, the divine adornment of Kings,
Rejoice, the sacred boast of Patriarchs.
Rejoice, for you are the cornerstone of both Testaments,
Rejoice, for you are the shepherd staff of noble Hierarchs.
Rejoice, the beauty and radiance of priests,
Rejoice, the joy and rejoicing of deacons.
Rejoice, the sacred saying of the Clerics,
Rejoice, the great nourishment of the Ascetics.
Rejoice, the glory of the faithful Orthodox,
Rejoice, the protector of victory for the upright.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
“Keep searching, and you will find the water within the woods, O Leo. And anointing the blind man with this water, his eyes of clay will be healed. And more so I will dwell in this place, as you cry out with knowledge: Alleluia.”
Hearkening to your voice, [Leo] uncovered your Spring. And for this truly philanthropic act, Leo was made very wealthy, and thus founded your home, teaching all to cry out to you:
Rejoice, unemptying spring of myrrh,
Rejoice, krater of the ever-flowing stream.
Rejoice, ever-springing river of Paradise,
Rejoice, water that is higher than the pool of Siloam,
Rejoice, the healing of all who cry out: "Mariam"!
Rejoice, for you are the hospital for the sick,
Rejoice, for you cleanse the souls of men.
Rejoice, you who quench the flame of the passions,
Rejoice, you who deliver from every danger.
Rejoice, for you are venerated by your servants,
Rejoice, for you we call upon in faith.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
The young man from Thessaly, you suddenly raised by the three-fold pouring of water, and though he was dead, he had longed [to venerate you], and you brought him again to life wondrously, as he glorified, and magnified and chanted together with all: Alleluia.
Behold my need, and my sorrow, O Virgin, and visit the corruption which I have in the flesh, for I am terribly ill-treated, and I am ever to be pitied, and therefore, I call upon you, wailing bitterly, crying out:
Rejoice, the visitation of the sick,
Rejoice, the supplication of the mourning.
Rejoice, the lifting-up of those bedridden,
Rejoice, the dissipater of spiritual passions.
Rejoice, the deliverance from all wasting of the flesh,
Rejoice, the speedy correction of those sick in the mind.
Rejoice, for you cease the pains of the flesh,
Rejoice, for you deliver all souls.
Rejoice, physician of soul and body,
Rejoice, giver of every good thing.
Rejoice, the well of life eternal,
Rejoice, from whom divine streams pour forth.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
A ladder reaching from earth to heaven, you appeared to be, leading from earth to the heights, which our Forefather Jacob saw formerly, which God placed on the earth, O All-pure One, showing you to be a spring of life for us who cry out: Alleluia.
The words of my lips and the fervor of my heart, do receive, O Maid and Unwed Mother, and be my deliverance and protection, O Lady, and make me worthy of your pity of my wretchedness, as I cry out from the soul these words:
Rejoice, the hymnody of the Angels,
Rejoice, the salvation of men.
Rejoice, the Chaste proclamation of the Prophets,
Rejoice, the boast of the First-formed [Adam and Eve], O Pure One.
Rejoice, for you are the gate which Ezekiel beheld,
Rejoice, for you are the mountain which Daniel foresaw.
Rejoice, for you were called a “Virgin” by Isaiah beforehand,
Rejoice, for you are proclaimed the Mother of God.
Rejoice, for you surpass all the prophets,
Rejoice, for you are the Queen of all women.
Rejoice, the honor of all the Righteous,
Rejoice, the glory of all the Saints.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
As the Church of your Spring was going to be trampled upon, O Most-Pure and Holy Virgin, you kept it upright until the multitude of the faithful had left, for you do not desire the death, but the life of those who cry out: Alleluia.
Flowing from your spring profusely and in abundance, are the streams of your wonders, O Theotokos, and they truly cover the face of the earth and the sea, and summon all with one mouth to cry out to you:
Rejoice, the preserver of health,
Rejoice, the dispeller of sickness,
Rejoice, you who deliver many from dangers,
Rejoice, you who draw up praise from babes.
Rejoice, for you we call upon day and night,
Rejoice, for you stand to help mightily.
Rejoice, for you are Mother and nourishment,
Rejoice, for you have become my protection and deliverance.
Rejoice, the refuge of Christians,
Rejoice, the protecting-wall of the faithful.
Rejoice, the foundation of those who stand near you,
Rejoice, the correction of those who are guilty.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
The water of your Spring, O Virgin, has worked strange and awesome deeds surpassing words, and your deeds are strange to hear and surpassing nature, but for us who believe, we venerate them, crying out: Alleluia.
The water of incorruption and drink of ambrosia, and the wine bearing nectar, with joy O brethren, let us drink of with joy and fervor, from the Life-bestowing Spring, and let us venerate her all-sacred Icon, crying out: Alleluia.
Bearing in your womb Him Who, before the ages, was begotten of the Father, the Forerunner, hidden within the barren woman's womb, leaped for joy, and glorified, and cried out to the Virgin:
Rejoice, O Pure One Full-of-grace,
Rejoice, she who is blessed among women.
Rejoice, you who gave birth to the Savior of souls,
Rejoice, you who bore the Giver of good things.
Rejoice, for after you, the Lord began to be praised,
Rejoice, for the fruit of your womb is blessed.
Rejoice, through whom grace was given to men,
Rejoice, through whom the bitterness of the curse has ceased.
Rejoice, you who pour forth sweet flowing water,
Rejoice, for you cast out the leader of delusion.
Rejoice, for you bore the spring of life,
Rejoice, for your wondrously multiply your Spring.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
I cry out to you “Rejoice”, as you unspeakably have birth to the joy of the world, O Theotokos, and at all times I entreat you to ever make me a partaker of your joy, that with a voice of exaltation and a hymn of celebration you might hear: Alleluia.
“Chant,” cries out the Prophet of God, “let all chant unto the King.” With this hymn, we praise you, the perfect beauty of Jacob, and we together with the Forefathers, cry out the following:
Rejoice, the hymn of the Church,
Rejoice, the ode of your inheritance.
Rejoice, the divine subject of the melodists,
Rejoice, the hymn of choirs of musicians.
Rejoice, the all-joyous Psalter of the Forefather David,
Rejoice, the song of Solomon praised by every breath.
Rejoice, for you enlighten the blind through your water,
Rejoice, for you enlighten the fools through your light.
Rejoice, you who seize the faithful from Hades,
Rejoice, you who save the souls of your servants.
Rejoice, through whom I hope for salvation,
Rejoice, in whom I place my hope when I die.
Rejoice, O water of salvation.
O Life-giving Spring, which pours forth deliverance to all of soul and body, (3) receive this poor prayer, and deliver from dangers of all kinds, and deliver from eternal punishment, those who cry out: Alleluia.
And again Ode I, followed by the Kontakion.

Life-Giving Spring of the Most Holy Theotokos

On April 21, Friday of Bright Week, we celebrate the renovation of the Church of Our Most Holy Mother and Our Lady, called the Life-Giving Spring, and we also remember the extraordinary miracles performed in it by the Mother of God.

This temple was first built by King Leo the Great, who is also called Maclellus. A kind and compassionate man, he, when he was still among the common people of the country, before he ascended the throne, one day while in this place and found a blind man stumbling there, led him by the hand. And as they were approaching the place, the blind man, thirsty as he was, asked Leo for water to refresh him. He went into the thicket of the forest to look for a spring, and the place was at that time overgrown with various trees and densely covered with flowering greenery.

But since he did not find any water there, he returned in sorrow, when suddenly, on his return, he heard a voice from above saying, "King Leo, do not despair, for water is near. And when he again labored without success, he again heard the same voice: "King Leo, go in, into this thicket, and scoop up a handful of this water with the mud, and quench the thirst of the blind man; and when you anoint his eyes with [the mud], then you will know who I am, who has lived in this place for a long time. He does as the voice tells him, and the blind man immediately regains his sight. When, at the proclamation of the Mother of God, Leo was enthroned, the first temple was erected by a generous hand over the spring, where it can still be seen today.

But when, after some time, Justinian, the greatest Roman emperor, suffering from an illness, was healed there, out of zeal for the Mother of the Word, he built a new church, which after the devastating earthquake was rebuilt by Basil the Great and his son, Leo the Wise. During their reign the spring performed many miracles: thus, it healed purulent boils, retention of urine, crippling dropsy and various kinds of cancer, also bleeding princesses and other women, all kinds of fevers and all kinds of other incurable diseases and ulcers. It also resolved infertility: for example, as a gift of this spring to tsarina Zoe was born to tsar Constantine Porphyrogenitus.

The fountain even raised the dead. There was a man from Thessaloniki, and having set out to it, he died on the way, but dying with his last breath, he bequeathed to the ship crew to bring him to the temple of the spring and bury him there by pouring upon him three pots of water from the spring. So they obeyed, but as soon as they begin to pour water over him, the dead man rises.

After much time, when this great temple was (in the earthquake) about to fall, the Mother of God appeared and held it up until all the people who came out of it got out. Drinking this water drove away various demons and freed prisoners in prison. For King Leo the Wise it healed a sickness, for his wife Theophanes it stopped the worst of fever, for his brother, Patriarch Stephen, it got rid of dropsy, and for John, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, it healed his damaged organ of hearing.

In Chaldea, with a single invocation, Our Lady heals the monk Peperin and his disciple, and helps the monks Matthew and Meletius, who were summoned to the king by a denunciation. And about the patricians and the proto-passopharies and countless others, who could even tell? Stephen also receives healing in his thigh through incense. And what language could tell what this water did and still does, of all those miracles - the most abundant rain drops, stars and leaves, the miracles that even in our days we see for ourselves?

Thus, she miraculously healed the extraordinary urge to eat, cancer, deadly tubercles and other,  leprosy, deafness; she healed female tumors and very often mental passions, flushes to the eyes, eyesholes, crystals; John the Viking had dropsy, another Viking had cured malignant old ulcers, Hieromonk Mark had cured a burning rash on his skin (either smallpox or measles), a fifteen-year-old shortness of breath, and also an illness of monk Makary, and many more, which cannot be counted in words. All this Our Lady did and does, and never ceases to do.

Through the intercession of Our Lady, O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Commemorating The Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat” Oct. 28/15

 

This icon was made with the blessing of St. Ambrose of Optina for the women's monastery Shamordinsk. The Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneathe – is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. St. Ambrose called the icon "Multiplier of Wheat" indicating by this, that the Most Holy Mother of God "is an Helper for people in their labours for the acquiring of their daily bread".

“Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you! Grant us unworthy the Dew of Thy grace and show Thy mercy."

Prayer:

O Holy Virgin Mother of God, most merciful Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, every house and family of Christendom, the provider of blessing to those who toil, the inexhaustible wealth of the needy, the orphans and the widows, and the provider of all people! Nourisher of ours, born the Sustainer of the universe, and spoiler of our bounty, you, O Mother of God, send your motherly blessing to our cities, villages and fields, and to every house that has their trust in You. Therefore, with awe and contrite heart, we pray humbly that You may be with us, Your sinful and unworthy servants, the wise Builder of our lives, and that You may do good in our lives. And all those who come under Your protection, every house and family in godliness and Orthodoxy, in single-mindedness, obedience and contentment. Nourish the poor and needy, support the elderly, educate the young, and teach everyone to call upon the Lord with sincerity: give us this day our daily bread. The Holy Mother of God, preserve Your people from every need, sickness, famine, and fire, from every evil circumstance and every kind of disorder. Grant unto our dwellings, our households and our families, and every Christian soul, and our whole country, peace and great mercy, that we may glorify you, our merciful Provider and Conquor of our fields and bread, now and ever. Amen.

PESCHANSKAYA ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD by Nika Yufereva

In 1923, Prince Zhevakhov's book was published in Berlin. From the first pages it will take the reader to Izyum, linking Izyum with the Tsar's palace, with the Stavka in Mogilev, with the names of the Tsar and the Tsarina, as well as with a number of glorious and infamous historical figures.

Izyum, Sloboda Peski, Holy Ascension Cathedral. Prince Zhevakhov came here "as an ambassador on special assignment" in 1915.
A living heart beats in this temple. It is sensitive and responsive to any misfortune, to any incurable disease, especially childhood illnesses. This merciful, sensitive heart is an old image of Our Lady of Peschanka. This Cossack icon, as if touched by the steppe sun, unknown when and by whom it was brought to Izyum, was forgotten and, by a special revelation, was found again in 1754 by St. Joasaph of Belgorod


Saint Joasaph of Belgorod was glorified under Emperor Nicholas II. An autocratic voice for his glorification was first heard from Alexander III, who believed that the salvation of the August family during the train wreck at Borki in 1888 occurred through the prayers and intercession of Saint Joasaph.

A year after his glorification, St. Joasaph appeared to a certain military doctor, Colonel O. Taking this faithful man by the hand, the saint led him up a mountain, from where the whole of Russia, drenched in blood, was visible.
"I shuddered with horror," the colonel told members of the brotherhood of St. Joasaph of Belgorod. - There was not a single town, not a single village, not a single piece of land not drenched in blood... I heard the distant cries and groans of people, the ominous roar of guns and the whistle of flying bullets zigzagging through the air; I saw how rivers overflowing with blood overflowed their banks and menacing streams poured into the earth ... The scene was so terrible that I threw myself at the saint's feet to beg for mercy. But from the trembling of my heart, I only clutched convulsively at the clothes of the saint, and looking at him with eyes full of terror, I could not utter a single word. Meanwhile, the saint stood motionless, staring into the bloody distance, and then he uttered: "Repent... It is not yet here, but it will be soon..." After that, the marvelous image of the saint, radiant and luminous, began to slowly recede from me and dissolve into a bluish haze of horizon.


Who would have believed that only a few years would pass and a cadre of the imperial army would lay down their heads in the fields of war; that terror and murder would begin in 52 "emergency stations" in Kiev; that Chekists would roast living people in Russian ovens in Kazan province for the sake of "variety"! In the State Historical Library one can read the "Weekly Book of Extraordinary Commissions" of the revolutionary years, on the pages of which some Saratov and Odessa, Tver and Kharkov "emergency committees" with knowledge exchange their "experience."


In 1914, when war was already raging, Colonel O., in answer to his fervent prayer for the salvation of Russia, St. Joasaph appeared again.
"It is too late," said the saint, "now only the Mother of God can save Russia. The Vladimir image of the Queen of Heaven, with which my mother blessed me for monasticism and which now abides over my shrine in Belgorod, as well as the Peschan icon of the Mother of God, which is in the village of Peski, near the town of Izium, which I found when I was bishop of Belgorod, must immediately be taken to the front, and while they are there, the grace of the Lord will not leave Russia. It pleased the Mother of God to pass along the lines of the front and cover it with Her omophorion against the attacks of the enemy... In these icons is the source of grace, and then the Lord will have mercy on the prayers of His Mother

Once again no one believed the colonel. For his attempt to draw attention to the appearance of St. Joasaph, he was almost put in an insane asylum.
Colonel O. was believed by a priest who had taken a great part in the glorification of St. Joasaph of Belgorod. It was he, Father Alexander Malyarevsky, a respected St. Petersburg archpriest and personal friend of Father John of Kronstadt, who gave the story and came to Prince Zhevakhov himself.
"You will have to do it," he said to Prince Zhevakhov, blessing him. - So look upon this matter as a mission entrusted to you by the saint, your patron saint... You must not refuse... It's a delicate matter, and must be handled with care... Here it is not enough to believe, but you need to be able to transfer your faith to someone else. Not everyone will do it, and not everyone can be entrusted with it... You have the court connections; think about it, look for ways, but do not leave this thought, for it is your business."


Nikolai Davydovich Zhevakhov played a key role in preparing the canonization of St. Joasaph. The State Historical Library keeps the fruit of his many years of work: four volumes of materials for the canonization of St. Joasaph. Therefore, a trip to Headquarters with the Peschanskaya Icon was a spiritually natural event in his life.

On the way to Headquarters, Prince Zhevakhov learned from Father Alexander Yakovlev, an Izyum priest, that Saint Joasaph also appeared to a blessed old man on Pesky, “strongly blamed the sins of the people” and ordered that the Peschanskaya icon be taken to the tsar to the front as soon as possible.

In 1754, terminally ill Bishop Ioasaph of Belgorod travels around his diocese - from Kursk to Mariupol - in search of an icon that was revealed to him in a dream. And he finds it in Izyum, in the town of Zamostye, in a dilapidated Cossack church on the banks of the Donets.

What is the place where this temple stood?
The temple in honor of the Ascension of the Lord was erected by the Cossacks on the very field where in 1111 Vladimir Monomakh defeated the Polovtsy. On this field, Prince Igor with his retinue camped. Not near Poltava, but precisely here, on this very field, Peter the Great, who had lived in Izyum for three years during the Azov campaigns, was going to give battle to the Swedes.
The Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God was found on the military field of ancient Russia.


In 1915, the Vzbrannaya Voyevoda rushed to the aid of the tsarist army.
But it was kind of hidden from the attention of Prince Zhevakhov.


After three days of prayer before the newly-found icon, St. Joasaph heard a voice: "This image is a source of great grace for this province and for the whole country.


For a century and a half after the discovery, the first part of the prophecy of the holy icon was abundantly fulfilled.
In 1800, a dead child was resurrected by the Peschan icon before the eyes of his parents and a multitude of people. This event is witnessed by the clergy of the temple and was included in the akathist of the Peschan icon. Having brought the boy back to life, the Mother of God rewarded him with strength of body and spirit. He grew up and became a military man. The life of Colonel Peter Stepanovich Gelevsky, who died in St. Petersburg in his advanced years, is living evidence of the miracle of rising from the dead.
Through miracles and healings, the Peschan icon revealed itself to be "a source of grace for this region.
In a sovereign sense, as "a source of grace for the whole country", the Peschan icon first revealed itself in 1915, when it came to the Tsar who had taken command of the Russian army a month before.
The Peschan icon and Emperor Nicholas II were linked by an invisible thread. In honor of the coronation of the Emperor, the inhabitants of Izyum made a procession with the icon every year from the suburb of Peski to the place where the icon was found, in Zamosc. The old Cossack church in Zamość had been demolished by that time and a chapel in honor of the coronation of Nicholas II was built in its place, on the banks of the Donets River. Bolsheviks destroyed it to the ground. But an old copy of the icon of Peschan - a gift from the royal family - is still kept in the Church of the Holy Ascension. It was probably given to the temple for the canonization of St. Joasaph.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna herself took part in the trip of Prince Zhevakhov. Thanks to her personal order, in the fall of 1915, on the day of the names day of Tsar Alexei, the Peschanskaya Icon arrived in Mogilev, where the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander was located. But the procession with the miraculous image of the Mother of God did not take place. The same people who, two years later, disoriented and entangled the tsar in a conspiracy, participated in preventing the procession along the front line.
Having been rejected, the Peschanskaya Icon left Headquarters on December 15, 1915. Zhevakhov took the icon back to Izyum.
On December 29, 1915, a large-scale financing of a state catastrophe in Russia and an aggressive campaign to demoralize the army began. Parvus makes a bet on Lenin.
Apparently, it was the Peschanskaya icon that was intended to keep Russia from destruction. As soon as the Peschanskaya icon left Headquarters, the “red wheel” of history began to spin.


A local history investigation into the fate of the Peschanskaya icon in the 20th century refuted Prince Zhevakhov's assertion that the icon left with the elders of Athos.
Zhevakhov writes that the icon mysteriously left Izyum for Europe to some God-chosen people, and will appear in due time.
If Nikolai Davydovich Zhevakhov had learned about the real fate of the Peschanskaya Icon, he would not have been able to hold back his tears. He would have exclaimed, “Wonderful are thy works, Lord!”
The icon is indeed gone. But she left secretly, without leaving Izyum and without moving from the place that was determined for her by St. Joasaph. She's gone from people's minds. And she returned - with a whole stream of miraculous healings - already in the 80s. ......



Without moving an inch from its place, the Peschanskaya icon showed more than a miracle. I dare to think that the Peschanskaya icon revealed a sign of something that did not come true with tsarist Russia.
This sign is revealed in the fate of the Holy Ascension Church, for which, as if there was no destructive, bloody, godless XX century.
When everything around was destroyed, plundered, smashed to pieces, the Holy Ascension Church was not touched by a bayonet, or a bullet, or a bomb, or a godless hand. And even in the most difficult years of the “godless five-year plans” and the war, the Divine Liturgy never stopped in the temple.

The Great Patriotic War spilled over this region like a bloody river. Literally two hundred meters from the Holy Ascension Church was the front line.
The Holy Ascension Church, built for the Peschanskaya Icon in 1826, with its high bell tower, was the tallest building in Izyum. It was used by both warring parties to adjust the fire (the front line was constantly changing, either Soviet or German troops stood here). The temple was repeatedly bombed, but not a single bomb hit the target.
The icon was a real participant in the hostilities. When the Germans went on the offensive, the Peschanskaya icon was taken out and carried along the front line. Old-timers testified that after the procession, the Germans retreated, and the front line moved back.
Once, during a heavy bombardment, they tried to take the Peschanskaya icon out of the church, but it suddenly became so heavy that they could not lift it. When the bombing ended, the temple remained intact, but the house where they wanted to take the icon away to save it, turned out to be bombed.
When the Germans threw stones at the miraculous Peschansky spring not far from the temple, the holy water scattered the stones...
The native house of the Peschanskaya Icon, with all its interior decoration, remained an untouched island of "Russia that we have lost." Tsarist Russia is still secretly alive in it. How this happened is incomprehensible to the mind.

In 1999, the Peschanskaya Icon (a list from Canada) flew around the borders of Russia on a special flight. After this procession, the years of devastation ended, stability came to Russia. Russia, as it were, gained strength, began to grow stronger, to rise. In fulfillment of the blessing of Father Nikolai Guryanov, starting from Volgograd, religious processions with the Peschanskaya Icon began to take place in Russia.
Even before the memoirs of Prince Zhevakhov were published in Russia, the revered elder Father Nikolai Guryanov opened the Peschanskaya Icon to Russia.
In the 1990s, a certain person came to Father Nikolai Guryanov from Canada with a list of the Peschanskaya Icon. It is with the Peschanskaya icon, the elder will say, that it is necessary to fly around the borders of Russia. It is necessary to bypass Russia with the Peschanskaya icon in processions. Peschansky image should be in every home. Even the elder said that the original of the icon was preserved and it was necessary to find it.


Once, when the procession was approaching the St. John the Theologian Monastery in Ryazan, a certain woman had a dream. She saw that there was a religious procession with an amazing icon carried by the military, but the military is not of our time. The icon of the Mother of God is carried by officers and soldiers of the imperial army. The woman did not know anything about the Peschanskaya icon, nor about the history of Prince Zhevakhov, nor that the procession was really going along their Ryazan roads ...

Where is the original of the Peschanskaya icon?
The Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God is located in the city of Izyum - not a list, not a copy, but the original. This is the same icon that could stop the First World War and save the Russian Empire from the catastrophe of 1917.
..... And just like 100 years ago, the Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God stands guard over the spiritual unity of Holy Russia. She is waiting for our prayers.


Source: "pravznak.msk.ru"

Let everyone pray to the Mother of God about what the soul hurts, and may she soon hear and fulfill our prayers and requests!

 

Panagia Paradsiotissa

For all the prematurely sleeping and unbaptized fetuses and infants.

This original icon was painted with the blessing of Elder Gabriel and has been kept since December 2020 in the Holy Temple of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Ireni in Pachyammos, Paphos Cyprus.

The Mother of God never leaves us a burden.

A little girl from Egypt fell from the second floor of her house.
She was admitted to the hospital, but as a result of the accident, she was left with a disabled right hand.
After being discharged, she left with her parents on a pilgrimage to the Iberian icon of the Mother of God.
After all the prayers, the little girl asked to be photographed next to her dear icon.
When she was photographed in front of the icon, everyone saw how the right hand of the Mother of God from the icon was holding the child by the disabled hand.
The Mother of God never leaves us a burden. You just need to pray and ask for Her help.

THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, NAMED "SUPPORT OF THE HUMBLE" Commemorated Sept. 16/ Sept. 29

 

HISTORY OF THE ICON

The icon of the Mother of God, called "Look at humility", was revealed in 1420 in the Bezhanitsky region of the Pskov land, on Lake Kamenny.

The circumstances of the miraculous phenomenon are unknown, but it can be assumed that the holy icon was found as a consolation and encouragement to the people of Pskov during a period of great disaster during the reign of Vasily II Dmitrievich: a "pestilence" (famine and epidemic), which then erupted over the Pskov land, and the invasion of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt, who came to conquer the Pskov lands. Then blood began to flow from the right eye of the Mother of God. Thus, the Blessed Virgin gave the Pskov people a sign - she grieves for them and is ready to hurry to help.

The Pskov Chronicle contains two testimonies of the holy icon. One of them reads: “ In the summer of 6934 (1426), behind the old Kolozhe, on Lake Kamena, there was a sign: blood was flowing from the icon of the Holy Theotokos, in the month of Septevria on the 16th day; This is a sign to show the presence of the filthy prince Vitovt and a lot of shedding of Christian shelter . " In another, more complete indication of the miraculous sign from the image, it is said: “In the summer of 6934 (1426), the same autumn, there was a sign from the icon of the Holy Mother of God, on Lake Kamen, at Basil's yard: blood was flowing from the right eye, and the place where she stood, and on the way there was blood, as they carried it, from the icon to the ubrus, as the icon of the Most Holy One was carried to Pskov, in the month of September at 16. In memory of the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia. "

From the chronicle it follows that the icon was transported to Pskov and placed in the cathedral church in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. With her they began to perform Religious processions and offer fervent prayers for the end of disasters. With the intercession of Bomother, the pestilence ceased.

In memory of this transfer, the celebration of the miraculous icon was established on this day ( September 16/29 ).

ICONOGRAPHY

Iconographically, the image of the Mother of God "Support of the Humble" belongs to the "Hodegetria"  type .

The type of image "Hodegetria" does not correlate with either the text of Holy Scripture, or with the akathist of the Mother of God, which gives a certain freedom to decide the composition of the icon. Therefore, there are versions of the image of "Hodegetria", when the Infant can be on the right or left hand of the Mother of God, be depicted in full growth, or sitting on the lap of the Mother, in his hand can hold a scroll or an attribute of royal power. The appearance of any version of the image could be separated by whole centuries.

The icon "Support of hte Humble" depicts the Most Holy Theotokos, crowned with a crown. In Her right hand there is a scepter, and with her left hand She supports the Divine Infant, who is on Her knees. The Infant Christ, with his right hand, gently touches Her bow, and with his left hand he holds a small ball - a power, a symbol of power over the world. This version of the icon probably differs from the prototype of the icon of Latin origin, where the Divine Infant raised his hand as an orator (rhetorician) speaking at the trial in defense of all unjustly accused and suffering. The name of the Icon comes from the words of the Gospel of Luke "as if he were looking at the humility of his servant." The Savior, holding the Mother of God by the crotch, turns Her face to those who are praying, as if saying: " Look to the humility of those who turn to You with prayer, who so ask for Your intercession ."

MIRACULOUS LISTS

ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD "SUPPORT OF THE HUMBLE"

Unfortunately, the ancient image of "Support of the Humble" has not survived to this day. In the 19th century, there is no longer any mention of the ancient icon in the inventory of the sacristy of the Trinity Cathedral. Since Pskov in the described times was often subjected to devastating fires, it can be assumed that the ancient miraculous icon of the Mother of God perished during one of the natural disasters that befell the cathedral church.

The image of this icon in the Sretensky Church of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery was a cell icon of the elder Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) . After his repose, this icon was transferred from the elder's cell to the Sretensky Church.

Currently, the list of the icon is to the right of the altar in the Trinity Cathedral of the Pskov Kremlin .

There are few other lists of the icon "Look at humility". One of them, at the end of the 17th century, is located in the Kiev Florovskaya Ascension convent , and the second is placed in the main temple of the Kiev Svyato-Vvedensky monastery (another mosaic image is displayed on the wall of the temple).

List of the Holy Vvedensky Monastery in Kiev according to legend, it was written by a certain princess who took the schema under the name of Mary. She not only had a talent for painting, but also carried ascetic deeds invisible to the world, for which the Lord honored her to paint the Face of His Immaculate Mother. Women are not allowed to touch the relics, but this icon painter, with the special permission of the highest clergy, was granted such a right. She painted the icon with a bone from the holy relics, dipping it in paints mixed with holy water, making the Jesus Prayer. After the coup of 1917, the icon was kept by Archpriest Boris Kvasnitsky. In 1937 he was repressed. Before his arrest, he managed to hand over the icon to his spiritual daughter - the novice of the Vvedensky monastery to nun Theophania, who kept the shrine for 55 years. When the monastery was dispersed in 1961,

The first miracle was shown by the icon in the Florovsky Monastery: the healing of a deaf and dumb girl . While the adults went about their business, the baby was waiting for them in the cell. When they returned, they found a child who was sick from birth, speaking and hearing. “ Aunt breathed on me ,” the little girl explained as best she could, nodding at the Blessed One.

5 years before her death, the keeper of the icon took the schema with the name of Theodora. And 2 years before her death, in 1992, the schema-nun Theodora († 1994) donated the icon to the newly opened Vvedensky monastery . So the Queen of Heaven returned to Her house, bringing with Her into the temple the grace that rested on Her. The image, installed in a special icon case, attracted numerous believers with its extraordinary beauty.

In 1993, the icon, which was kept behind glass, was decided to be given for restoration, as the image became dull. On August 1, 1993, the glass was removed from the icon. It turned out that the icon remained clear, as it had been before, and only the glass covering it had become muddy. On it, strictly along the contour, as if with light chalk strokes, the silhouette of the Mother of God with the Child was imprinted. The image on the glass was a negative: dark areas became white, light faces, hands, folds - dark. It is noteworthy that it could not have been a print, since the glass did not adhere closely to the image, but was located at a distance from the icon. All who saw the miraculous image on the glass felt a feeling of joy.

Nevertheless, mistrust arose in this miraculous phenomenon, there were suspicions. They tried to accuse the abbot of the temple of fraud and forgery. Specialists came to investigate the display. Scientists from the Kiev Center for Nuclear Physics took scrapings of plaque on glass, conducted scientific research, trying to find out the composition and nature of this unusual oily plaque. After conducting research, Kiev scientists came to the conclusion that the image on the glass is not made by hands , while they could not provide a scientific explanation for the miracle that happened. Nuclear physicists gave their conclusion that the composition of the plaque-imprint on the glass of the icon is of organic nature!

Glass with a wonderful display was installed in the icon case next to the icon. And from the icon itself and from its imprint on the glass, numerous healings began to occur.

Holy Vvedensky Monastery

By the decree of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on November 9 (22), 1995, the icon of the Mother of God "Look at humility", which is in the Kiev Svyato-Vvedensky monastery, was recognized as miraculous .

One of the first confirmations of the miraculousness of the image was the case of a young woman who fell ill with hepatitis (jaundice) while preparing to become a mother. The doctors who monitored the patient were unanimous in the opinion that the disease would have a detrimental effect on the health of the baby, therefore they demanded that the pregnancy be terminated immediately. But the young woman, being a believer, was afraid to take upon herself the sin, to commit murder in the womb of her own child. For three days she prayed in front of the image of the Virgin, praying for help. Soon, repeated tests were made, which showed the absence of hepatitis virus in the blood, which meant a sudden suspension of the disease. The girl who was born was completely healthy, and Abbot Damian baptized the baby in the Vvedensky Church.

Numerous decorations of the icon are evidence of the gracious help to people and the healing of the sick who turned to the Most Holy Theotokos with prayers.

Before the icon of the Mother of God "Support of the Humble", they pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for the granting of humility and repentance both for themselves and for sinners who do not want to repent and therefore suffer from diseases and spiritual hardships, for the relief of the afterlife of the departed, for protection from false and crafty teachings. Through the prayers of the Mother of God in front of Her icon "Look to humility", help is given to all the oppressed, persecuted, desperate, weak in faith, the truth is revealed and slander and slander are exposed, the innocent are justified. Through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, healings from cardiovascular diseases, female diseases occur. Prayers before the icon also help in solving housing issues.

Prayer
Oh, Most Holy Lady, Virgin Mary, the highest Cherub and the Most Honorable Seraphim, God's Chosen Young Woman! Look down from the heights of heaven with Your merciful eye upon us, unworthy of Your servants, praying with tenderness and tears before Your Most Pure Image; do not deprive us of Thy intercession and the protection of the Sovereign in this earthly journey, many sorrowful and many rebellious. Save us in the destruction and sorrow of those who exist, raise us from the depths of sin, enlighten our mind, darkened by passions, and heal the ulcers of our souls and bodies. Oh, All-Giving Mother of the Human-loving Lord! Surprise us with the abundance of Your mercy, strengthen our weak will to do the commandments of Christ, soften our petrified hearts with love for God and our neighbors, grant us heartfelt contrition and true repentance, so that we are cleansed from the filth of sin, Let us be vouchsafed a peaceful Christian death and a kind response at the Terrible and impartial Judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit, all glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion, voice 4
Your impenetrable wall is Your image and the source of miracles, as if you gave your intercession to Pskov from ancient times, so and now, mercifully save us from all troubles and sorrows and save our souls, like loving Mother.

Kontakion, voice 3
Most Immaculate Virgin, the display of Your face, who honors grateful gifts, accept it, help the living and the dead, save our city and our country, and bring prayers to your Son, and save us all.

Magnification
We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, God's Chosen Young Woman, and we honor the holy icons of Thy wonderful display.

Source: hram-troicy.prihod.ru