Our Lady of Kazan

Prayer to Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan

With heartfelt devotion, with deep repentance, and with mercy for one another, we pray to you, O Virgin of Kazan – our intercessor and a Protectress of Christians over centuries of war and crime. Save us from our own sins and from the sins of others, so that we may flourish because of you and become a grateful people of God. Yet, if we must suffer – since our fallen condition is filled with suffering – then strengthen us in spiritual battle and make us worthy witnesses of the True Faith. We know that you watch over us, and that you will lead us to victory if only we heed your calling and the Commandments of God. Illuminate us, O Mother of God of Kazan, so that we may rejoice under all circumstances and praise you for your wondrous vigilance and unceasing mediation.

About the icon:

Our Lady of Kazan, also called Mother-of-God of Kazan, was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan, and a palladium of all of Russia and Rus', known as the Holy Protectress of Russia.

According to legend, the icon was originally acquired from Constantinople, lost in 1438, and miraculously recovered in pristine state over 140 years later in 1579. Two major cathedrals, the Kazan Cathedral, Moscow, and the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, and they display copies of the icon, as do numerous churches throughout the land. The original icon in Kazan was stolen, and likely destroyed, in 1904.