In the spring of 2010, residents of the city of Elan, Volgograd region, found a rare August icon of the Mother of God, the patroness of Don warriors. The shrine was kept in an old barn of a private house. Elansky local historian Evgeniy Vorotnikov reported that on the icon the face of the Mother of God with the Child remained intact, while the rest of the images were erased over time. Experts became interested in the find. Imagine the amazement and joy when the experts recognized it as an ancient, considered lost, rare icon of the Mother of God of August.
Commission of the Holy Synod
A special commission was created from members of the Synod, who documented the testimony of eyewitnesses, carefully studied all the details and officially confirmed that the miraculous phenomenon really happened. The commission began work in September, immediately after the events described, and recorded evidence for two years. The solution was a decree that the icon should be captured in memory of what happened for worship in churches and during home prayer. The Synod prepared the necessary documents for the glorification of the icon, but the revolution of 1917, the execution of the royal family and a chain of other tragic ups and downs pushed back the glorification of the icon for many decades. Only on February 28, 2008, by decree of Patriarch Alexy II, the icon of the Mother of God “Victory of August” was officially included in the list of miraculous icons of the Russian Orthodox Church.
History of appearance
The holy image called the “August Icon” is also called the “August Victory” or the “August Candle”. Dozens of soldiers witnessed the miracle that happened at the beginning of the First World War near the city of Augustow. It was described in detail from the words of several people.
Around midnight, the sentry noticed a bright star in the sky that was approaching the earth. Then he saw the clear appearance of the Virgin Mary with the Divine Child. The vision lasted, according to various accounts, from 10 to 30 minutes. After which it began to slowly fade away and turned into a star again.
The next day (September 15, new style) the offensive of the Russian troops began, ending in the defeat of the enemy. The event was published in newspapers and magazines. Iconographic images and illustrations appeared in printed publications. For 2 years, the Holy Synod considered the issue of perpetuating the memory of the miraculous phenomenon, having carefully studied the information received from military priests.
At the end of March 1916, the Synod decided to recognize the August Icon as a memory of the appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian army and to bless its veneration in churches and private cells.
Image of the Virgin Mary
Rumors about the event that took place near Augustow quickly spread throughout the country. The newspapers contained notes about the appearance of the Mother of God and the subsequent victory of the Russian troops. In various volosts, icon painters painted the icon of the Mother of God of August. Unfortunately, when the Bolsheviks came to power and persecution of the church began, this icon was destroyed especially zealously. Surprisingly, it became the last icon revealed in Tsarist Russia. We can say that with its appearance the time of autocracy ended.
Memory of a wonderful event
Emperor Nicholas II was reported about the intercession of the Queen of Heaven to Russian soldiers in the Augustow Forest. On his instructions, army leaflets were printed in large quantities with an image of the appearance of the Mother of God and a brief explanatory text about this event. The signature on one of the leaflets under the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary reads: “The appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian detachment before the defeat of the Germans in the August forests.” According to available information, most of them were printed in 1915-1916. An unknown icon painter, commissioned by Don Cossack women, painted the icon of the Mother of God of August. A record of the creation of this icon and the inscription on it have been preserved: “This icon was built by the support of the Cossack women of the Kletsko-Pochtovsky farm for the health of the soldiers Vasily, Semeon, John, Eusebius, Stefan, John, Vasily, Alexander, John, Alexy, John, Vasily, John, Sergius, Andrei, Alexander, Theodore, Stephen, Sergius, Theodore, John, Tikhon, Nicholas, Peter, Tikhon, Peter, John, Blasius, Alexius, Alexander, John, Trophimus, Macarius, John, Basil, Isaac, Peter, Cyriacus, John, Alexander, John, Maxim, Peter, Theodore, Tikhon, Trophim, Alexander, Paul, Vasily, Nicholas, Daniel, Paul." A total of 52 names of Cossack warriors are indicated. The date of painting of the icon is also given - November 12, 1915. The height of the icon is 107 cm, width is 70 cm. It is presumably made in oil. The name of the icon painter and the place where the icon was painted are not reliably known.
About 15 icon lists were created. One of them - “The Appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian detachment before the defeat of the Germans in the Augustov Forests” - is located in the lower church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Another icon, “The Appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian Army,” is kept in the State Historical Museum. It was exhibited in Berlin from May 13, 2004 at the German Historical Museum at the exhibition “World War 1914–1918. Experience – memories – memory.” There are icons dedicated to this Miracle in the Urals, Siberia, Ukraine, and Belarus. In Belarus they are usually called the “August Candle” or have the same name as the icon in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
The revolutionary years cast aside for a long time the memory of these icons, which did not have time to become widespread enough, although the news of the August victory at that time shook up all of Russia. The times of godlessness have come. And the prototype was irretrievably lost.
New Hope
Not long ago it became known that an icon was discovered in the village of Machekha, Volgograd region. Locals claim that it belonged to their fellow countryman. During the years of persecution of the church, a Cossack hid a precious icon and did not tell anyone about the location of the hiding place. After his death, his relatives tried to find the cache. But the attempts were in vain. And only recently, during renovation work on the farmstead, under the old barn, a cache was discovered, in which the marvelous icon was located.
It has darkened over time, but the faces of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ have been preserved surprisingly well.
The icon was given to the priest of the local church. Rumors about the discovery of the shrine spread throughout the surrounding area, and crowds of “interested” people flocked to the small village, most of whom were interested not in the spiritual, but in the material value of the find. After all, even in this form, the acquired relic can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In order to avoid tragedy, as well as not to lose the newly acquired shrine, it was transferred to the Volgograd administration for storage, study and restoration.
Where can I find the original and lists
The news of the miracle that happened near Augustow was not only discussed in all layers of Russian society. Artists and icon painters depicted the event in paintings and icons. The first version of the holy image was published 2 months later, in November 1914, in the Neva magazine simultaneously with the story about the August Apparition.
In the spring of 2015, the icon was printed in an Odessa printing house for home worship. Believers asked the clergy to consecrate the lists, but this could not be done. Throughout 1915-1916, several more versions of the icon appeared. The images were created without the blessing of the highest ranks of the Russian Orthodox Church, but were in great demand.
Moscow Metropolitan Macarius blessed the painting of the icon at the end of 1916. 15 copies were made. The events of 1917 prevented the distribution of copies of the holy image. Of this version of the icon, 5 copies have survived, one of which is kept by the descendants of the Romanov family in Canada.
In the Holy Ascension Kremensky Monastery (Volgograd region, Kletsky district) one of the copies of this icon is kept, commissioned by the wives of the Cossacks, witnesses of the appearance of the Virgin Mary. The image shows the date (1915) and the names of 52 Cossacks of the Kletsko-Pochtovskaya village.
From 1918 to 1992, the icon was located outside the walls of the Orthodox church. During the persecution of Orthodoxy, she was saved by the last abbot of the Holy Ascension Monastery. He hid it in caves on the banks of the Don. After his death, the image was divided into 2 parts to make it easier to save it from destruction. Until 1992, it was located in an inactive church in the city of Frolov (Volgograd region).
In 1992, the buildings of the former Holy Resurrection Monastery were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. The August icon of the Mother of God was returned to the monastery. In 2009, another image of the August phenomenon was discovered in the Elansky district of the Volgograd region.
Symbol of the First World War
It just so happens that almost every war waged by Russia is accompanied by its own miraculous icon. When our troops stood on the Kulikovo field awaiting battle, the image of the Don Mother of God was with them. The overthrow of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, which took place in the decisive battle on the Ugra, was protected by the Vladimir Mother of God. Minin and Pozharsky went to Moscow during the Time of Troubles with the image of Our Lady of Kazan. The abdication of Emperor Nicholas from the throne was marked by the acquisition of the Sovereign Icon. But the August Icon of the Mother of God became the spiritual symbol of the First World War. Photos of this holy image can be found in various variations, because during the war about fifteen different versions of this icon were made.
Description and meaning in Orthodoxy
The August icon with the face of the Mother of God differs from other images. The name of the holy image is explained by the name of the place where the vision of the Mother of God was (the city of Augustow). The icon is painted as eyewitnesses described the event. The Blessed Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus on her left hand stands on a cloud. Stars are visible in the night sky. A bright glow from the head of the Heavenly Queen illuminates the warriors standing on the ground. With a gesture of her right hand, she shows them the path to victory.
The appearance of the Mother of God strengthened the morale of the army, which believed in Heavenly protection on the battlefield.
Visit to Augustow
When the icon was sent in a religious procession to Belgrade, its path ran through the places where the Mother of God appeared to Russian soldiers, through the city of Augustov. The organizers of the procession decided to paint an exact copy of the icon for the Polish diocese, which was done. The list for Poland was consecrated in a solemn ceremony on the day the First World War began, August 1, in the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral. At the same time, a prayer service was held at this icon in Russia, Serbia and Poland. Thus, the miraculous icon united believers of three states in prayer.
Help from the Heavenly Intercessor
“The First World War began shortly after the revolutionary movement of 1905–1907,” historian Oleg Merkulin begins his story. “The masses of the people realized that war is God’s judgment and one must go into battle with a clear conscience.”
Prayer was offered not only in the rear, but also at the front. The Russian soldier has always been distinguished by piety, felt the holiness of his cause and was distinguished by fearlessness. Whenever possible, soldiers and officers of the Russian Army participated in services in those churches that happened to be on their military routes. The prayers offered by the Orthodox in the rear and at the front did not go unanswered. And one of the manifestations of God’s mercy was the appearance of the Mother of God to Russian soldiers in September 1914 on the North-Western Front. It is known that the offensive of the Russian troops of the North-Western Front in East Prussia in August 1914, which began at the request of allied France, after a month of heavy and bloody fighting, ended with the death of the 2nd Army of General Samsonov and the retreat of the 1st Army of General Rennenkampf. As General Yuri Nikolaevich Danilov later wrote, our armies “were thrown back into our borders, suffering very large losses in people and material and, at the same time, receiving serious moral damage.” The latter is very significant, because the first failures in any war always have a negative impact on the psyche of military leaders and military units, instilling in some a conviction of the superiority of the enemy and a feeling of self-doubt.
“At the beginning of September, Russian troops continued to fight their way back on the North-Western Front,” continues Oleg Nikolaevich, “On September 12, the German offensive on our positions on the Neman River began the Battle of Augustow (named after the city of Augustow in the Suwalki province of Russia). Fierce fighting ensued. On September 14, Russian troops launched a counteroffensive. At this time, an event occurred that soon became known throughout the entire army and in the rear - the appearance of the Mother of God in the sky to Russian soldiers.”
The main blow to the German troops was dealt by the 10th Army of General V.E. Fluga, which carried out the task of displacing the enemy from the Augustow Forests. Fighting in wooded areas prevented the Germans from exploiting their advantage in heavy artillery. In his memoirs, a participant in these battles, General Staff officer B.N. Sergeevsky wrote: “... the Germans threw a number of columns in a southern direction, which were supposed to delay the Russian offensive. These columns, advancing, completely mixed up in the forests with Russian columns, some of which moved from the south, and others from the east. The result was a “layer cake” in which each Russian and German unit had to act without communication with each other and with its command.”
In the sky above one of the Russian units in the Augustow Forest there was a vision of the Mother of God - in September 1914.
Strengthening the paint layer on the August Icon of the Mother of God
A brief description of this wonderful event, as Oleg Merkulin tells us, was given by General Sh. in a letter written by him on September 18: “...After our retreat, our officer, with a whole half-squadron, had a vision. They had just settled into bivouac. It was 11 pm. Then a private comes running with a confused face and says: “Your Honor, go.” Lieutenant R. went and suddenly sees the Mother of God in heaven with Jesus Christ in her arms, and with one hand She points to the West. All lower ranks are on their knees and praying. He looked at the vision for a long time. Then this vision changed into a large cross and disappeared.”
After this, the battle of Augustow took place, which was marked by a great victory. Fortunately, another documentary evidence of this miraculous phenomenon has survived to this day. Colonel A.A. Egorov, who commanded the mounted scouts of the 30th Siberian Rifle Regiment with the rank of lieutenant, described this event as follows: “...September 17, 1914, old style, on the day of Faith, Hope and Love, I had to cause the most cruel, perhaps, in the entire war the only shooting of a German column by our artillery, which then turned into a three-day battle of the regiment with superior enemy forces. ...I often think that if our cavalry reconnaissance had been more negligent in its work, and the German had shown greater care and initiative, it would have been us, not the Germans, who were defeated. Our regiment, which prevented the occupation of Augustow, almost devoid of protection and filled only with convoys and logistical institutions, prevented the enemy’s greatest blow, which could change the entire course of the operation in this sector of the front.”
What do they pray for?
People turn to the Mother of God with prayer for any reason. Believers always stand at Her icons, lighting candles. The August Icon of the Mother of God was no exception. What do they pray for before her? Of course, about intercession, about victory over enemies. Soldiers' mothers especially revere this icon. While their sons are repaying their debt to the Motherland, mothers ask for their return, and then thank the Mother of God for keeping her son. Prayer before the Icon of the August Mother of God helps to maintain peace and defeat enemies, both visible and invisible. In the text of the prayer, believers ask for the preservation of the Russian state, for its strengthening and prosperity.
Prayer text
O Most Holy Lady Theotokos! You wonderfully decorated the entire Russian land like Your Home with holy icons and miraculously protected the borders of our Fatherland with Your images. Sending heavenly help to the Russian army from the Throne of the Lord of Glory to repel the enemy and adversary and all those who rise up against us, making our footstool. You once, by Your formidable appearance from the borders of Moscow, turned the Hagaryan hordes to flight; who granted the Christ-loving Russian army the overcoming of twelve tongues. You, by the wondrous appearance of Your glory in the August forest, foreshadowed the imminent victory of the sons of our Fatherland, so even now kindle the hearts of Your people with the spirit of courage and sacrificial love for the earthly Fatherland, in order to acquire for us the Heavenly Fatherland. Help, Lady Theotokos, in this battle with enemies visible and invisible and grant us Your intercession. Preserve Your House - the Russian State - until the end of the century in peace, integrity and prosperity. May the Russian army under the shade of the Cross of Christ be indestructible for all of us who fight. And let not the foreigners say, seeing the devastation and desecration of the Russian land, for these people do not accept Divine intercession, for this house is empty. But may you be for us the Chosen Leader, granting victory over foreigners. For no one will plunder the house of a strong man, unless the strongest man binds the strong man first. But You, Queen of Heaven and Earth, called the plague of demons and the Invincible Victory, be a shield and fence for Your House. And show us a sign of Your mercy through the intercession of the holy noble princes Alexander Nevsky and Demetrius Donskoy, the holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, the holy royal martyrs of the house of Romanov and all the new martyrs and confessors of Russia - and as in time it appeared in the sky as a sign of imminent victory for the Orthodox army , so now come to the aid of Your people and help them overcome our countless enemies. May Thy mercy be upon us, as we trust in Thee. Amen.
Prayer
The text of the prayer and troparion of the August Icon of the Mother of God can be found in timely prayer books, because the veneration of this icon was introduced not so long ago. Not in all churches you can find this icon and pray in front of it, but in church shops there is the August Icon of the Mother of God for sale. The akathist to it and the prayer rule can also be found in the relevant literature.
The Icon of the Mother of God of August is the symbol and patroness of all European Christians. After all, the appearance of the Virgin Mary took place in the very center of Europe.
Icon of the Mother of God of August
“The icon is realistic in its artistic structure. It depicts a specific event that the soldiers saw in the Augustow Forest. “In the sky, on a cloud, on a throne invisible to us, sits the Mother of God,” art critic Elena Litvinskaya describes the find. “She leaned a little to the side and with a gesture of her left hand addressed the soldiers, with her right she pressed the Infant Christ. The face of the Mother of God is very expressive. A large hill is depicted on the ground, there is a spruce forest on it, behind the hill there is a valley, thickets of trees cover the horizon. At the foot of the hill there are camping tents, rifles are stacked like a tent, with the bayonet up. The warriors, huddled close to each other, fell to their knees - some bowed, some crossed themselves. Only two soldiers are located in the back, which creates a feeling of space. One warrior waved his hands in amazement. This gesture creates the emotional structure of the icon. An interesting, quite realistic detail: this warrior’s cap fell off during a violent manifestation of feelings and lies nearby. From an art historical point of view, this icon is remarkable because two artistic styles, one might say, two worldviews, involuntarily collided in it. One is natural, realistic, the second is iconic, supermundane. The icon painter, of course, did not graduate from the Academy of Arts, but was brought up in an icon-painting workshop, where faces were allowed to be painted only after thirty years, and before that it was necessary to rub paints and watch how others paint. Look with what love he painted the visible world in all the touching details, how much of his feeling the icon painter put into ordinary soldiers, into their folk, simple prayer. This image is akin to popular popular print and amateur primitive art, which never died in icon painting practice, and only at the beginning of the 20th century. has been recognized as a unique art form. The result is a rare, optimistic combination of high iconographic form and simple folk art.”
Inga Ivanova
"Helping the faithful in battle"
The autumn of the first year of the Great War has already shown all the warring countries that neither side will have a quick and easy victory.
From the first days of the war, battles became fierce with the use of the most modern weapons, which led to massive casualties. Particularly heavy fighting took place in the swampy territory of Eastern Poland between the county towns of Augustow and Mariampol, located 90 kilometers from each other, near the border with Germany. The Guards and Cossack cavalry of the Russian Army suffered numerous losses in these battles and were completely exhausted. An hour before midnight on September 1 (14), a Russian cavalry detachment stopped for a rest in the Augustow Forest. Most of the warriors did not sleep, they sat or lay by the fires, talking about the upcoming battle. Their condition was depressed, and few believed in the success of the upcoming battle. Many soldiers, especially old-timers, prayed to the Intercessor of Russia - the Mother of God. Suddenly, one of the cavalrymen saw an unusually bright star in the black sky, which began to form a flickering radiance from many small stars.
Then the image of the Mother of God with the Savior in her arms appeared in the sky. Our Lady slowly raised her right hand and pointed west in the direction where the battle was to take place. Behind the Mother of God the Orthodox Cross shone.
The warriors threw themselves on their knees and began to fervently pray for salvation in the upcoming battle and for the glory of the Mother of God. The vision lasted half an hour and then disappeared, turning back into a bright star. The next day, the offensive of the Russian armies began and a victorious battle took place near the city of Augustow, where the Russian troops won, and all the soldiers who saw the appearance of the Mother of God remained alive and did not even receive the slightest injury. Colonel A.A. Egorov, who then commanded a team of mounted scouts of the 30th Siberian Rifle Regiment with the rank of lieutenant, describes this battle as follows: “... Our regiment, which prevented the occupation of Avgustov [by the Germans], almost devoid of protection and filled only with convoys and logistical institutions, prevented the greatest blow of the enemy , which could change the entire course of the operation on this section of the front...”
The news of the miraculous phenomenon and the military victory after it covered all of Russia, from the Cossack villages to the capital's salons and palace chambers. Some people said that the best guards cavalry units were awarded the divine vision, others argued that they were hundreds of Cossacks, and still others that they were simple transport soldiers who had lagged behind their army. This is how the newspaper “Birzhevye Vedomosti” dated September 25, 1914, No. 14395, reported about this in a note entitled “Miracle”: “...After our retreat, our officer, with an entire half-squadron, saw a vision. They had just settled into bivouac. It was 11 pm. Then a private comes running with a stunned face and says: “Your Honor, go.” Lieutenant R. went and suddenly sees the Mother of God in heaven with Jesus Christ in her arms, and with one hand points to the West. All lower ranks are on their knees and praying. He looked at the vision for a long time. Then this vision changed into a large cross and disappeared... After this, a great battle broke out near Augustow, marked by a great victory.” At the same time, in the magazine “Bulletin of the Military and Naval Clergy” No. 21, a letter received by the editors from the priest John Stratonovich of the St. Petersburg Life Guards Cuirassier of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna regiment was published, with the following content: “On September 1 of this year at 11 o’clock at night convoy 2 1st category of the Life Guards Brigade Cuirassier of His and Her Imperial Majesties, located near the city of Mariampol, was suddenly caught by the Germans: a report was received that the enemy in cars with machine guns and cannons was nearby on the highway. Not hoping to repel the enemy with their own forces, many of the warriors turned to the Sovereign Intercessor, a strong Helper in battle, for help. And what? The Mother of God heard their prayer. The soldiers saw in the sky an unusually bright star, from which a radiance of small stars gradually formed, and a wonderful image of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child, with the Mother of God pointing her hand to the West. The cuirassiers invited the officer, Lieutenant Zernets, from the apartment. With living reverence, all the soldiers looked at the wonderful phenomenon, which lasted about 1/2 an hour, and called on the Mother of God for help. When the vision disappeared, the same bright star shone at the site of the phenomenon. After this, there was no limit to the general joy: the enemy was no longer there, and the convoy safely continued its journey.”
This message was the first official report of the August Apparition. At the same time, information appeared that at the same time near the city of Augustow, the Mother of God also appeared to the Cossack regiments.
In this regard, in 1915, an icon of the Augustov Mother of God was painted, with the inscription below: “This icon was built by the support of the Cossack women of the Kletsko-Pochtovsky farm for the health of soldiers.” Below were written 52 names of Cossacks - witnesses of the divine phenomenon.
Having learned from newspapers, magazines and oral stories about this holy miracle, many Orthodox people, in order to pray for the preservation of the lives of their loved ones who had gone to the front, wanted to have icons depicting the intercessor of the soldiers of the Russian army, Our Lady of August, as the people began to call the image of the Mother of God, appeared to Russian soldiers. This great spiritual event was reported to Emperor Nicholas II and, on his instructions, army leaflets with an image of the appearance of the Mother of God and explanatory text were printed in large quantities. The signature on one of the leaflets under the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary read: “The appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian detachment before the defeat of the Germans in the August forests.”
Considering the greatness of this event and the nationwide response to the miraculous apparition of the Mother of God at the end of September 1914, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to consider all the facts and interview all eyewitnesses of this apparition. For this investigation, the Case of the Holy Governing Synod was opened “On the investigation of the miraculous event of the appearance of the Mother of God to Russian troops under Mt. August".
The Synod commission examined the reports of front-line military priests who recorded the stories of eyewitnesses of this event. First of all, the report of the dean of the 1st Guards Cavalry Division, Archpriest Stefan Shcherbakovsky, was considered, who personally interviewed the cavalrymen from the convoy of the 2nd category of the Life Guards Cuirassier of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna regiment - cuirassiers: Tech Ivan, Lakeev Ivan, Skripel Grigory and Seregina Dimitria.
Private Ivan Teh testified that late at night their convoy stopped at a German estate. He was left on guard by the horses. Next to him stood a fellow cuirassier, Seregin, who drew his attention to the sky, which was strangely and quickly turning pale. Then the face of the Mother of God began to appear on it. The figure of the Mother of God was very clearly visible from the waist up, and her legs were hidden in the clouds. She pointed with her right hand to the west, and around her head was a crown of stars. He saw the Mother of God for about a minute, then she disappeared, and in her place a huge four-pointed black cross appeared, also directed to the west.
A student of the regiment, Ivan Lakeev, testified that at that time he was feeding a horse and saw a frozen crowd of soldiers looking at the sky. Raising his head, he saw the Image of the Mother of God. Her head was surrounded by stars, and on her left hand was the baby Jesus Christ. With her right hand she seemed to bless the Russian soldiers. Senior clerk of the regiment Grigory Skripel fully confirmed the words of his young fellow soldiers, adding that the cross was in the sky for only 5 minutes, the vision itself was in a light azure quadrangle in the form of a frame, and he had never seen such an image of the Mother of God with the Child on icons before. Cavalryman Dimitry Seregin was also on duty on the convoy, walking around it and admiring a very bright star in the sky. He gave the most accurate testimony, which, in particular, said:
“...This star gradually disappeared, and small stars appeared around it. Then in this circle the sky began to darken and the image of the Mother of God began to emerge. The Mother of God was visible to the waist, and the lower part of Her figure was covered, as it were, with a veil. She held the Baby in her left hand, and with her right hand she seemed to bless...”
He testified that he clearly saw the face of the Mother of God, which was calm and peaceful. Then the vision began to fade, and then completely disappeared. A cross appeared in its place: “... not particularly clearly, but it was possible to distinguish it. The cross was in an inclined position, black in color and large in size. The vision of the cross passed quickly, and both visions lasted no more than 15 minutes. The cross disappeared gradually, and then a bright star appeared. Following this, he saw a black arrow in the Milky Way. Its tip was facing the city. The arrow appeared and disappeared several times over the course of about three minutes.” The testimony of his subordinates was confirmed by the senior non-commissioned officer of the same regiment, Vasily Varnashev. He testified that he himself did not see this phenomenon, since he was in the landowner’s house, but, having learned about it, he interviewed the lower ranks, and they all confirmed the fact of the appearance of the Mother of God in heaven. The testimony of the commanders of these military units was also included in the case, who questioned the testimony of their subordinates, since, in their opinion, this should only appear to the combat units, and not to the rear “oboznikov”. Therefore, the testimony of Lieutenant of Her Majesty’s Cuirassier Regiment A.N. turned out to be especially important. Zernetsa. He said that the convoys of the above regiments, which lagged behind the main Russian forces, fought heroically, retreated from East Prussia under continuous fire from enemy troops, which inevitably should have led them either to captivity or defeat by the enemy. Exhausted and wounded soldiers with convoys stopped for the night 6-7 versts from the city of Mariampol, on a German estate, and soon heard in the night the movement of large German horse patrols and the noise of enemy vehicles on a nearby highway. Soon the scouts reported that German armored vehicles with machine guns were moving along the road. Russian soldiers faced inevitable death in the event of a military clash.
The convoy took up a perimeter defense, and everyone began to fervently pray to the Mother of God to save their lives. In response to their prayers, the image of the Mother of God with the Baby Jesus Christ in her hand appeared in the starry sky.
The Synod Commission considered the testimony of Lieutenant Zernets very important and conducted an additional interview with him.
During this questioning, he added the following: “At approximately 11 or early 12 o’clock in the morning, a lower rank runs up to me and says: “Your Highness, please come into the courtyard.” Thinking that this time they had brought some new alarming news, I was in no hurry to go out. When, a little later, I came out, I saw this picture. Our soldiers, cavalry sappers and others without caps, some kneeling, others upright, on their feet, looking at the sky, crossing themselves, praying, and some crying. When asked what was the matter, they pointed to the sky. Since I arrived quite late, I did not see the beginning of the phenomenon (vision). Looking up, I saw a clear, starry sky. In the direction in the sky where the lower ranks were looking, I saw gray, smoky clouds, like smoke from cannon shots. At first I couldn't make out anything. But, looking into these clouds, I clearly saw the outline of the figure of the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus Christ on her left hand, and her right hand was extended towards the west, and light (as if phosphorescent) emanated from the tips of the fingers of her right hand. This vision lasted 1 or 2 minutes. Then these clouds began to brighten and blur, and in place of the image of the Mother of God and the Child a cross of clouds appeared (the lines of the cross were not straight, but wavy), which gradually became pale. The cross was not visible for long, as the clouds quickly dispersed, moving from east to west. After all this, a clear starry sky opened at the place of the vision. This vision took place on the night of August 31 to September 1 between 11 and 12 o’clock. The consequence of this vision of the Mother of God was that the lower ranks, who had previously been in great spiritual confusion and fear, completely calmed down, took courage and even went to bed, in the hope that now nothing bad would happen to them, which was justified.” A survey was also conducted among other soldiers, who fully confirmed the appearance of the Mother of God.
At this time, throughout Russia, Orthodox people cut out from newspapers and magazines drawings and pictures drawn by artists for this event in order to consecrate them as an icon depicting the “Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos of August”, which was supposed to protect their relatives and friends, as it saved the Russians cuirassiers in the Augustow Forests.
People began to call it the “August Victory” and “August Candle” icon. The Holy Synod and the Spiritual Censorship Committee received hundreds of letters from parish priests, owners of church shops and icon-painting workshops, as well as simply from ordinary people, asking for permission to paint and purchase this icon.
Military departments often did not pay attention to the fact that the icon of the August Mother of God was not approved by the Holy Synod and ordered its image to be printed in printing houses for distribution at the front. Thus, with the official permission of the Odessa military censorship, such images of the Mother of God were printed. The circulation of these military icons was so large that they began to be transferred or sold in the rear, in military hospitals and bookstores. The priests constantly wrote to the Synod about the great need to approve images approved by the Church for the icon of the August Mother of God. They wrote that secular artists filled newspapers and magazines with images of this phenomenon and Orthodox people cut them out for prayers and ask priests to consecrate these images as icons, which they do not have the right to do. Seeing the great need of Russians for August icons, publishers and owners of printing houses echoed them, sending all kinds of images of this holy phenomenon made to their order for consideration by the Synod. Many of the entrepreneurs were driven not by the desire to make money, but by the noble desire to help the Fatherland. Thus, the widow of the attorney at law Olga Alexandrovna Ilyina herself created an image of the icon and asked permission to begin publishing and selling it with the goal of transferring all the proceeds to Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna for the wounded and crippled soldiers. And soldier Paraskeva Sergeevna Agapitova turned to the Yekaterinburg Diocesan Administration with the following petition: “Our husbands are called upon to defend the fatherland on the battlefield. And only God knows what awaits them in bloody battles with an evil enemy. Our grief is great, and no one on earth can ease it. We have only one hope in God and in the Most Holy Lady, the Intercessor of all who mourn... And so we, the soldiers’ wives, had a desire to build a holy icon of the Mother of God based on the artists’ illustrations. But the painters refuse to paint the icon, citing the fact that all icons are painted according to drawings approved by the Church authorities. Condescend to the request of the grieving wives of the soldiers and bless the construction of a holy icon of the Intercessor, the Lady, according to the presented drawing.”
Despite these pleas, the Holy Synod considered the issue of this Orthodox miracle from September 1914 to November 1916.
After a thorough study of all the information, the Synod made the following decision: “The Holy Synod, having given praise and thanksgiving to the Lord God, who wonderfully provides through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother for all those who turn to Him with earnest and sincere prayer, recognizes the need to capture the mentioned event of the appearance of the Mother of God in the memory of subsequent generations of the Russian people and therefore determines: to bless the honoring in the churches of God and the houses of believers of icons depicting the aforesaid appearance of the Mother of God to Russian soldiers...”
Throughout Orthodox Rus', the creation and distribution of August icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary began. They appeared in every dugout and trench of the Russian Army, and in every Orthodox home of a Russian. For churches, temples and monasteries, the best icon painters created images of the August Mother of God. Almost every warrior carried this image with him on his soldier icons.
The revolutionary years, and then the years of the Civil War and Soviet power, destroyed most of these Orthodox shrines. The new government was especially ruthless in destroying these icons depicting soldiers of the “imperialist army” who fought and died for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. Nevertheless, many August icons were preserved by Orthodox people both in Russia and in exile.
In modern Russia, its return has become a special phenomenon, symbolizing the inextricable connection of our historical past and present. This has become especially evident in recent years, which have shown that it is necessary to protect one’s culture and traditional religions not only on the territory of the Russian Federation, but also beyond its borders. And of course, it is no coincidence that the dissemination and veneration of various copies of the Image of the August Mother of God has become so widespread in Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and other countries where Orthodox people live. The most famous August icons are in the lower Transfiguration chapel of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, in the State Historical Museum, on the Don, in the Kremensko-Voznesensky Monastery, churches in Stavropol, Zhitomir, Grodno. On Victory Day, the icon is brought to Mamayev Kurgan.
On February 28, 2008, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' blessed the inclusion of the celebration in honor of the August Icon of the Mother of God into the official month.
And as if in response to this, a new miraculous event occurred when the Sofrinsky brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on a service-combat mission in Dagestan, created a camp chapel in honor of the appearance of the August Mother of God. After this, a fierce battle took place between the soldiers of the brigade and the terrorists, in which our soldiers and officers did not suffer a single loss.
On the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War and the 100th anniversary of the appearance of the August Mother of God to Russian soldiers throughout our country, religious processions with this holy icon were and are ongoing. They were especially solemn in the Kaliningrad region, at the sites of the battles of 1914, and in the territories of the Cossack Army.
In St. Petersburg, the military capital of the Great War of 1914-1918, a prayer service was held in honor of the centenary of the appearance of the August Mother of God near the Winter Palace, which from 1915 to 1917 was the “Infirmary of His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich.” and where the soldiers who witnessed this Orthodox miracle were treated. This event was organized and held on the initiative and under the leadership of St. Petersburg organizations working in the field of socio-cultural and military-patriotic activities: NGO MFPK "MASTER CLASS" and the Military Cathedral Foundation. Considering the significance of this event, it was supported by the Committee on Culture of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the Government of St. Petersburg, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius, the command of the Western Military District, UNESCO, and the State Hermitage.
On September 14, 2014, at 12 o’clock after a cannon shot from the Peter and Paul Fortress, the icon of the August Mother of God will be brought to Palace Square in St. Petersburg, in front of which a prayer service will be held. At this point, an artistic exhibition in the shape of a red cross will be prepared around the Alexandria Pillar. This composition symbolizes the Red Cross - the sign of the Russian Red Cross Society; it will be composed of red canvases. At the end of the event, the canvases used for the composition will be handed over to artists, students of art schools, youth organizations and educational institutions in St. Petersburg, who will paint paintings on them on the theme “Mercy”. The paintings, at the suggestion of the Government of St. Petersburg, will be exhibited in the city's Manege, where they will be sold for charity. The funds received are planned to be transferred to the treatment of war veterans, wounded soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - participants in hostilities, as well as to the treatment of sick children from low-income families.
It is necessary once again to recall the words of the hero of the First World War, the dean of the 1st Guards (Cirassier) Division of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna's Cavalry Regiment, Archpriest Stefan Shcherbakovsky, on the appearance of the August Mother of God to the Russian Army in 1914: “The Mother of God does not abandon us with Her help and intercession with His Divine Son and God. And if the Mother of God is for us, then who is we afraid of?”
From the Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God “Victory of August”:
“To the chosen victorious Voivode, as having delivered the Christ-loving Russian army from destruction in the Augustovsky forest, we cry out to You with gratitude: As having an invincible power, free us from all sorts of troubles, calling: Rejoice, Mother of God “Augustov Victory”, helping the faithful in battles.”
