Orthodox culture has a huge number of unique religious shrines that are of important value to society. The first icons, demonstrating the plot fragments of the Bible through artistic illustrations, were painted by Byzantine masters. However, subsequently, the Russian state also had its own icon painters, whose works also turned out to be recognized, receiving universal veneration over time. One of the main ones among them is the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God.
History of the icon
Its emergence is associated with unique and unsolved mysteries that occurred in 1748. It was then, in the house of the landowner Vasiliev, who lived in the Kaluga region, that an ancient shrine was discovered by employees right while cleaning the attic. It depicts the Mother of God holding a Bible in her right hand.
Legend has it that after finding the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, the maids, before showing it to their main owner, began to talk among themselves about its significance. At the same time, one of them decided to clearly demonstrate her bad attitude towards the Kaluga icon and the entire Orthodox Church culture by spitting on the image of the main shrine. And immediately after performing this action, the maid, whose act turned out to be extremely immoral, was instantly paralyzed, depriving her of the ability to make movements.
The owner of the house, having learned about this news, decided to immediately take the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God to the parents of his daughter, who paid for her unfavorable intentions. As soon as this shrine is in the parents’ house, at nightfall the Mother of God herself suddenly appears to them. Talking about what happened, she agrees to help on the condition that a service will be held in a nearby Orthodox church the next morning in which the gathered priests and other believers will pray before the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, thus expressing their deepest apology. After performing this church ritual, which also involved the use of holy water, the maid was completely healed, began to move independently and immediately repented for everything before the Mother of God.
Troparion, tone 4
Irresistible Intercessor of the Kaluga lands from foreign enemies and Merciful Deliverer from the deadly ulcer! Deliver Thy servants from all troubles and illnesses, who with faith and love resort to Thy miraculous icon, and save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 6
Not imams of songs, below words, how worthy it is to praise Thee, Mother of Christ our God, the appearance for the sake of Thy miraculous icon of the land of Kaluzhstya, we can only cry out to Thee: do not turn away Thy mercy from us and send it down to all who flow to Thy wholesome icon.
Greatness
We magnify You, Virgin Mother of God, and honor Your miraculous icon, with which You deigned to save the land of Kaluga from enemy invasions and all-destroying diseases.
Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of her “KALUGA” ICON
Kontakion 1
To the chosen Voivode, the most immaculate Virgin Mother of God, deliverer of the land of Kaluga, we offer songs of praise to Thee, Thy servants, as Thy icons, by the appearance of Thy, have given us vigilant guards. Do not reject our prayer, which we offer before Your icon, but protect us, O Lady, from all enemies, visible and invisible, and deliver us from all mental and physical illnesses, so that in tenderness of heart we call to You:
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Ikos 1
Many angels glorify Thee, the Queen of all and the Mother of God, for Thou hast filled our hearts with joy by the appearance to us of Thy miraculous icon in Tinkov and miracles in the Church of Thy Nativity in the village of Kaluzhka; Therefore, worshiping Your icon, We offer a prayer to You, God-chosen Virgin, saying with fear and love:
Rejoice, foreshadowed from the patriarchs and foretold from the prophets; Rejoice, thou who gave birth to the Lamb who took away the sins of the world.
Rejoice, thou who freed Adam and Eve from the ancient curse; Rejoice, thou illuminating the whole land of Kaluga with Thy miraculous icon.
Rejoice, Thou who hast given us Thy icon as a sign of mercy; Rejoice, for as we look at Your icon, we worship You, the true Mother of God.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 2
Seeing the mark of Your face, the maiden Evdokia, in the corruption of her heart, boldly mocked him with spitting, not knowing that this is Your face, O Most Holy Virgin; For the sake of admonition, You punished me with relaxation of my whole body, softening of my arms and legs, blindness of my eyes and removal of my tongue, and thus You showed that the mark of this face is Your miraculous icon, so that all people cry out to the Word of God born of You: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
The human mind cannot comprehend Your great mercy, Most Holy Theotokos, for You accepted the sincere repentance of the sick girl and gave her perfect healing, and You offer prayer before Your icon, crying out to Your face:
Rejoice, heavenly ladder, foreseen by Jacob; Rejoice, you who have revealed the secret of the incarnation of God, hidden in God for centuries.
Rejoice, good companion who leads the war against the world and the devil; Rejoice, you who deliver us from our sins, which are innumerable.
Rejoice, for those who call on Your name from the fall of the passionate rise; Rejoice, you diligently giving grace-filled dispassion to those who seek it.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 3
By the power given to You from above, You gave Your miraculous icon, the Most Pure Mother of God, to us as a sign of Your mercy, who are the parent of that maiden, and You advertised to them: I will intercede for the city of Kaluga and for all the people of this country. We, looking at Your icon and the many miracles that pour out from it, seeing, fall down to it with joy and from the depths of our hearts we thank You, the wondrous intercessor, crying out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having concern for the Church of Christ and having seen that in the midst of the abodes of the land of Kaluga there live people who are saints of Christ’s Church and have rejected the Church of Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, you expressed your indispensable desire that everyone honor the Orthodox Church. You commanded the parents of that girl that a prayer service be performed before Your icon with the blessing of water, and that the priest sprinkle it on their daughter, stricken with illness, so that she might be healed of her illness. Save us, O Lady Theotokos, who sing to Ti with faith and love:
Rejoice, you who show miracles in defense of the Orthodox Church; Rejoice, invisibly punishing the blasphemers of the Orthodox faith.
Rejoice, protection and affirmation of the Orthodox faith; Rejoice, strong wall of the Orthodox Church.
Rejoice, joy of the saints and praise of the reverent priests; Rejoice, fair patroness of pious monks and nuns and vigilant guardian of their monasteries.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 4
Having foreseen the storm of misfortunes that threatened our region from the bitterness of Napoleon, who rushed to the land of Kaluga, Saint Evlampius prayed before Your icon, Mother of God, for the deliverance of the city of Kaluga and its entire region from enemies, but the message was received, as if the enemy army was defeated on the Chernushtsa River, with gratitude Cry to Christ the Savior: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Having heard Your mercy, Mother of God, through Your icon on the battlefield near the village of Tarutin, which was sent down to us, when You showed us in the air as a foreigner, as if you were witnessing captivity from them, and thus You granted victory to the Russian howls, we rejoice in Your, Lady, help and with hope we sing to thee:
Rejoice, burning bush, foreseen by Moses the seer of God; Rejoice, you who saved us from the flood of sin.
Rejoice, golden censer, like fragrant incense, ever offering up Your prayers to God, Your Son; Rejoice, you who quickly quench the righteously driven wrath of God against us with Your prayer.
Rejoice, for by the appearance of Your icon in the air, fear and trembling attacked foreign enemies; Rejoice, for by the appearance of Your icon during the battle You gave victory to the Russian army.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 5
The God-bearing star appeared to us, Mother of God, illuminating our meanings and instructing us on the path of salvation, but you were our enemy, like lightning, frightening them and reflecting them away from us, when Napoleon, having struck our army near the city of Maloyaroslavets, forced us to retreat to the city of Kaluga, He himself, having heard this according to Your merciful, Intercessor, command, unknown to the unfaithful for the sake of guilt, instead of going to the city of Kaluga, go along the path that you yourself destroyed and devastated, to the city of Gzhatsk, and thus destroy your army. For this reason, Your strong intercession is leading, with tenderness we say to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Having shown great love for the people living in the country of Kaluga, the Most Holy Theotokos, you preserved our land and drove away many of the enemies who had visited it, far from it, but you took away our enemies, since God’s help to the Mother is strong. We, Your all-powerful intercession, which has been good to us, in the joy of our hearts sing to Tisitsa:
Rejoice, mysterious mite, foreseen by Isaiah; Rejoice, you who have brought about our reconciliation with God.
Rejoice, you who gave birth to the Savior of fallen humanity; Rejoice, in times of battle, through Your help you do not abandon those who trust in You.
Rejoice, by Your all-powerful intercession you deliver us from the sword of foreigners; Rejoice, you who granted victory without shedding blood to the Orthodox howl.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 6
A preacher of this famous miracle, a certain woman appeared in the city of Borovsk, even though the doctor was unable to heal her, and warned that she must not die for too long. She, who has faith, as the omnipotent power of God is, do not ask obstinately, so that in the weight of Kaluga before Thy, Mother of God, a prayer will be performed for her health, and by her faith she will be quickly healed of her illness. In the same way, we, glorifying God with gratitude, cry out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Thy icon, Mother of God, shone forth for miraculous healing for the sake of the wife living in the city of Borovsk, even among its inhabitants who were in schism, for this reason the city synclite, in which, due to the abundance of people, stubborn in the schism, ordained that it would be done hundred of the city, prayer singing before Your icon, which was brought to this city, but never before was it brought to it. Moreover, as a good Lady, teach us to understand God’s providence for the salvation of people, let us cry out to You joyfully:
Rejoice, door prophesied by Ezekiel; Rejoice, thou who served immaculately for the incarnation of the One of the Holy Trinity.
Rejoice, thou who through the birth of Thy Son shows salvation to the world; Rejoice, saving with faith those who call on Your name from death.
Rejoice, turning schismatics to the good path; Rejoice, for thou hast glorified the divine faith, and thou hast put to shame the charm of schism.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 7
Wanting to kindle in the hearts of the people of the Kaluga country love for Your icon, our Intercessor, currents of miracles pour out from Your icon: through the prayer raised to You, hearing was suddenly granted to the deaf, sight was opened to the blind, strength in his lands returned to the weakened, health to the suffering soul and the demon The one who was possessed, the one who was so sick and the one abandoned by doctors, lived in health for many years and continued; Likewise, we, with love for Your icon, fall down and glorify God, crying out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
You are an insurmountable fence, protecting us from all illnesses of soul and body, O Most Holy Theotokos, and interceding for all who come running to You in prayer. In the same way, we, falling before Your icon, pray to You, Lady: deliver us from all mental and physical illnesses, crying out to You from the depths of our hearts:
Rejoice, sun of the village of Christ, presented by the Psalmist; Rejoice, thou who has given birth to the Savior, who purifies our iniquities.
Rejoice, most holy one, in whom the Bread of eternal life is preserved for those who hunger for righteousness; Rejoice, for you mercifully heal all illnesses of soul and body with faith in those who come to your miraculous icon.
Rejoice, thou who deliverest the sick, abandoned by doctors, from death; Rejoice, for through Your prayers the destructive winds and deadly plagues cease.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 8
You showed a great and incomprehensible miracle to the human mind, Lady of the world, when you suddenly healed and strengthened in a sober life a certain woman living in the region of the city of Zhizdra, who was given over to drunkenness; tormented by my conscience, as if I were enslaved by the passion of vice, and sowing for the sake of guilt, turn with faith to You, Lady, praying before Your icon and desiring to receive healing from You. For this reason, we, trusting in Your mercy, praise Your mercy, crying out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
The inhabitants of the Kaluga land see and hear the new font of Siloam, more than the ancient one that appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos, in the Church of Your Nativity in the village of Kaluga, and in it they venerate Your miraculous icon; More than once in the summer, and not just the first time you enter, you receive health, but you take away every ailment and heal everyone who comes to You with faith. For this reason we cry out to You:
Rejoice, for whose sake hell groans and the souls of malice tremble; Rejoice, even for the sake of it the gates of heaven are opened to all of us.
Rejoice, Thou who bestow Thy holy help in good time to every soul that faithfully prays to Thee; Rejoice, thou who deliverest from the passion for drunkenness those who turn to Thee with prayer.
Rejoice, thou who destroyest the hopeless from the pit of destruction; Rejoice, sweet tranquility flowing to Your cover.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 9
All those possessed by pride and obsession soon forget the fear of God. Two women living in the country of Kaluga, filled with pride, clearly manifested their doubts, as Thy icon is wholesome, O Lady, and thus only the wrath of God, as by the righteous judgment of His grave illnesses the punishment was accepted. We, seeing such admonition, worship Your image with love, crying out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
The developments of this century deny the worship of Your icon, Most Pure Virgin, for in their superstition they do not understand that the honor given to the icon ascends to the prototype. We, knowing not only this, but also the good deeds shown to us by Your icon, having seen, with a rejoicing soul, we say to You, Mother of God:
Rejoice, all-golden one, in whom the flesh and blood of the divine Lamb was prepared; Rejoice, holy table, feeding us with the bread of life.
Rejoice, thou who shamest the vain wisdom of the wicked and guides those blinded by it to the right path; Rejoice, for through Your goodness you extinguish the fire of wickedness in us with the flame of divine fire.
Rejoice, thou who admonisheth with signs and wonders those who waver in the faith; Rejoice, God-gracious one, instilling the fear of God and humility in our hearts.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 10
Wanting to save the people who venerate Your icon from troubles, You deigned, O Mother of God, to appear to a certain maiden who lived in a monastery in Luzhetsky, near the city of Mozhaisk, and prevented them from having contact with a depraved woman, and thus saved You from the coming trouble. In the same way, we glorify the Lord God, who gave such grace to Your icon, and we cry out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
You are a strong wall, protecting the human race from troubles, Most Holy Theotokos, and You show Your icons to all who worship them in cities, towns and monasteries. For this reason, we, overshadowed by Your intercession, Mother of God, looking at Your most pure image, pray to You to deliver us from all slander, troubles and sorrows that cry out to You:
Rejoice, thou who hast revealed to the world the promised Destroyer of the serpent's heads; Rejoice, eternal joy, who gave birth to the Savior of the world.
Rejoice, who through the birth of the Son of God opened the doors of the kingdom of Christ to us; Rejoice, thou who have turned away the execution of God for our iniquities from our heads.
Rejoice, thou who deliverest those who love and honor Thee from all troubles and sorrows; Rejoice, joy of the whole world, for which the tears of those who mourn are taken away.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 11
Singing ceaselessly comes to You, Most Holy Theotokos, a certain resident of Zhizdrinsk village, praying with faith before Your icon to grant him a daughter. But you, Mother of God, deigned to hear his prayers and granted it to him. We, looking at Your icon and seeing the currents of miracles poured out from it, good Mother of God, from the depths of our hearts thank You, our wondrous Queen, chanting to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
With the bright rays of miracles, Your icon shines, the Most Pure Mother of God, and drives away every enemy action by the power of God emanating from it; Likewise, we, sinners, having such a sign of Your favor towards us, rejoice, saying: O Most Holy Theotokos! Pray to the Lord to save us through our destinies, so that we do not perish in unrepentance for our sins, and hear this praise offered to You:
Rejoice, you who without seed embodied the Creator of heaven and earth; Rejoice, by the shadow of Your holy icon you drive away every enemy action from us.
Rejoice, you who fulfill our petitions for good; Rejoice, inexhaustible source of God’s blessings and mercies to Your people.
Rejoice, invisible fence of pious marriages; Rejoice, you who send fruit for the sake of the zealous to the needy.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 12
May the grace of prayerful tenderness from Thy, Lady, flow from the icon, fill our souls, even if we fall into insensibility for the sake of sin. Awaken our spiritual sleep, so that we may not perish violently without repentance, and receive us into eternal shelter, Mother of God, and, rejoicing, we sing to God, who saves us through You: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing the miracles revealed by Your icon, the Mother of Christ our God, and falling to her, we pray to You, Lady: be our protection on the day of our death, when the imams appear for judgment before the terrible throne of the glory of Your Son, our Lord, and cry out to You:
Rejoice, thou who deliverest those who trust in Thee from the power of the cruel ruler of the world; Rejoice, you who avert the wrath of God from the Orthodox race.
Rejoice, you who give a good Christian death to those who please You; Rejoice, you who glorify Thee in aerial ordeals, intervening.
Rejoice, zealous intercessor of the Orthodox family and strong hope of its eternal salvation; Rejoice, opening the doors of heaven to the Orthodox race, ever blessed by You.
Rejoice, Lady, who shows us Your mercy and intercession.
Kontakion 13
Oh, All-Singing Mother of Christ our God! Mercifully accept this prayer of ours, offered before Your icon, and at the hour of death, the Most Pure One Herself appears to us, extending a helping hand, driving away the spirits of malice, seeking to devour our souls during separation from the body, and beg the ever-worshipped Trinity to deliver us from eternal torment, and through intercession Through yours we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and together with the saints we will be worthy to sing to God: Alleluia.
This kontakion is read three times, then the 1st ikos “There are many angels...” and the 1st kontakion “To the chosen Voivode...”.
Prayer
Oh, Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, wondrous Queen of heaven and earth! Listen to the much-painful sighing of our hearts; Look down from Thy holy height upon us, standing with faith and love before Thy miraculous icon and praying to Thee, O Lady, with tenderness! Do not betray the Orthodox Church to disparagement, help us, Most Holy Theotokos, to preserve the patristic Orthodox faith immaculately until the end of our days, to walk unswervingly in all the commandments of the Lord and deliver us from destructive, soul-harming teachings.
We trust in Your mercy, O wondrous Queen of heaven and earth, Thy servants: cleanse our minds from sinful thoughts, mental relaxation, overwhelming passions, from temptations, seductions and falls; You are, O Lady, a strong refuge for repentant sinners. Raise us from the depths of sin and water our withered hearts with true repentance, enlighten our heartfelt eyes to the vision of salvation and guide those seduced by demonic delusion onto the right path; Destroy every evil and godly deed, teach and promote every good and godly deed; put, O Lady, into our hearts the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of piety, the spirit of meekness, humility, patience, gentleness; soften our evil hearts and do evil good things, send us zeal for the salvation of our neighbors.
Enlighten and teach us, O All-Merciful Intercessor, how to walk sinlessly along the path of this earthly life, for You, Most Holy One, weigh our faith and see our hope, Lady of the world! Comfort those who mourn, help those in need; protect from lightning thunder, harmful winds, severe diseases, deadly plagues, internecine warfare, and invasions of foreign enemies.
Holy Mother of God! Delivered from sudden and violent death; Grant us all a conversion to the true path and a Christian end to our lives, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a participant in the Holy Mysteries. During our exodus, appear to us, O Virgin Mother of God, and deliver us from the power of demons, airy bitter ordeals and eternal fire. To those who died a sudden death, beg the mercy of Thy Son, and for all those who have died who have no relatives, begging for the repose of Thy Son, be a constant and warm prayer and intercessor. Having ceased in faith and repentance from this temporary life, our fathers, brothers and sisters are granted by Your intercession to dwell in the heavenly abodes with the angels and with all the saints, where the voices of those celebrating and joyfully glorifying the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do not cease, now and ever and ever. Amen.
Characteristics of the image
On the old antique icon of the Kaluga Mother of God, a woman is clearly visible, whose outfit indicates that she is a nun. Glittering gems can be seen at the ends of the sleeves of her dark robe.
Despite the high value of this shrine, which has important significance for all believers, nevertheless, its primary original image was lost many years ago. According to historical data, already from the beginning of the 20th century, only exact lists of the Kaluga icon were used in churches. The reason for the disappearance of the original image could be precious stones and vestments made of silver that decorated the clothes of the Virgin Mary.
Miracle healings
Soon miracles began to happen. The house servant Prokhor, who had suffered from deafness for a very long time, was healed. In a dream, he saw the Most Holy One three times, who ordered him to pray with zeal in front of Her icon. Prokhor did so, and then fell asleep completely and slept for two days. When he woke up, he discovered that he had received healing.
One landowner had an only daughter who one day became seriously ill. At night, the girl saw the Most Pure One herself, who told her to pray in front of the icon, and then healing would come. The girl, waking up, told her parents everything, and then they all began to pray together, and recovery came.
After such miraculous events, the icon of the Mother of God was transferred to the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (Kaluzhka village).
How does the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God help?
Since ancient times, this icon has been the patroness of Kaluga lands, repeatedly helping to preserve and protect Russian lands. This is evidenced by grandiose battles in which many victories were won. These include, first of all, the Patriotic War of 1812. In addition, the constant prayer of local residents before the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” in Kaluga helped in 1771 to forever save people from the plague and cholera epidemic.
The unique miraculous power of the icon is important for people who need urgent help.
It helps to cope with the following life adversities:
- bodily injury that poses a danger;
- with diseases affecting hearing;
- physical and mental disorders.
