The history of the Kursk root icon of the Mother of God and how it helps, texts of prayers

Origin story

People who turn to the holy icon for help must first understand the history of its origin.

Appearance of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The appearance of the Kursk image of the Mother of God is described in detail in the story, which is devoted to this topic:

“In 6803 from the creation of the world, and from the Nativity of Christ in 1295, September 8 (Old Art.), it happened that one pious man came for the sake of his profit to the forest that overgrown the surroundings of Kursk, after its devastation, and according to God’s providence he saw near the Tuskari River in a semi-mountain, at the root of a large tree, an icon lying prostrate, which he had only just lifted from the ground, when a source of water immediately flowed from that place, seeing this, the man placed the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, which he had honestly found, in the hollow of that tree, and then he himself announced this glorious miracle to his comrades, who, agreeing among themselves, built a chapel several fathoms higher than the mentioned place and, having placed a miraculous Icon in it, returned home in peace.”

Praise

The appearance of the Kursk Icon is considered quite unusual, as it is associated with a miracle. It was thanks to this that information about the miraculous image quickly became known in the neighboring town of Rylsk and the villages that are located not far from it. People from the immediate surroundings flocked to Kursk to see the holy icon with their own eyes. They turned to her for help to help them heal and cope with other sorrows in life.

Over time, the local image of the Mother of God began to be more glorified, due to which the number of visitors to Kursk increased significantly.

Miraculous indication of the location of the shrine

Having learned about the miraculous properties of the image, Vasily Shemyaka, who is the prince of Rylsk, decided to move it to Rylsk. In this town, residents solemnly greeted the icon; many went out into the street to look at it. However, Prince Shemyaka himself decided not to participate in the celebration and therefore refused to personally accept the icon. The prince paid for this with his health, since after this he developed blindness. Shemyaka eventually admitted his guilt and completely repented. He prayed before the image of the Mother of God, for which he was rewarded with healing.

After the return of vision, a shrine was built on the territory of the city in which the face of the Virgin Mary was kept.

Visit to the capital

The icon came to Moscow for the first time in 1597 during the reign of Theodore Ioanovich. He heard many stories about the miracles of the image of the Mother of God and decided that it must be immediately transported to the capital. The then Patriarch Job was invited to meet the face of the Mother of God along with the local boyars. During the meeting, there were many people on the streets of the city who wanted to venerate the Mother of God.

It was during a visit to the capital, by order of the patriarch, that the upper part of the icon depicted Hosts, from whose depths the Holy Spirit emanated. On the remaining free parts of the canvas, Old Testament vices were depicted, in whose hands there were scrolls with holy scripture.

Time of Troubles

In the history of the Kursk icon of the Mother of God there are also troubled times that occurred long before the visit to the capital - in 1383. It was during this period of time that Kursk and the surrounding territories were attacked by the Tatars. On their way, they met a chapel in which Priest Bogolyub was located along with the face of the Mother of God. Seeing the image of the saint, the Tatars cut it into two parts, after which they burned the chapel.

Over time, Bogolyub was redeemed from captivity by Moscow ambassadors, after which Priest returned to the burned chapel. Here he found a split image of the Virgin Mary. He put the broken pieces together, after which they grew firmly together. Having learned about this miracle, local residents began to pray to the face of the Mother of God and began to restore the chapel.

Parting with Russia

In the early twenties of the last century, the face of the Holy Mother of God was taken from the territory of Crimea to Yugoslavia. She was transported to the Jazak monastery, which is located on the top of Fruška Mountain. Here, local authorities have allocated a separate room for residents who are the guardians of the image. In the mid-twenties, the Trinity Church was built in Belgrade, to which the icon was transported. From here she was repeatedly taken to other European countries for various church events.

In the forties, before the start of the war, the saint’s face was repeatedly used to conduct religious processions from the Belgrade monastery to the temple located in Hopova.

Symbol of Russian diaspora

This icon is considered a real symbol of the Russian diaspora, since it spent a quarter of the last century abroad. It was often used in various church events. For example, the miraculous image of the Mother of God was taken to every meeting of the first Foreign Council, which took place in 21 of the last century. He was also taken to each of the bishops' councils that were held at that time.

The face of the Mother of God was also present at the Second Foreign Council, which took place in the late summer of 1938. There were delegates from South America, Europe and all the countries of the Far East.

Return

The Kursk Icon of the Mother of God has not been on Russian territory for a long time. Many attribute this to the fact that the Russian Church Abroad was split with the Russian Orthodox Church for a long time. However, in 2009 this division was ended, and therefore the face of the saint was returned to Russian territory. Not only clergy from Russia, but also from America took part in the process of transferring the holy image. The relic was transferred from hand to hand by Metropolitan Hilarion to Metropolitan Juvenal.

For many clergy and ordinary believers, the return of the image to their homeland is an important historical event, which testifies to the return of the image of Holy Rus'.

Where is the image now?

Currently, the image of the Holy Mother of God is in Russia, but despite this, it is regularly exported to other countries. For example, every year she is taken to parishes held by the Canadian and North American dioceses. When the millennium since the baptism of Kievan Rus was celebrated, the shrine was transported to parishes located in Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Chile.

History of the icon

The discovery of the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” took place in ancient times, in 1295; even the day is known - September 8 according to the old style. At that time, Kursk was completely devastated by the Mongol-Tatar invasion, and its surroundings were overgrown with forests, in which residents of nearby villages obtained their food.

On September 8, one such hunter discovered an icon under a tree, and when he picked it up, a spring of pure water flowed from this place

The pious peasant hid the icon in a hollow tree, and then, together with his comrades, built a chapel in this place, where he placed the icon.
The miraculous appearance of the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God soon became widely known, and pilgrims flocked to the chapel, hoping for healing from illnesses and consolation in the hardships of life. Healings actually occurred, which further glorified the Kursk Icon.

During a new Tatar raid, the chapel was burned, the priest who served in it was captured, and the icon was cut in half and thrown. A few years later, Russian merchants ransomed the priest from captivity, and he immediately went to the burned chapel in search of the remains of the icon.

Imagine his amazement when, having found both parts, he put them together, and they grew together without the slightest trace!

After the news of this new miracle, the icon was placed in the Kursk Church of the Mother of God.

Subsequently, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God performed a miraculous healing of the boy who was destined to become the great saint of the Russian land - Seraphim of Sarov. Another miracle happened in 1898, when a group of young terrorists planted a bomb directly under the icon. The cathedral was rocked by a powerful explosion. Fortunately, this happened at night, so no people were injured, but everything inside the temple was destroyed, and the glass on the icon was only cracked. Half a century later, one of the terrorists who carried out the explosion said that it was then that he believed in God.

Iconography

The Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign has iconographic features that must be familiarized with in advance. This image belongs to the popular iconographic variety of Orant. On the territory of Rus', the phrase “Unbreakable Wall” was left on these images. The main distinguishing feature of Oranta from other types is considered to be its monumentality and majesty. The Mother of God is shown in a special pose, which from the outside seems static. The saint is depicted against the backdrop of deserts. This tradition is often used to create mosaics and wall paintings.

Description of the icon “The Sign”

On the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God She is depicted in the center with her hands raised in a prayer gesture.

According to the iconographic type, such iconographic images of the Mother of God belong to one of the most ancient images - Oranta (Praying), personifying the Intercessor of the world

In Her womb is the image of the Baby Jesus, the future Savior. At the top is the Lord of hosts with the Holy Spirit enclosed in Him in the form of a dove and with fingers folded for blessing.

A special feature of the icon is that the image of the Mother of God is surrounded by Old Testament prophets with scrolls in their hands, each of whom at different times predicted the coming of the Messiah from the house of David: on the right - King Solomon, Daniel, Jeremiah and Elijah; on the left are King David, Moses, Isaiah and Gideon; Below is the prophet Habakkuk. They all testified that the miraculous sign given by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah was true. This is the meaning of the icon.

Meaning in Orthodoxy

The holy face is highly valued by Orthodox people, as it helps to cope with various problems. The miraculous icon will help believers:

• cope with infertility;
• heal from many diseases;
• solve financial problems;
• To find a job;
• protect yourself from envious people and ill-wishers.

Days of celebration

The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God has several days of veneration, which every Orthodox believer should know. Significant dates include the following:

• 21 March. This is an important day, since it was on this date that the image of the Virgin Mary was saved from the Bolsheviks.
• September 21. This is also an important date, since the acquisition of the image took place at the end of September.
• December 10. This is the date of the celebration of the icon of the Sign.
• The ninth Friday after the end of Easter. On this day, the consecration of the Temple of Our Lady, which is located in the Root Hermitage, is celebrated.

When they pray to the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God “Root”

Any Christian believer can pray to the Most Pure Virgin: the Mother of God loves the human race as if she were Her children, therefore she is always ready to support a person who finds himself in a difficult life situation.

Most often, people pray to the miraculous image of the “Sign” in the following cases:

• pregnant women ask the Mother of God for health to the baby and help during childbirth;
• barren spouses ask for the gift of a desired child;
• husband and wife can together ask the Mother of God to grant peace and mutual understanding to their marital union;
• near the “Sign” icon they pray for healing from serious illnesses.

Examples of miracles

There are several miracles that are associated with the face of the saint:

1. Protection of the Mother of God. The incident happened at the beginning of the fourteenth century. A man whose name was Mamota was fleeing a crowd of Tatars and climbed a tree located not far from the chapel. The enemies were quickly approaching and suddenly Mamota was covered with some kind of shadow, thanks to which the Tatars did not notice him.
2. Help for warriors. The face of the saint was repeatedly used to help soldiers. In the 17th century, it was passed on to the Don Cossacks to maintain morale. In the year 12 of the 19th century, the icon was handed over to the army that fought Napoleon. It was thanks to Our Lady that they managed to defeat the conqueror.

Other Kursk news for this day

1 July 2022, 20:29

In Kursk, at the PLC, a man showed his genitals to children

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Lyrics

Before you pray to the Kursk icon, you need to familiarize yourself with examples of texts.

Prayer

There are two common prayers that are read to the face of the Virgin Mary.

Resolving a Difficult Situation

“Oh Queen of Heaven! Who will count the great multitude of Your miracles, who will count the cries of prayerful petitions, streams of touched tears, grateful sighs shed before Your icon. For all of it is covered in the sorrow of the people, the tears of the oppressed and the joyful praise of the consoled. The people who suffered the Hagaryan yoke fell to her, crying out to Moscow in times of troubles, calling out Kursk to the enemy invasion. The whole region cried out during the days of deadly illnesses and troubles, and you turned all sorrow into joy. In the same way, bless the Russian land now. Save our country from sin, destruction and temptation. Pour grace on agricultural labor and on every good social undertaking. Remember, O Most Holy Virgin, by the name of all those present and praying, and all the people who demand Your consolation, help and mercy. You weigh the secret of our hearts. Likewise, fulfill their requests to everyone according to their needs. Turn more of the lost to repentance, and make us all wise with the light of Gospel love and good deeds. Show the archpastors and shepherds and all the faithful in Orthodoxy steadfast until death, rule them into the Kingdom of Heaven, and make them live with Christ forever and ever. Amen".

Cleansing the soul from negativity

“Our most blessed Queen, our hope to the Mother of God, friend of the orphans and strange intercessors, those who grieve with joy, those who are offended by the patroness! See our misfortune, see our sorrow; help us as we are weak, feed us as we are strange. Weigh our offense, resolve it, as you will, deliver our fatherland, the suffering Russian land from the cruel atheists of the situation, save and preserve Your servants (name) and all of us present and praying here, and cover us from all evil with Your honest omophorion, like There are no other imams of help except You, no other intercessors, no good comforters, except You, O Mother of God, for you will preserve us and cover us forever and ever. Amen".

Akathist

“To the chosen Voivode and the good Hodegetria, who guides us to the Heavenly City, come, let us all fall down, those who do not have the city that dwells here, asking for the all-powerful intercession, miracles, from the ancient years even to this day from Her icon, in remembrance, let us cry out loudly: Rejoice, Lady , the signs of Your mercy ever showing to the world.”

Troparion

“Like an insurmountable wall and a source of miracles, which Your servants, Most Pure Mother of God, have acquired for You, we overthrow the resistant militia. We also pray to You, grant peace to Your city and great mercy to our souls.”

Kontakion

“Thy people celebrate the sign of Thy honorable sign, O Mother of God, to whom Thou hast bestowed a wondrous victory against Thy city of resistance, and with the same faith we cry to Thee: Rejoice, O Virgin, praise to Christians.”

Greatness

“We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your honest image, to which You showed a glorious sign.”

Our Lady of the Sign Kursk-Root

Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “Znamenie” (Znamenie Root-Kurskaya), the most revered icon in the Russian Church Abroad, which received the name Hodegetria of the Russian Diaspora .

Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”

This icon depicts the Most Holy Theotokos sitting and raising Her hands in prayer; on her chest, against the background of a round shield (or sphere) is the blessing Divine Infant - Savior-Emmanuel. This image of the Mother of God is one of Her very first iconographic images.

In the tomb of St. Agnes in Rome there is an image of the Mother of God with her arms outstretched in prayer and with the Child sitting on Her lap. This image dates back to the 4th century.

In addition, the ancient Byzantine image of the Mother of God “Nicopeia”, 6th century, is known, where the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted sitting on a throne and holding in front of her with both hands an oval shield with the image of the Savior Emmanuel.

Icons of the Mother of God, known under the name “The Sign,” appeared in Rus' in the 11th - 12th centuries, and they began to be called that after the miraculous sign from the Novgorod icon, which happened in 1170. This year, the united forces of the Russian appanage princes, led by the son of the Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, approached the walls of Veliky Novgorod. The Novgorodians prayed, asking the Lord not to abandon them.

On the third night, Archbishop Elijah of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice commanding him to take the image of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilinaya Street and take it to the city wall.

When the icon was being carried, the enemies fired a cloud of arrows into the religious procession, and one of them pierced the iconographic face of the Mother of God. Tears flowed from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face to the city. After such a Divine sign, the enemies were suddenly attacked by inexplicable horror, they began to beat each other, and the Novgorodians, encouraged by the Lord, fearlessly rushed into battle and won.

In memory of the miraculous intercession of the Queen of Heaven, Archbishop Elijah then established a holiday in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God, which the entire Russian Church still celebrates to this day.

Numerous copies of the Icon of the Sign are known throughout Russia. Many of them shone with miracles in local churches and were named after the place where miracles occurred.

The Holy Icon of the Mother of God of Kursk Root “The Sign” almost annually visits all parishes of the North American and Canadian dioceses.

In the anniversary year of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus', the shrine visited our flock in Australia, as well as parishes in Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Further, in 1993, the icon was in France, in Lesna, where the Council of Bishops took place, after which the icon visited the German diocese. In November 1993, Metropolitan Vitaly visited the Australian diocese with the Miraculous Icon. The icon visited almost all the parishes of this diocese.

Many prayers were offered and tears were shed before the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God; immeasurable joy, consolation and miraculous help from the Queen of Heaven, pouring out through Her miraculous image.

Russian people abroad found themselves scattered throughout all countries of the world, and in order to preserve the Church Abroad, it was necessary to maintain spiritual and social unity among themselves. The soul and symbol of this unity became our all-abroad shrine, the Hodegetria of the Russian Diaspora - the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”.

And in our troubled times, we will pray to the Most Holy Theotokos - may She preserve Her house from enemies visible and invisible; may the Sign of God’s promises be immutable, and may holy Rus' arise in all its spiritual greatness. The fate of not only Russia, but the whole world depends on this.

The miraculous icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” of Kursk-Root last stayed on Russian soil on September 14, 1920 in Crimea, among the troops fighting against the Bolsheviks. Having left Russia in 1920, the holy icon became the “Hodegetria” (Guide) of the Russian Diaspora, inseparably staying with all the first hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad. Now she resides in one of the temples of the New Root Hermitage near New York (USA). And in the Russian Kursk Znamensky Cathedral there is a copy of the miraculous image.

Kursk icon “The Sign” of the Mother of God. Story

One of the most remarkable and ancient icons of Orthodox Russia is the Kursk Icon “The Sign” of the Mother of God . The history of this icon is very instructive and is filled with so many blessed signs and wonders that it evokes involuntary reverence for the wondrous shrine.

Our Lady of the Sign Kursk-Root

In the 13th century, during the Tatar pogrom, when almost all of Rus' lay in ruins, the Kursk region also did not escape the fate of other Russian cities: it all fell into complete desolation, and its main city of Kursk, devastated by the hordes of Batu, turned into a wild, a deserted place overgrown with dense forest and inhabited by wild animals.

Residents of the city of Rylsk, which survived the pogrom, often went here hunting to catch animals. This is what “The Tale of the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Most Pure Mother of God, its honorable and glorious sign, which is called Kursk, and about the conception of the city of Kursk” tells us about the discovery of the icon:

“In 6803 from the creation of the world, and from the Nativity of Christ in 1295, September 8 (Old Art.), it happened that one pious man came for the sake of his profit to the forest that overgrown the surroundings of Kursk, after its devastation, and according to God’s providence he saw near the Tuskari River in a semi-mountain, at the root of a large tree, an icon lying prostrate, which he had only just lifted from the ground, when a source of water immediately flowed from that place, seeing this, the man placed the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, which he had honestly found, in the hollow of that tree, and then he himself announced this glorious miracle to his comrades, who, agreeing among themselves, built a chapel several fathoms higher than the mentioned place and, having placed a miraculous Icon in it, returned home in peace.”

Such an unusual appearance of the icon, combined with a miracle, soon became famous in the neighboring city of Rylsk and its environs. From here, pious residents rushed to worship the new shrine in the hope of receiving healing and consolation from it in their sorrows, which over time became more and more glorified by miracles.

Having learned about this, Prince Vasily Shemyaka of Rylsk ordered it to be moved to Rylsk. The icon was solemnly greeted by all the residents who came out of the city to meet the icon. Only one prince of Shemyaka avoided this celebration. For this, on the day the icon arrived in Rylsk, he was punished with blindness. The prince realized his guilt, repented and, having performed fervent prayer before the holy icon, received healing. Touched by this miracle, Shemyaka built a church in Rylsk in the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A miraculous icon was placed in this temple, and on the day of its appearance, September 8, its annual celebration was established.

But the icon did not stay here for long: miraculously it was transported from the temple and returned to the place of its appearance, on the bank of the Tuskar River. Residents of Rylsk repeatedly took it from here and placed it in Rylsk, but each time it inexplicably returned to its original place. Then they realized that the Mother of God favored the place where her icon appeared, and they left it here in the chapel.

Numerous pilgrims flocked here to worship the shrine, from which miracles abounded. Prayers for the pilgrims were performed by one pious priest nicknamed Bogolyub, who voluntarily, out of special zeal and reverence for the Mother of God, came here and lived here, especially on the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, practicing asceticism.

In 1383, the Kursk land was subjected to new plunder by the Tatars. The Tatars, encountering a chapel on their way, took the priest prisoner, and decided to burn the chapel. But the chapel, despite all efforts, did not catch fire, although they surrounded it with brushwood. The superstitious barbarians attacked Bogolyub, suspecting him of magic, which they used to explain their failure.

The pious priest denounced their foolishness and pointed to the icon of the Mother of God located in the chapel. The embittered Tatars grabbed the holy icon, cut it into two parts and threw them in different directions, and burned the chapel. Priest Bogolyub was taken into captivity.

In captivity of the infidels, the pious elder retained his Christian faith: despite the admonitions of the Tatars to accept their religion, he remained adamant, placing all his hope in the Most Holy Theotokos. And this hope did not deceive him.

One day he was tending sheep and delighting himself in severe captivity by singing church prayers and hymns in honor of the Mother of God. The ambassadors of the Moscow Tsar, who were passing to the khan, heard this singing, recognized the old shepherd as a Russian priest and ransomed him from captivity.

Bogolyub returned to his fatherland and settled again in his former place, where there was a chapel with an icon. Here he soon found parts of the miraculous icon split by the Tatars, put them together, and they immediately grew together so tightly that no trace of this damage remained; Only in the place where the icon was split did “like dew” appear. The residents of Rylsk, having learned about this miracle, glorified God and His Most Pure Mother.

Having renovated the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, built by Shemyaka, the residents of Rylsk again tried to move the holy icon here, but the latter again miraculously returned to the place of its appearance. Then a new chapel was built here, in which the “Sign” icon remained for about 200 years, constantly exuding miracles.

Numerous copies of the Icon of the Sign are known throughout Russia. Many of them shone with miracles in local churches and were named after the place where miracles occurred. Such lists of the icon of the Sign include the icons of Dionysius-Glushitskaya, Abalatskaya, Kursk, Seraphim-Ponetaevskaya and others.

In July 1966, Archbishop John of Shanghai (Maximovich) of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (Feast Day: June 19, 2010/July 2, 2010) visited the St. Nicholas parish in Seattle with the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. On July 2, while praying before this icon in his cell, he died.

The original of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Kursk-Root is located in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in New York, USA.

Celebration days:

• March 8 (March 21) - in memory of the rescue of the icon from the atheist revolutionaries who tried to blow up the icon in the Kursk Cathedral in 1898;
• The 9th Friday after Easter is the annual religious procession with the icon from the Kursk Znamensky Monastery to the Root Hermitage.
• September 8 (September 21) - in memory of the discovery of the icon in 1295 on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
• November 27 ( December 10 ) is the feast of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”.

Our Lady of the Sign

ICON OF THE HOLY VIRGIN “THE SIGN” Troparion, tone 4

As an insurmountable wall and a source of miracles / which You, Thy servants, / have acquired, / the Most Pure Mother of God, / we overthrow the resistant militias. / In the same way we pray to Thee: / grant peace to Thy city / and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4

The honorable image of Thy sign / Thy people celebrating, O Mother of God, / to whom Thou hast bestowed a wondrous victory against Thy city, / in the same way we cry to Thee by faith: / Rejoice, O Virgin, praise to Christians.

Greatness

It is worthy to eat the blessedness of Thee, / the Virgin Mother of God, / the most honorable Cherub, / and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim. Or: Let us offer every spiritual song to the Mother of God.

Foreign greatness

We magnify You, / Most Holy Virgin, / God’s chosen Youth, / and honor Your holy image, / to which You have granted a wondrous victory against the resistance / to Your city.

Foreign greatness

We magnify You, / Most Holy Virgin, / and honor Your honest image, / to which You showed / a glorious sign.

Other greatness, like in Velikiy Novegrad

We magnify You, / Most Holy Virgin, / and honor Your honest image, / which has granted victory over our enemies / to our city.

Prayer

Offering our queen, our hope, the Mother of God. A haven for the orphaned and strange representatives, those who grieve with joy, those who are offended by the patroness; see our misfortune, see our sorrow. Help us as we are weak, feed us as we are strange. Weigh our grievances, resolve them like volitions. For there are no other imams who can help you, no other intercessor, no good comforter, except You, O Mother of God, for you will preserve us and cover us forever and ever. Amen.

Painting by Ilya Repin (1883) Procession in the Kursk province. Canvas, oil. 175 × 280 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “Znamenie” (Znamenie Root-Kurskaya), the most revered icon in the Russian Church Abroad, which received the name Hodegetria of the Russian Diaspora"