On the island of Kefalonia, located in Greece, for many centuries there has been a tradition of bringing white lilies to Church on the Annunciation. They were presented by the Archangel Gabriel to the Mother of God, informing her that She was destined to become the mother of the Savior. Confused, the Girl accepted the flowers and since then the lily has become the personification of innocence and purity. In memory of this phenomenon, Christians place it on an icon case in front of the icon. They haven't been cleaned for five months. On the Feast of the Assumption, a miracle occurs every year - the dry stems are filled with juice and new buds appear, which bloom, filling the temple with fragrance.
Description of the image “Fading Color”
The original was lost, so the image was restored using numerous saved scrolls.
As a rule, the Mother of God is depicted in red or blue clothes, decorated with ribbons. In one hand She holds a lily branch with blossoming lilies, in the other she supports the Baby. The Synod allows the following image options:
- Jesus can be on either the right or left hand of the Virgin Mary.
- Flowers can be of different varieties, splendor and shade.
- The head of the Virgin Mary may be decorated with a crown, it may be covered with a veil, or it may not be covered at all.
- Christ is depicted as a youth with a crown on his head and in rich clothes, or as a baby. In His hands He holds an orb or a scroll.
It is believed that the more ancient and older the image, the more carefully the details are drawn. The plot can be supplemented with flower garlands and the image of a throne. In some lists, the image may contain apostles.
The history of the appearance of the image “Fadeless Color”
The icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” appeared in Constantinople in the 18th century.
The reason for painting the icon is considered to be the Canon of Thanksgiving of the hymn writer Joseph. It contains the words “this unfading color.” In the canon they are dedicated to Jesus, and in the icon they are addressed to the Mother of God. It is believed that the prototype of the icon is an engraving from the Venetian Gospel called “New Treasury”. It depicts the Mother of God standing at full height on a crescent. Four roses crown the head of Jesus. “Unfading Color” is one of the most revered images of the Mother of God. There are several options for depicting this icon. The unifying symbol is the lily flower.
Flowers can be placed on staffs, a pedestal on which the Virgin and Child sits, or in the form of garlands. Often the Mother of God is dressed in luxurious clothes with gilding.
There are many legends and myths associated with the icon. It was believed that the name of the image came from the Mother of God flower growing on Mount Athos. There is a well-known story that a miracle of healing occurred from the “immortal” flower of the Virgin Mary. This event, combined with the stories of pilgrims to Athos, became the reason for the birth of the legend.
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ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “UNFADING COLOR”
(“FRAGRANT COLOR”) In the period from April 3 to April 16 (this date is indicated differently in different Orthodox calendars), the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the days of veneration of the icon of the Mother of God, called, according to some theologians, “The Unfading Flower,” and, according to others "Fragrant color."
On the “Unfading Flower” icon itself and its numerous copies, the Most Holy Theotokos holds Her Divine Son on her right hand, and in Her left hand is a white lily flower. This flower symbolically marks the unfading color of virginity and purity of the Most Pure Virgin, to Whom the Holy Church addresses itself: “You are the Root of virginity and the Unfading Flower of purity.” Here you can read in various Orthodox calendars that, unfortunately, “the time of appearance of this image in Russia is unknown. And that “the name “Unfading Color” is associated with chants dedicated to the Mother of God. Some lists show roses or other flowers instead of lilies. Lists of the “Unfading Flower” (“Fragrant Flower”) icon became famous in Moscow, Voronezh and other places of the Russian Church. When clarifying the question of the origin of the “Unfading Color” icon, if one is guided only by the data of Orthodox websites or books like “Orthodox calendar for...”, then the following picture emerges. 1. They claim that the origin of the “Unfading Flower” icon is connected with Athos: immortal flowers, considered a symbol of purity, grew on the slopes of the Holy Mountain. But then why do the vast majority of icons belonging to the type under study depict lilies? 2. The appearance of the icon itself in the Moscow kingdom dates back to the 17th – 18th centuries. And the icon obviously got there through pilgrims. It has also been established that the most ancient image belonging to the type of icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” mentioned in historical documents dates back to the 18th century and that it was located, appears in the Moscow St. Alexis Monastery, which stood on the site of the later built Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This image itself has not been preserved, but numerous copies of it - “lists” - have remained. It must also be said that the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” is, in its type, a further development of traditional “Greek writing”, in comparison with the traditional Byzantine canons of icon painting. Therefore, due to the extreme conservatism and dogmatism of the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian icon painters turned to this image relatively rarely. But they still appealed because, from an artistic point of view, this icon stood out from the background of other icons of the Mother of God with its attractiveness.
In front of the “Unfading Color” icon, believers pray, first of all, to preserve themselves in purity and righteousness, as well as for admonition when choosing a future spouse. It is important to note here that if the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God became the patroness of family and marriage, then this is like a premarital standard! A wonderful religious poem, the author of which is unknown, is dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color”. “Let them gloat over me in hell, And let the heat of Gehenna burn the soul. I will fall to Your Holy Icon, My Most Blessed Virgin! O Flower of indescribable purity! My soul cries out to You with a groan: My Intercessor, if You were not there, Who else would the unworthy resort to? My faithful Angel, standing far away, Grieves and cries for my wickedness. Do not push me away, my Lady, when I go, poor, through the ordeal. Oh, how will I appear before the Judge? (Freeze, soul, sobbing in advance) Oh, Virgin, be my support, Before Him my last Justification. Cry, soul, while there is time, I don’t know where the lies come from, where the evil comes from. I am ready to die for the cross for Your Son, and I myself, the accursed one, crucify him. My Queen, my joy, Although You do not condemn me by instructing me, And may I have hell. And from Gehenna I will bless You, O Most Holy One. In all these cases, the Mother of God “Unfading Color” helps to gain spiritual strength to overcome trials, continue life, and fulfill Christian duty. This is where the compilers of Orthodox calendars usually end the description of this icon. But there was one historian, L.P. Tarasenko, who in his work “ICONS OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “UNFADING COLOR” IN RUSSIA” Published in the collection “Filyov Readings”. Issue X. Moscow, 2003.- P.400-413 went further and, as it were, put all the dots on this issue. Here is what L. Tarasenko writes: “One of the little-known icons is the iconography of Our Lady of Unfading Color.” The icons of the Mother of God, called “The Unfading Color,” differ from each other in iconography, and the few that became famous in Russia have a different history. The study of this type of iconography was undertaken by the Greek researcher D. Pallas.
He described the “Our Lady of Unfading Color” icons as worshipful and festive, associated with the service of the Akathist to the Mother of God and appearing no earlier than the end of the 17th century. Until this time, despite the development of the akathist cycle, there were no special icons for the Akathist service, in his opinion, and initially the service was held in front of the icons of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”, “Tenderness”, “Mammal”. The researcher considers Constantinople to be the place of origin and development of this type of icons, from where they spread throughout the Greek lands and were especially popular in Thessalonica. D. Pallas also about the Mother of God and Child”, in which Christ also holds a flower, is marked by another important detail that will become characteristic of the iconography of the “Unfading Color” - royal crowns are depicted on the heads of the Mother of God and Christ. The appearance of these details, which are not typical for Orthodox iconography, was influenced by Western iconography, which has long made abundant use of various attributes and symbols, in particular, flowers and royal crowns.
The use of flowers was sanctified by the Orthodox hymnographic tradition, in which both Christ and the Mother of God are likened to the “Unfading Flower.” An important role in the formation of the “Unfading Color” was played by the iconography of the “Praise of Our Lady”, which appeared at the end of the 14th century, in which the prophets, giving praise to Mary seated on the throne, hand Her scrolls with the texts of their prophecies, with transformative symbols depicted next to each of them Mary: closed gates, tablets of the Covenant, ladder, flowering rod, fleece, burning bush, ark, pincers, star and mountain. In Greek icon painting of the 18th century, there are known images of the Mother of God with the Child on the throne, in which the Mother of God holds a flourishing rod in her hand, Mary and Christ have crowns on their heads, and around are prophets with the texts of prophecies on scrolls. This is “Praise of the Mother of God” with certain features already characteristic of “Unfading Color”. Thus, the themes “Akathist to the Mother of God” and “Praise” are intertwined in the icons and, as a result, new versions of traditional iconographies are created. In the 16th-17th centuries, the process of creating new iconographies often followed the path of literal illustration of hymnographic works, individual epithets or lines from services and texts dating back to the Old Testament. Icons of the Mother of God “Mount Not Hand-Cut”, “Impenetrable Door”, “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, “Prisoned Helicopter City” and others appear. “Our Lady of Unfading Color,” rich in symbols and similes, stands in the same row. The oldest and most revered Russian icon of the Mother of God “The Unfading Flower” became famous in the Moscow Alekseevsky nunnery. Its first mention dates back to 1757, but most likely it was there before. The icon of the Alekseevsky Monastery had complex iconography: In the foreground of the icon was a throne with a jug and a flower branch; to the left (from the Mother of God) is the Infant of God in full height, barefoot, with his right hand He leans on the left shoulder of the Mother of God, in His left hand is a scepter; The head of the Mother of God is bowed towards the Child, on Her head, not covered with maforia, there is a crown, in her right hand there is a branch entwined with a ribbon with the inscription: “Unfading Flower! The celebration of this image took place on April 3. The Infant Christ is represented standing on a throne, in some icons covered with a veil with the Calvary cross.
The throne forms a single compositional whole with the knees of Mary, which provides a literal illustration of the words of the “Canon” of Joseph the Songwriter, in which the Mother of God is called the “Fiery Throne of the Almighty”, the “Animated Table”. The palaces depicted on the sides of Mary and Christ - for Joseph the Songwriter this is the “Chamber of all the King”, “the spacious Village of the Word” - recall the traditional understanding of Mary as the House of the Wisdom of God. Abundant flowers standing in flowerpots and “sprouting” from a rod crowned with a cross illustrate several hiretisms of the “Canon”, which became the main theme of this iconography: But the complex composition of the icon “Our Lady of the Unfading Flower” practically disappears over time. According to the legend recorded in the work of F. Lovtsov, the icon “Our Lady of the Unfading Flower” was brought from Athos to church parishioner Malevsky-Malevich in 1865 and was revered as miraculous. From this icon a copy was made for the Church of the Assumption in Mogiltsy. The iconography of the miraculous image was significantly different from the Alekseevskaya shrine, widely known by that time. According to Lovtsov’s description, in it Mary sits on a throne, with her right hand supporting the Baby standing on a flower that grows from under the feet of the Mother of God. The Baby has an orb in his right hand, his left hand is pressed to his chest. Mary has lilies in her right hand. Both of them are represented in royal crowns. Angels hold the crown over the Mother of God. The celebration of the icon took place on December 31. The exact iconographic analogy of this miraculous image is an icon of the first third of the 19th century from the Central Museum. Andrey Rublev. The model for icons of this type may have been either icons dating back to engravings or engravings themselves. In 1820, through the diligence of two Athonite hieromonks, Stefan and Neophytos (disciples of the famous encyclopedist monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain), an engraving was made by the Italian master Gianantonio Zugliani, and this was the second such image, the first dating back to the 18th century. The master was associated with the Greek community in Venice. Naturally, researchers noted the influence of the Italian style in the engraving. This engraving with catalog description was published in the Catalog of Orthodox Spiritual Engravings 1665-1899. D. Papastratou29.
Another miraculous icon of this iconography became famous in the Kadoma Monastery of the Theotokos of Mercy. It had its own characteristics, among which the main one was the half-figure of John the Baptist above the head of the Savior. The image of the Mother of God in this icon is half-length. The icon was brought from Georgia and then donated by the Bogdanov family to the monastery. The icon enjoyed special veneration among Seraphim of Sarov30. In the miraculous icon of the same name from the city of Kungur, the semi-figured image of the Mother of God seemed to rest on a garland of flowers. A similar icon, renewed, as follows from the inscription on it, by the famous master icon painter and restorer Ya. V. Tyulin in 1891, is in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery... The unusual iconography was of interest to local historians and historians of the 19th - early 20th centuries, who made attempts to find an explanation for the name icons. In the writings of some authors, the appearance of the iconography “Our Lady of the Unfading Flower” was associated with a miracle from the flower of the Mother of God, called “unfading.” But there is no mention of the miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” on Athos either in the works of the popular spiritual writer Svyatogorets, in which there are entire passages dedicated to the Mother of God flowers, or in numerous Russian publications dedicated to Athos shrines. In 1864, shortly before the icon of the Church of the Assumption on Mogiltsy appeared in Moscow, a miracle of healing from the Mother of God flower occurred, which is reported in detail in the “Tale of the Miracles of the Mother of God that Recently Performed on Holy Mount Athos” published by the Russian Panteleimon Monastery by the monk Meletia. This event, coupled with popular descriptions of pilgrims’ journeys to Athos, most likely served as the impetus for explaining the name of the icon in connection with the Mother of God’s unfading flowers and for the greater popularity of this iconography in the 19th century. So, the second half of the 17th century was marked by the appearance in Russia of a whole series of new icons of the Mother of God under the influence of post-Byzantine, which carried features of Catholic influence, and Western art itself. Sometimes artists created images that were completely uncharacteristic of Orthodox culture. More often, as in the case of “Our Lady of Unfading Color,” the Western European tradition is cleared of features that are clearly incompatible with Orthodoxy and a new iconography is created, which organically enters into Orthodox iconography, although the spirit of allegorism and scholasticism, characteristic of Western thinking, is preserved in it.” Nevertheless, the sac of the icon of the Mother of God is still revered and the largest church dedicated to her is being built in the Moscow region.
Here is information from the Orthodox website “Orthodoxy. Ru for 2008 “The ceremonial prayer service and the foundation stone of the Orthodox church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” took place in Rublevo on October 4 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'. The rite was performed by Bishop Ambrose of Bronnitsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese, in the co-service of the dean of the churches of the Mikhailovsky District, Archpriest Georgy Studenoy, the rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Trinity-Lykovo, Father Stefan, the rector of the Church of St. Righteous John the Russian, Father Andrei Smirnov, and clergy of the city of Moscow. The rector of the building under construction on the street. Vasily Botylev, owner 41 of the temple, priest Mikhail Grigoriev was appointed. The initiators of the construction 10 years ago were residents of the village of Rublevo, teams of enterprises and organizations, and the military. The temple will be erected in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower”, on which the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted holding her Divine Son on her right hand, and in her left hand is a white lily flower. It symbolically marks the unfading color of virginity and purity of the Most Pure Virgin, to whom the Holy Church addresses: “You are the Root of virginity and the Unfading Flower of purity.” Lists of this icon became famous in Moscow, Voronezh and other places. The building will be designed in the old Moscow style. The project was developed by the architect Nikolai Borisovich Vasnetsov, a descendant of the famous artist.” The icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” is revered today in Ukraine. “The temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” was consecrated. Today in the Vasilkovsky district of the Kyiv region, the temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” was consecrated. As an UNIAN correspondent reports, the opening of the temple is timed to coincide with the Feast of the Pokorov of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The consecration of the temple was led by the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine VLADIMIR (SABODAN).
Thanking everyone for their efforts in the field of reviving Orthodoxy, the Metropolitan presented a certificate of honor to the deputy of the Dnepropetrovsk regional council, the head of the agricultural sector, Vadim NESTERENKO, who sponsored the work on the improvement of the temple. V. NESTERENKO reported that the temple was founded and built in just five months - on the initiative of people's deputy Ivan KIRILENKO. Moreover, the place for the construction of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” was chosen in such a way that not a single tree was damaged. “For Orthodox Christians, the Temple of God is a place where every person has the opportunity to come into contact with God and receive his saving help, so I consider it very important today to help in the restoration of churches,” emphasized V. NESTERENKO.
According to him, “the rural worker has long had a reverent attitude towards God, and it would be wrong not to take this moment into account in order to achieve economic results, to change the psychology of the peasant. People respect and consider those who live by their interests and problems.” Therefore, unlike small farms, the large-scale enterprise “Orelskaya” took on the costs of social improvement of settlements located on the territory of 9 village councils, and also took care of the problem of helping local parishioners. “You can’t take money with you to the next world; it’s much more important to invest it in charitable deeds,” says V. NESTERENKO, on whose initiative several churches were built and reconstructed on the territory of the agricultural company.” Modern poets also like to address this topic. Here is one of the best poems for this, found on the website Stikhi.ru. Igor Gonokhov “The Icon of the Mother of God Unfading Color” In the sea of life, seething with anger, the Waters have opened up and abysses are visible. But the Ever-Maiden pacifies him - In Lily is the power of the Unbreakable Wall. Lily of Paradise, Mother of God, Rejoice, Unfading Flower! Meek one, you open your arms to everyone who is exhausted from hardships and troubles. You and the Guiding Star at midnight. You and the Cover of gracious love, the quietest pier, faithful help to People who lead ships to God. Protection of virginity, support of the family, Immaculate Mother of Christ. You and the monk in the silence of the retreat, You and the layman in the weekdays of fasting. Those who meekly carry the eternal Truth in the hearts of the Orthodox know You. You are the Dove, You are the pure Lily, Rejoice, Vessel chosen by God!
Brovko Vladimir
https://narodna.pravda.com.ua/history/49dd0c7f38628/
Series of messages “Icons”:
Icons
Part 1 — Icon of the Mother of GOD “Fading Color” Part 2 — ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “UNFADING COLOR” Part 3 — “Credendo vides” - “having believed, you will see” Artist Yuri Erosovich Kuznetsov. “Kuznetsov’s letter” Part 4 - Peace and joy to everyone on the bright holiday of Palm Resurrection! ... Part 16 - The Miracle of Fayum Portraits Part 17 - Merry Christmas Part 18 - “Panteley the Healer”. S.V. Rachmaninov
The meaning of the image “Fadeless Color” and how it helps
For Orthodox Christians this image is of great importance.
People come to the icon with a prayer for peace of mind and help . A petition in front of a bright image helps to cope with trouble. Women at any age turn to the Most Pure One.
Unmarried girls ask this icon for a successful marriage . Mothers ask for God's blessing for their children.
Turning to the Most Pure One in front of the shrine, they pray for their family and friends.
Prayer to the icon Unfading colorAudioVideoPhoto icon
Oh, Most Holy and Immaculate Mother of the Virgin, hope of Christians and refuge for sinners!
Protect all those who come running to You in misfortune, hear our groans, incline Your ear to our prayer, O Lady and Mother of our God, do not despise those who require Your help and do not reject us sinners, enlighten us and teach us: do not depart from us, Your servants, for our murmuring.Be our Mother and Patroness, we entrust ourselves to Your merciful protection. Lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life; Let us pay for our sins. O Mother Mary, our most kind and quick Intercessor, cover us with Your intercession. Protect us from enemies visible and invisible, soften the hearts of evil people who rebel against us.
O Mother of our Lord Creator! You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity and chastity, send help to us who are weak and overwhelmed by carnal passions and wandering hearts. Enlighten our spiritual eyes, so that we may see the ways of God’s truth.
By the grace of Your Son, strengthen our weak will in fulfilling the commandments, so that we will be delivered from all troubles and misfortunes and may be justified by Your wonderful intercession at the terrible judgment of Your Son. To him we give glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen
Listen to the singing of the Choir to the “Unfading Color” icon:
Situations in which people turn to the shrine for help:
Before the image, you can pray with a request to keep your face and body young .
They ask the Mother of God for understanding and harmony for loved ones .
Young girls pray for the preservation of chastity until marriage.
Pregnant women ask the Mother of God for the birth of a healthy child .
Prayers in front of the icon help to avoid temptations in married life.
Families in which they often quarrel or do not understand each other can ask for admonition in front of the icon.
Prayers in front of the “Unfading Color” image help get rid of sinful thoughts and turmoil in the soul. Doubts about the future life and fears for him leave the soul. As a rule, unmarried girls and women who have lost hope of finding a soul mate come to the icon.
Meaning
Since ancient times, the “Unfading Color” icon has symbolized innocence, pure thoughts and the unfading beauty of the soul before suffering and grief. Purity and chastity emanating from the Mother of God are the standard for young unmarried girls and single boys who dream of finding their other half to create a strong family.
Often, in the image of the Mother of God, brides are blessed for marriage and escorted into married life, having carried out the Sacrament of Wedding. Looking at the lovely image of the Virgin Mary, women of different ages pray for the preservation of health and beauty. Single Christians of both sexes, bowing before the icon, ask to be given a bright feeling of love, to relieve anxiety and receive recognition from the people around them.
What is asked for in front of the image “Fadeless Color”
Prayer in front of the shrine banishes doubts that torment the soul, and also gives faith in a happy future.
- Christians pray in front of the icon asking the Lord to help them maintain the purity of their thoughts and deeds.
- They turn to the Mother of God so that She can help them make the right choice of their soulmate.
- They ask before the image to find meaning and purpose in life .
Prayers in front of the “Unfading Color” icon are read by women who dream of getting married successfully and finding family happiness. Procreation is the main purpose of every woman. Only she gives life to another person.
The image of "Fadeless Color" is miraculous. Prayers before him help get rid of resentment, irritation and negative thoughts. The Mother of God helps to revive faded feelings and soften hardened hearts.
Icon in the house
Home iconostasis.
Usually the icon is placed in the home iconostasis along with the other images or placed on a specially equipped shelf in the eastern side of the home. or willow twigs are considered good decorations for the “Unfading Color” It is necessary to remember about regular cleaning of the home icon case; the image must be kept clean.
Respect for the holy image greatly strengthens the prayer of the believer.
It is also permissible to place icons in rooms:
- Marital bedroom. Love relationships between spouses are not considered a sin, but lead to the continuation of the human race.
- Girl's bedroom. The image helps to maintain purity of thoughts and refrain from sinful thoughts.
- Children bedroom. Under the auspices of the Mother of God, children's sleep will be pure and bright.
Clergy have no special requirements for the placement of icons. It is possible to place the icon anywhere in the house.
Where are the lists of the miraculous icon “Fadeless Color”
The Alekseevsky Monastery in Moscow houses one of the oldest copies of the “Unfading Flower” icon.
The icon turned out to be where it should be, because people pray in front of it to keep body and soul pure. Unmarried women labor in the monastery. This list was significantly different from the image popular today. In the icon, the Infant God stands at full height, leaning on the shoulder of the Mother of God with his bent hand. The right hand of the Virgin Mary is wrapped in a ribbon on which the name of the image is written. The flower branch is placed in a special jug and is on the throne. The second known list is in the Assumption Church in Mogiltsy. In which Jesus stands on a beautiful flower, supported by the Most Pure One, growing from the bottom of the icon. In her hand the Most Pure One holds a white lily, and above her head are Angels who crown Her head with a royal crown.
A special list became famous in the small monastery of Kadom, which is located in the Ryazan province. On it you can see the image of John the Baptist near the head of Jesus. Her story is unusual. The icon was brought from Georgia as a gift by the head of the Bogdanov family. This image was always with him and saved him more than once in difficult times. Old-timers recall that the icon was especially revered by Saint Seraphim of Sarov.
History of the origin of the icon
The image of the Mother of God, called the “Unfading Flower,” is quite rare and is not found in all Orthodox churches. This version of the icon is an akathist (here you can read the akathist before the Unfading Color icon). This means that the image reflects chants glorifying the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
The period and circumstances of the origin of "Eternal Color" are not exactly known. There is an old story that the image owes its appearance to Christians who lived on one of the islands of the Ionian Sea. At the Annunciation, believers brought bouquets of white flowers to the temple, which they left next to the face of the Mother of God. The plants were not removed, contrary to all natural laws, they began to come to life. This always happened on the Assumption. The news of the rare miracle spread everywhere and reached the Athonite monks, who decided to create the most beautiful icon “Unfading Color”.
The divine appearance surrounded by beautiful flowers is mentioned in church records of the 17th–18th centuries. Over time, the miraculous painting ended up on Russian soil, where a large number of believers were waiting for it. Here, many accurate copies were made from the image, which were later given to various churches and monasteries.
In the past, on the territory of Russia there were 4 miraculous icons “Unfading Color”, created by the monks of Athos. One original image was lost, two are still kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, the fourth is in the State Museum.
