Icon of the Mother of God “Kaluga”
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 the tenderness of our hearts we call to You: Rejoice, O Lady, Thy mercy and intercession for us representing.
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
O all-sung 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
O 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.
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.
Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga
The appearance of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God took place in 1748 in the village of Tinkovo, not far from Kaluga, in the house of the landowner Vasily Kondratyevich Khitrovo. Two maids were sorting through old things in the attic of his house. One of them, Evdokia, who was distinguished by her unrestrained disposition, allowed herself harsh and even obscene speech, not paying attention to the admonitions of her modest friend. Among other things, they accidentally discovered a large roll of rough canvas. Having unfolded it, the pious girl saw the image of a Woman in a dark robe with a book in her hands. Mistaking the image for a portrait of a nun and wanting to bring Evdokia to reason, she threatened her with the wrath of the abbess. The impudent Evdokia responded to her friend’s words with abuse and, succumbing to irritation, spat on her face. Immediately she had a seizure and fell unconscious.
A frightened friend told about what happened in the house. The next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Evdokia’s parents and revealed to them that it was their daughter who was blasphemously laughing at Her and ordered them to perform a prayer service in front of the desecrated icon, and to sprinkle the sick woman with the water blessed at the prayer service. After the prayer service, Evdokia recovered.
The landowner of Khitrovo took the miraculous icon into his house, where it abundantly exuded healing to those who resorted to it with faith. Subsequently, the icon was transferred with honors to the parish church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Kaluzhka. A copy of the holy image was sent to Kaluga.
Through this icon, the Mother of God more than once showed Her protection of the Russian land in difficult times for it.
The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in memory of the deliverance of Kaluga from the plague in 1771, when a monstrous epidemic literally devastated the city - the townspeople died out in entire families. The miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was then brought from the village of Kaluzhki, a religious procession walked around the entire city with it and a nationwide prayer service was served. After this, the plague in the city stopped.
The second celebration takes place on October 12, in memory of the salvation of Kaluga from the invasion of Napoleonic troops in 1812. French prisoners testified that during the battles near Kaluga and Maloyaroslavets, when they were defeated by Russian troops, they saw the Mother of God standing in the air, surrounded by luminous men.
In 1898, the celebration of the miraculous Kaluga Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for delivering Kaluga from cholera. In those terrible days, by resolution of the City Duma, a religious procession was carried out with a miraculous image. Through the intercession of the Most Pure One, the city was saved.
The icon is also celebrated on the first Sunday of Peter's Lent.
In the difficult 30s of the 20th century for the Orthodox Church, the authorities closed the church in the village of Kaluzhki, throwing off the bells and confiscating church valuables. Traces of the miraculous image were lost. Only from fragmentary information is it possible to trace the further history of the holy icon.
There is a version that the miraculous Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God was first in the Trinity Cathedral of Kaluga, then it was placed in the local history museum, from where it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in the post-war years. Currently it is located in the St. George Cathedral of Kaluga.
According to another version, the original image was replaced at a time when many copies were made of the miraculous icon, but the original was kept in the archaeological museum of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, from where it was solemnly transferred to the Kaluga diocese in 1998.
However, according to documents found in the storerooms of the regional museum of local history about the transfer to the museum, among other items, of the original Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, its description and dimensions do not correspond to the image transferred from the Lavra. In addition, the icon was in rather dilapidated condition. Thus, it is believed that the icons of the Mother of God (now there are three of them in Kaluga) are miraculous copies, and the image itself will still be revealed to the Orthodox believers of Russia.
