History of the Icon of the All-Tsarina
The known history of this icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to approximately the 8th-9th centuries AD. The first known image was in the Trigilian monastery on the coast of the Sea of Marmara. The next version of Pantanassa was donated to one of the Athonite monasteries by the Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great in the 16th century.
The oldest of the now known Vsetsaritsa dates back to the 17th century and represents one of the most prominent examples of icon painting. Nevertheless, it is a copy of an earlier version, as evidenced by both the name and the iconography of the icon. Nowadays this image is located in the cathedral church of the Vatopedi monastery of Athos, to the left of the royal gates.
Several miraculous lists of the All-Tsarina are in Russia. Sometimes they show true miracles, especially when it comes to healing. There is documentary evidence of this, which bewilders the most inveterate skeptics.
The power of Orthodox prayers for healing
With such serious diseases as cancer, a person needs spiritual support, without which drug treatment will be ineffective. A positive attitude is necessary to adjust hormonal levels. The fear of death paralyzes the will, depresses the nervous system, aggravating the condition of the cancer patient.
Prayer requests for health in front of holy images must come from the heart. In this case, they have a calming effect and inspire hope that the Lord will hear the tearful request for help and perform a miracle of healing. Without faith, love for the Almighty, and deep repentance for one’s sins, the most healing prayers will be ineffective.
Orthodox prayers that help against cancer, first of all, heal the soul of the patient. Help from the Almighty depends on the depth of faith and pious lifestyle: everyone is rewarded according to his religious beliefs and behavior. There are known cases of believers being cured of cancer when doctors did not give them a chance for recovery.
Where is the original image?
As mentioned above, in Russia there are several lists of the miraculous All-Tsaritsa. One of them, the most famous, was donated to the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.
The icon is often taken to the capital's children's oncology center. Her presence and sincere prayers for healing have a beneficial effect on the condition of seriously ill children.
Icon of the Novospassky Monastery.
Other lists of icons also have a confirmed healing effect, for example, those located in the Church of All Saints in Moscow (on Krasnoselskaya), in the Church of the Holy Trinity Monastery in the village of Taraskovo near Yekaterinburg and in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of Tambov.
Church of All Saints in the Novoalekseevsky Monastery in Moscow
One of the most famous miracles of Pantanassa took place in this temple - the image suddenly became myrrhic. Just a few drops of the wonderful world appeared on the icon, and the extraordinary fragrance from it spread throughout the entire temple.
The akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos “The Tsaritsa” is regularly served in the church. At the prayer service, oil is blessed to anoint all the sick and suffering. Not only cancer patients, but also other sick people can anoint themselves with blessed oil.
The image of the “All-Tsarina” from this temple is often delivered to the nearest oncology clinic for prayers.
What does the icon mean?
The significance of the icon of the All-Tsarina for Orthodox Christians is truly enormous. The Heavenly Queen listens to sincere prayers and intercedes for those praying before the Lord, who gives blessings and protection to those who suffer.
The Queen of All protects from many adversities, brings victory in sacred battles, helps to take the right path, eliminates sinful thoughts, gives peace and quiet in the family, and protects from witchcraft.
According to theologians, the image of the Virgin Mary symbolizes the original purity of the human soul, which strives for God.
Iconography
The icon belongs to one of the oldest iconographic types, Panahranta, which means “Most Pure”, which brings to the fore the purity of the Mother of God. This is, so to speak, a ceremonial and majestic image of the eternal Lady.
In this icon, the Mother of God looks exactly as befits the Queen of Heaven, and not an earthly woman. She sits on a shining throne, symbolizing her greatness and glory. Mary is dressed in rich clothes befitting a royal person. There are three shining stars on the bedspread - a symbol of the purity of the Mother of God. Around the head is a canonical halo, in some versions complemented by a crown.
On the icons, the Tsaritsa of All is depicted in burgundy or purple robes. Previously, clothes of these colors could only be worn by people with royal blood flowing in their veins.
Icon of the Mother of God “The Queen of All” from the cathedral church of the Vatopedi Monastery of Athos
Christ sits on the lap of the royal mother, but not in the form of a baby, but in the form of a youth in a golden or scarlet robe. In one hand he holds a scroll with the text of the Gospel, and the fingers of the other are folded as if he is going to bless all of Humanity.
Behind the back of the Mother of God you can see two archangels in a canonical image: with wings and crowns in curly hair. Improvised ribbons can be seen behind their heads, demonstrating that these are messengers of the Lord.
Lists of icons sometimes differ slightly from the original (for example, in the colors of the robes of divine characters or the presence of small details such as signatures in the form of abbreviations), but the theme and style remain unchanged. Before us is the Heavenly Lady with the divine offspring in all its proud beauty and universal grandeur.
How does the “Tsaritsa” icon help?
The Mother of God is recognized as the protector of all Rus' and all its inhabitants belonging to the Orthodox faith. This means that you can ask her for absolutely anything that does not violate Christian commandments.
Under no circumstances should you pray “for evil,” that is, wish sorrow for your neighbors. The most effective are sincere and selfless prayers, where you ask for benefits not for yourself, but for others - family members, relatives, friends or complete strangers. Even an entire nation or all of Humanity!
The icon of the All-Tsaritsa Pantanassa, like other images of the Mother of God, helps from many misfortunes. Most often they pray to the icon, asking for:
- Healing from illnesses. Sincere prayer to Pantanasse helps in healing from the most serious illnesses, including oncology. Cases of recovery from cancer of the most hopeless patients have been recorded. The doctors just shrugged!
- Getting rid of addictions of any kind. In fact, any addiction is not a bad habit, but a serious illness that affects not only the body, but also the spirit. It’s not for nothing that drug addicts, having experienced horrific withdrawal, still return to their old ways. Healing really needs to start from the soul. Not only addicts, but also all people who are not indifferent to their fate can pray.
- Guidance on the true path. We often stand at crossroads in life and cannot make the right decision. We desperately need advice from someone wise and omniscient, and people are not omniscient. Believers often note that they receive signs from above, and the Mother of God comes to the most well-behaved in a dream and addresses them directly.
- Peace of mind. We often lose peace of mind due to anxious thoughts about ourselves and loved ones, and the loss of loved ones turns into real tragedies. Sincere prayer to the All-Tsarina allows you to restore peace of mind and the ability to enjoy life even after the most terrible losses.
- Well-being of loved ones. Our Lady is the protector of family and family ties. They pray to her for the well-being and health of loved ones, strengthening relationships, restoring marital love and mutual understanding, returning unfaithful husbands and poor smoking children to the true path.
A true Christian can and should sincerely believe and pray for healing. However, we should not forget about official medicine, because God’s intention can be realized through the golden hands of surgeons. Otherwise, he would not have endowed doctors with such high skill and ability to save lives.
The custom of praying to the Virgin Mary
Along with the adoption of Christianity in the tenth century, the tradition of venerating the Mother of God also came to Rus'. Along with churches in honor of Christ the Savior, churches dedicated to His Most Pure Mother appeared on our land. The domes of such churches are customarily painted blue, considered the color of the Virgin Mary. Images of the Most Pure Virgin are necessarily present in the iconostasis of any Orthodox church.
There are many options for images of the Mother of God, which are considered miraculous. According to rough estimates, there are about six hundred of them. People often ask the question: “Which icon should be prayed to in each specific case?” Priests usually answer this question like this: you can pray for all your needs to any icon to which your soul lies. The Mother of God is alone. No matter what icon we offer our prayer, it is addressed to the same Mother of God, who is always ready to put in a good word for us before her Son.
There is, however, a tradition of turning to different icons for different everyday needs. Some icons of the Mother of God were specially “closer” to certain needs of people. For example, mothers of infants turn to Mammal for help. For older children they pray in front of the icons “Raising Children” and “Getting Smart.” There are other cases. Someone turned to the Mother of God with prayer and received miraculous help from Her. A person strives to tell others about the miracle that happened. Another person who has a similar problem, having heard about the mercy of God through the prayers of the Mother of God, turns to the same icon and, by faith, also receives what he asks for. This is how tradition is consolidated among the people. In front of the Tikhvin Icon they pray for children, in front of the Kazan Icon - for the healing of their eyes. According to tradition, the akathist “The Tsaritsa (Pantanassa)” is read about the healing of tumors.
Miracles associated with the icon
The miraculous icon of the Mother of God is capable of benefits that are inexplicable from the point of view of science.
We know about the first miracle associated with the image of the All-Tsaritsa thanks to the pious Athonite elder Joseph the Hesychast, and more specifically, to his instructions to his disciples. The elder told how the icon helped one person turn away from witchcraft.
Silver pendant “Image of the Mother of God “The All-Tsaritsa””
One day a young man came to the temple, stood in front of the icon and began to mutter something (later it turned out that he was using black magic spells). Suddenly the face of the All-Tsarina shone with an unearthly light - this is how she gave a sign that it was not right to practice witchcraft.
The young man fell to the ground, as if thrown away by the divine right hand, then jumped up and ran out of the temple in tears. The young man subsequently told the elders that he had been practicing magic and wanted to test the power of black sorcery on the icon. You already know the result. But the young man turned away from witchcraft and remained a novice in the Athos monastery.
Healing icon
“The Tsaritsa” is known primarily as an icon that conquers cancer. For several centuries now, pilgrims have been coming to Athos to see her face, wanting to ask for healing for themselves or their loved ones.
You should not think that the Christian Church attributes certain miracles to icons without any reason. On the contrary: each case is carefully checked, documented and only then included in the list of confirmed miracles.
Unfortunately, access to Athos is strictly limited (this is the territory of Orthodox monasteries), but many lists have been made from the sacred prototype, which are available for public viewing and prayer.
In Russia, the first Pantanassa list appeared in 1995. It was created at the request of the Community of Mercy and brought to the children's oncology center in Kashirka. The doctors were surprised: the children's condition improved significantly, although the treatment tactics remained unchanged.
And then the icon became myrrhized (began to exude fragrant drops of myrrh) and, according to church regulations, it was taken to the Church of All Saints. Nevertheless, the miraculous image is constantly brought to Kashirka, where sick children and their relatives pray to it.
Novospassky Monastery
The list located in the Novospassky Monastery, the image that resides in the women’s monastic monastery in Serpukhov, as well as numerous icons of the All-Tsarina in other cities of Russia also stream myrrh and work miracles. Miraculous cases of healing are documented, recorded in case histories and church books.
Patriarch Kirill spoke about a man who, after a hypertensive crisis, was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fourth (terminal) stage. His wife ordered a prayer service for health, the sick man fervently prayed to the image and drank holy water. Repeated examination showed improvement, the man was operated on and made a full recovery!
A case of healing of a girl suffering from terminal cancer is described. Due to the growing tumor, the girl became completely blind, but continued to pray and believe in healing. And a miracle happened!
Church books and medical documents also record numerous cases of healing from alcoholism and drug addiction. The miraculous image heals not only the body, but also the soul.
Novospassky Monastery in Moscow
This is one of the most ancient Moscow monasteries, the place of the oldest burials of royal persons. There are quite a lot of miraculous icons and relics here. Since 1997, among the shrines of the monastery there has been a copy of the Vatopedi icon. Her image is revered as miraculous. Every Sunday, before the holy image, the akathist to the Mother of God “The Tsarina of All” is read, and water blessing prayers take place. The monastery servants here, as in other places, keep a special book in which they note cases of miraculous help through prayers in front of the Pantanassa icon.
Once a year, an icon from the Novospasskaya monastery is delivered to the Institute of Oncology named after. Herzen. In the hospital church of the institute, a prayer service and akathist “To the Tsarina” are performed. After the prayer service, everyone can venerate the miraculous image and ask for help and healing in the fight against the disease.
How to pray to the “All-Tsarina” and where to place the image
Not every patient has the strength to personally visit the church and pray to the miraculous image, especially since it is advisable to ask for healing every day. Therefore, it is quite possible to purchase an icon for personal prayers outside the church.
Previously, images were present in every home - a special “red corner” was reserved for them. Icons were placed on special corner shelves, which were decorated with embroidered towels; there was always a lamp or candlestick for a church candle.
Silver pendant “The Queen of All”
No one is stopping you from organizing such a “personal temple” even now. So if you buy the image of the Queen of All, take care of organizing a worthy altar.
Traditionally, a home iconostasis is placed on the eastern side, but if there is not enough space there, you can organize it on any other wall. When arranging a family altar, you must adhere to the following rules:
- There should be enough space in front of the iconostasis to perform a prayer service.
- The altar should not be adjacent to household appliances (for example, a TV) and secular books.
- At the top there is a cross, then a half-length image of Christ, and even lower - the image of the Trinity.
- The icon of the Mother of God (in our case, the All-Tsarina) is located to the right of the face of Jesus.
- The images of saints should be placed on the sides of the images of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
- Paintings and other images, even of religious content, should not be present in the iconostasis.
- According to the church canon, the only decoration of the iconostasis should be embroidered napkins or towels.
You should not treat icons as collectibles: these are sacred images that need to be prayed to. Even a cheap printed icon can gain great power over time if addressed sincerely and regularly.
You need to pray daily, and if desired, several times a day (as soon as an internal need arises). The prayer should be read seriously and with concentration, without being distracted or allowing extraneous thoughts into the mind.
Texts of prayers
Before you begin to pray, it is advisable to fast, confess, receive communion and receive unction. If you wish, you can invite the priest to your home or to the hospital - priests do not refuse to visit seriously ill people, and often perform rituals free of charge.
It is necessary to maintain order in the prayer room: it is inappropriate to offer prayers in an untidy house. But if you don’t have the strength, you can pray in any conditions, even lying in bed in front of a small icon without a frame.
Prayer for Healing
Oh, Most Pure Mother of God, Queen of All! Hear my painful sighing and my petition before Your miraculous icon. Your image was brought from the Holy Place of Athos to Russia. Pay attention to my sincere appeal and my prayer. I ask you to heal my terrible illness and help everyone who falls before your holy image. Just as a bird protects its chicks from danger with its wings, so You protect and cover us with Your multi-healing omophbra. Grant us hope for healing, which will help us survive the most severe sorrows. Remove the darkness of despair from our souls, let the soul be filled with joy. May the ineffable Divine light shine upon us through Your prayer! Give comfort to the faint-hearted, strengthen the weak, soften hardened hearts and grant enlightenment. Heal me, O All-Merciful Queen! I ask you to bless the mind and hands of those who heal me, so that they may serve as an instrument of the Most High, Christ our Savior. As before the living You, I pray before Your icon and sincerely fall before it. Extend your helping hands to me, filled with healing and healing. Give joy to those who mourn, give consolation to everyone in sorrow. We all who have received Your miraculous help glorify the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Prayer for deliverance from witchcraft and demons
Leave my home, Devil, get out of the doors and from all corners. There is no place for you here, the Holy Cross and the Holy icons are here. Get the unclean one out of my house! This includes pure and Saint Angels, they will not allow you to harm me with your evil machinations. Leave me, evil spirits, go to the underworld and stay there forever. My word is firm, my faith is strong. Amen.
Prayer for guidance, health and well-being of children
O Most Holy Lady Virgin Theotokos, save and preserve under Your shelter my children (names), all youths, young women and infants, baptized and nameless and carried in their mother’s womb. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to their parents, pray to my Lord and Your Son to grant them what is useful for their salvation. I entrust them to Your maternal supervision, for You are the Divine Protection of Your servants. Mother of God, introduce me to the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the mental and physical wounds of my children (names) caused by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Your, Most Pure, heavenly protection. Amen.
Miraculous images help only those who firmly believe in God, sincerely long for healing and do not complain about fate. In addition to prayers, you need to try to be optimistic, trust your doctors and follow their instructions!
25.08.21
Texts of prayers
Troparion, tone 4
With the joyful image of the honor of the All-Tsarina, / with the warm desire of those seeking Thy grace, save, O Lady, / deliver those who come running to You from circumstances; / protect Thy flock from all adversity, / / to the intercession of T whoever cries evermore.
Translation: In the revered image of the “All-Queen,” who gives joy, save all those who seek Your grace with ardent desire, O Lady, and deliver those who turn to You from disasters, protect Your flock from all misfortunes, which always calls for Your protection.
Prayer
Oh, All-Good, Most Worshipful Mother of God Pantanassa, the All-Tsarina! I am not worthy, but come under my roof, but like the merciful Mother of God, say the word, may my soul be healed and my weak body strengthened. For Imashi is an invincible power, and every word of You will not fail, O Queen of All! You beg for me, You beg for me, that I may glorify Your glorious name always, now and forever. Amen.
Translation: Oh, All-Good, wonderful Mother of God Pantanassa, All-Queen! I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but as the merciful Mother of a merciful God, say the word so that my soul will be healed and my ailing body strengthened. For Your strength is invincible and not a single word of yours will be weak, O All-Queen! You beg for me, You beg for me, that I may glorify Your glorious name always, now and forever. Amen.
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