The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God participates in all significant events in Russia and its people. This image is the treasure of Russia, its hope and strength. Today, on the day of the celebration of the main Russian shrine, we remember its 7 miracles.
First miracle: finding in the ashes
The very acquisition of this amazing icon is a miracle - the first miracle performed by this icon. This happened in Kazan in 1579, in one of the most difficult periods for Russia - the last time of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. After a terrible fire that turned the city to ashes, the nine-year-old girl Matrona appeared in a dream this icon - not yet known to anyone in Kazan or in Russia. Then the same girl dreamed of the Mother of God herself and said to convey to the archbishop and governors that this icon was located on the site of the burned down house of Matrona. Three times the girl told her mother about her dreams, and three times the mother did not believe her. Then, during the day's sleep, Matrona was miraculously transferred to the ashes and left there. And only after this miracle did the mother listen to her. Many people came to help in the excavation, and finally, on the site of the old stove of the house, Matrona found a piece of cloth,and in it is a wonderful icon. No one has seen such icons before. It was completely new, as if it had just been written, and everything was radiant. Needless to say, the archbishop and the governors fell crying before the miraculous image and prayed to the Mother of God for forgiveness of their unbelief.
Miracle two: changing the wind and helping the Cossacks
In the Time of Troubles, at the beginning of the 17th century, when the forces of the Second Militia, led by Minin and Pozharsky, moved to Moscow, they carried with them the image of Our Lady of Kazan. This is what His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes, Hieromartyr and Miracle Worker, ordered. Minin and Pozharsky and their army prayed in front of this icon, and on August 18, 1612, on the day of the militia's march to Moscow, a prayer service was served, immediately after which, suddenly, for no reason, the wind changed: from a strong oncoming one it became the strongest passing one. The chronicle reports that the riders could hardly stay in the saddles from the wind in their backs, but everyone had joyful faces, and their lips glorified the Mother of God. On August 22, a battle broke out at the walls of the Novodevichy Convent. The famous "winged hussars", the best armored cavalry in Europe, with the help of the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (thanks to which the Cossacks, who choseon which side to speak, thought better of it) were defeated and thrown far away from Moscow.
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Miracle three: the cover of Petersburg
The next miracle of a "state" scale occurred during the reign of Peter I and the ministry of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. This bishop was an active patriot of the Russian Empire - for example, he donated all his money for the construction of the fleet. The pastor was called by Peter to consecrate his newly-built palace - and the saint taught Peter a lesson, ignoring the invitation three times. “Tell this monk that if he does not immediately come to me, then I will order to bring his head on a platter, like the head of John the Baptist,” the emperor was angry. Saint Mitrophan answered this in the following way: “Tell this godless king that my head will remain intact, and the sovereign will soon lay down his head, if he does not take a diligent intercessor for himself - the Mother of God. And I will come to consecrate the palace only after the statues of pagan gods have been removed from it. What happened in the end? The emperor knelt before the saint (he came to him himself), asked for forgiveness and holy prayers for himself and for the country … It was Saint Mitrofan who told Peter to take the icon of the Kazan Mother of God and lay the northern capital with its help, for God blesses him for this. "As long as the Kazan icon is in the capital and Orthodox Christians pray in front of it, the enemy will not step into the city." And the St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral is now known to everyone.no enemy foot will set foot in the city. And the St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral is now known to everyone.no enemy foot will set foot in the city. And the St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral is now known to everyone.
Miracle four: victory over Napoleon
He turned to the Kazan Icon and M. I. Kutuzov - in 1812, after his appointment as commander-in-chief, he immediately went to the Kazan Cathedral and prayed at the miraculous image. In his prayer, the great commander asked the blessing of the Mother of God to fight the enemies who were so confidently marching to Russia. It was on October 22, the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the old style, that the Russian troops led by Miloradovich and Platon defeated Davout's rearguard. This victory was the first victory of Russian weapons in the Patriotic War. The losses of the French were enormous - about 7 thousand people. In addition, on that day the first snow fell and our well-known hard frosts began, driving the French away. From that day on, the enemy army began to melt. Kutuzov himself bequeathed to bury himself in this temple, which became a monument to the war of 1812. Interesting,that the iconostasis of his altar was made of silver taken from the French. Sculptures by Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly stand at its facade.
Miracle five: the salvation of the emperor and the revival of faith
The explosion in the Winter Palace on February 5, 1880 is known to everyone. There, in the soldier's guardhouse, there was an icon of the Kazan Mother of God, funded by the money donated by the lower ranks of the guards units. It was richly decorated, covered with glass and hung with icons. Of course, during the explosion, all this shattered to smithereens. However, when the corpses of the dead and the wounded survivors were extracted from the rubble and debris, the entire icon was found under the same pile of rubbish without traces of damage. This event made a strong impression on the soldiers, and the faith of many of them revived. Every day, in their spare moments, they began to attach themselves to the miraculous image, "with its powerful cover, which prevented the implementation of a hellish plan directed against the sacred person of the Sovereign Emperor and members of his August family."
Miracle six: aid in WWII
The most famous miracle of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is its help to the Russians in the Great Patriotic War in the 20th century. Many people know that this image was carried in a procession with the cross around Leningrad, the siege of which lasted so long and which the enemies did not manage to take. But few know that it was the Mother of God herself who commanded this procession of the cross, and not only him - she showed the ways of saving Russia. Elijah Salib, Metropolitan of the Lebanese Mountains, fervently, with all his heart (and in complete abstinence from food and sleep) prayed for the salvation of Russia before the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. And after three days of vigil, the ceiling of the cell dissolved and a pillar of fire shone, in which the Mother of God herself appeared. "My son, get up, do not cry, your prayer has been heard," said the Most Holy Virgin three times. - “There will be no success in the war until all the churches and monasteries that have been closed throughout the country are opened,theological academies and seminaries; the priesthood will not be released from prison and returned from the front - for divine services …”It is known that much of this was done. In those days Stalin summoned Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad, Metropolitan Sergius, and promised to fulfill everything that Iliya Salib had conveyed, for he saw no other opportunity to save the situation.
Miracle Seven: About Common People
Many, if not most of the testimonies of healings from the Kazan Icon are associated with healings of the eyes. Since ancient times, the blind - infants, adults, elders - have been healed by the miraculous image and its lists, and here is one of these testimonies:
“A certain Elena, the wife of the priest Gregory, who came from Polotsk and lived in a place called the village of Tagashevo, suffered from an eye disease for three years, so she could not see anything. Having heard about the many glorious miracles of the Icon of the Most Pure Theotokos in the city of Kazan, Elena went to that city to the miraculous Image to ask for mercy. Even before reaching the city of Kazan and seven fields, she suddenly saw the light with her eyes, as if she had never been sick. Arriving at the monastery to the miraculous Image, she gave praise to God and the Most Pure Mother of God."
This story clearly shows that pilgrimage is a path to a holy place or image, and not just this image itself. During the spiritual path that a person makes, he receives salvation.
Ekaterina Oaro