The most ancient images Mother of God, according to legend, belong to the brushes of the Evangelist Luke, who created them during his lifetime Holy Mother of God. These include Smolensk icon Mother of God. She arrived in Rus' as a wedding gift from the Emperor of Byzantium, Constantine IX Porphyrogenitus, to his daughter Anna, who was married to the Chernigov prince Vsevolod, the son of Yaroslav the Wise.
The Smolensk icon is a copy of the icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria Blachernae”
From the history of icons
The name “Hodegetria,” that is, Guide, is associated with a miracle revealed by the Mother of God herself, who once brought two blind men to the Blachernae Temple, where, by Her will, they received their sight.
The Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was also a guide during Anna’s journey from Byzantium to Rus'. After the death of the couple, their son, Prince Vladimir Monomakh, moved the icon to Smolensk, in honor of which it received the name “Smolensk”.
The history of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” is associated with many miraculous deliverances
Thus, thanks to the fervent prayer of the residents of Smolensk, their city was delivered from Batu’s invasion in 1239. There are known cases when prayers in front of an icon protected from terrible epidemics, attacks from enemies and enemy conquest. For the Orthodox, the Smolensk Icon “Hodegetria” has indeed always been a Guide, showing the right path.
The icon was so revered that temples were built in its honor. Thus, the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was built in St. Petersburg, Arzamas, Shuya and other cities. The Shuya Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God became especially famous.
In 1665, Shuya was struck by a pestilence epidemic, and the frightened residents decided that it was necessary to write a copy of the Smolensk icon. The pious icon painter made a sketch, but the next day he discovered that the position of the Baby Jesus had changed: His right leg was placed on his left knee. Deciding that this was his mistake, he corrected the icon, but the next day the position of the Child again became the same.
The icon painter considered it God's sign and made no further corrections. When the finished icon was brought to the temple, it shone with an extraordinary light, and after the prayer service the pestilence ended. After this, a real pilgrimage to the icon began, more than a hundred miracles occurred, and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich even sent a special commission to Shuya to certify the miraculous power of the Shuya (Smolensk) icon, which was done.
Description of the icon
In terms of iconographic type, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is one of the oldest editions characteristic of Byzantine writing.
This is a half-length image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. The Blessed Virgin is dressed in scarlet robes (on modern lists often red) color, which emphasizes Her status as the Queen of Heaven. On her left hand She holds the Baby Jesus, and with her right hand she seems to point to Him. The meaning of this gesture is that the Guide points the way to salvation through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is also in a royal robe of golden color, that is, in the image of the Almighty. In His left hand is a scroll symbolizing His teaching, right hand raised with fingers folded in a gesture of blessing. The icon seems to emanate an aura of faith and hope that the path to salvation really exists, and Hodegetria points it out.
How does the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God help?
This icon has shown so many miracles that its meaning does not need explanation - it remains for the Orthodox today one of the most revered images of the Mother of God, the patroness and defender of the Russian state. That is why they turn to her with prayers for the protection of the Motherland from enemy invasions and wars; on preserving the life and health of military personnel, especially in hot spots; about getting rid of epidemics.
Our Lady of Smolensk also helps family matters: protects the family hearth from envious people and ill-wishers; strengthens steadfastness in faith and helps to resist temptations and delusions; helps to recover from serious illnesses and resolve difficult life situations.
Prayer to Our Lady of Smolensk
O Most Wonderful and Above All Creatures Queen Theotokos, Mother of the Heavenly King Christ our God, Most Pure Hodegetria Mary! Hear us sinners and unworthy at this hour, praying and falling before Your Most Pure Image with tears and tenderly saying: lead us out of the pit of passions, Most Blessed Lady, deliver us from all sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all misfortune and evil slander, and from the unrighteous and fierce slander of the enemy. You may, O Our Blessed Mother, save Your people from all evil and provide and save You with every good deed; Do You need other Representatives in troubles and circumstances, and warm Intercessors for us sinners, not imams? Pray, O Most Holy Lady, Thy Son Christ our God, that He will make us worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven; For this reason, we always glorify Thee, as the Author of our salvation, and extol the holy and great name Father and Son and Holy Spirit, in the Trinity glorified and worshiped God, forever and ever. Amen.
The Virgin Mother is the boundary between created and uncreated nature, and Her, as the container of the incontainable, will be known by those who know God, and after God, those who sing of God will sing Her. She is the foundation of those before Her, and the eternal Intercessor.
St. Gregory Palamas
The Novodevichy Convent is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Moscow. It is beautiful in any weather, at any time of the year. From childhood and throughout my life I remember the unusually lush thickets of the monastery lilac (for some reason now almost all of it has been cut down). It is difficult to get used to this beauty, and every time you enter under the dark arches of the gate church, you involuntarily freeze and admire.
Inside the monastery walls, in a small wooden house there lived a real ascetic in the world - Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky, the great architect-restorer of the twentieth century, who saved almost a thousand churches and ended his life here, in the main Moscow monastery of the Most Pure One - that is why the street from which the road to the monastery begins is called Prechistenka. Peace to your ashes, servant of God Peter!...
From the window of his room littered with books, folders with measurements and drawings, Baranovsky, while he could still see - in his old age he was completely blind - admired one of the most majestic churches in Moscow - the 16th century Cathedral in the name of Our Lady Hodegetria "called Smolenskaya", which kept a miraculous list with one of the greatest shrines of Rus' - the Smolensk Mother of God.
As long as there is faith in Rus', the Most Pure One preserves this destiny. The northern borders of our country were protected by the image of the Sign of Novgorod, the eastern borders by the Kazan Icon, and the western borders by the Smolensk Icon.
The prototype of the Smolensk Mother of God is very ancient and, according to legend, was written by the Apostle Luke himself for the Antioch ruler Theophilus. After the death of Theophilus, this image of Hodegetria the Guide returned to Jerusalem; in the 5th century, the blessed queen Pulcheria transferred it to Second Rome, to the Blachernae temple. From there the future Smolensk icon came to Rus'. Under what exact circumstances is not known for certain, but it happened no later than the middle of the 11th century. According to legend, the icon became a parental blessing for the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, who was married to Prince of Chernigov Vsevolod Yaroslavich.
After the death of Prince Vsevolod, Hodegetria found a new guardian in the person of his son, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir II Monomakh - commander, writer (his “Teachings” are still studied in the course of ancient Russian literature) and temple builder. In 1095, he transferred the miraculous from Chernigov (his first inheritance) to Smolensk, and in 1101 he founded the cathedral church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary here. Ten years later, Hodegetria was installed in this cathedral and from that time began to be called Smolensk - after the name of the city, the guardian of which this miraculous one remained for almost nine centuries.
Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria",
in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of Smolensk - prototype
(photo by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky, 1912)
In the 13th century, the hordes of Batu fell upon Rus', rapidly moving westward. Crying and praying, the Smolensk people fell to the intercession of their Guardian. And a miracle happened: the Most Pure One, through the image of Hodegetria of Smolensk, granted the city miraculous salvation. The Tatars were already standing several miles from Smolensk when a pious warrior named Mercury heard a voice coming from the holy icon: “I am sending you to protect My house. The ruler of the Horde secretly wants to attack My city this night with his army, but I prayed to My Son and My God for My house, so that he would not give it up to the work of the enemy. I myself will be with you, helping my servant.” Obeying the Most Pure One, Mercury raised the townspeople, and he himself rushed into the enemy camp, where he died in unequal battle. He was buried in the cathedral church of Smolensk and soon canonized. In memory of Mercury, on the day of his death, a special thanksgiving service was performed before the miraculous image of Hodegetria.
When in 1395 the Principality of Smolensk lost its independence, becoming dependent on Lithuania. But just three years later, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vitovt was married to the Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich (son of the holy noble prince Dimitri Donskoy), and Hodegetria became her dowry. In 1398, the acquired shrine was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin according to right side from the royal gates. Muscovites reverently worshiped it for half a century, until in 1456 representatives of the Smolensk people arrived in the reigning city and demanded that the shrine be returned to them. Grand Duke Vasily the Dark (1415-1462), after consulting with bishops and boyars, ordered to “release” the miraculous to Smolensk, leaving her exact list in Moscow. On July 28, in the presence of almost all Muscovites, the icon was solemnly carried through the Devichye Pole to the ford at the steep bend of the Moscow River, beyond which the road to Smolensk began. Here a prayer service was served to the Guide, after which the prototype of the miraculous woman went to Smolensk, and the mourners took the list from Smolensk to the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
In 1514, Smolensk was returned to the Russian state (the assault on the city by Russian troops began on July 29 - the day after the celebration of the Smolensk Icon); in 1524 in memory of this event Grand Duke Vasily III founded the Novodevichy Convent on the very spot where Muscovites saw off the miraculous work in 1456.
In 1609 Smolensk was besieged Polish army, and after twenty months of siege, in 1611, the city fell to a superior enemy. The miraculous Smolensk icon was again sent to Moscow, and when the Poles captured the white stone one, it was sent to Yaroslavl, where it remained until the expulsion of the Poles and the return of Smolensk to the Russian state in 1654, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. On September 26, 1655, the miraculous icon of Hodegetria returned to Smolensk.
The intercession of the Most Pure One for Her favorite destiny was again revealed a century and a half later, during Patriotic War 1812. Once again, Her miraculous image was taken out, first to Moscow - on August 26, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, the Smolensk, Iveron and Vladimir icons procession carried around Moscow, and on August 31, Iverskaya and Smolenskaya visited the wounded in the battle who were lying in the Lefortovo hospital. And when the Russian troops abandoned the Mother See, the Smolensk Icon was transported to Yaroslavl. However, through the intercession of the Most Pure One, this stay of Her miraculous image on the Volga banks turned out to be short-lived: already on December 24, 1812, Hodegetria returned to the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk.
The Moscow Novodevichy Convent also had to endure a lot. They sent here unwanted queens and princesses - Evdokia Lopukhina, Sophia; Napoleonic “twelve tongues” robbed and plundered it and even tried, before fleeing from Moscow, to blow up the monastery (it was saved by brave nuns who extinguished the already lit wicks). In 1922, Novodevichy was completely closed, dispersing its nuns. For opposing the predatory “seizure of church valuables”, Abbess Vera was sent to the camp; and in 1938, the last confessor of the monastery, Archpriest Sergius Lebedev, died a martyr’s death at the Butovo training ground, where the ashes of tens of thousands of those executed rest. Back in 1925, there were 2,811 tombstones in the cemetery inside the monastery walls; now there are no more than a hundred of them left (including the graves of the historian Sergei Solovyov and his son Vladimir, the great Russian philosopher). The “Museum of the Emancipation of Women” was set up in the desecrated monastery, and in 1934 its buildings were transferred to the State Historical Museum.
Divine services in the Novodevichy Monastery resumed in 1945, when the refectory Assumption Church was re-consecrated here, and since then prayer has been heard here again before one of the lists of the Hodegetria. The revival of the monastery itself began in 1994, when the nuns returned to Novodevichy, led by Abbess Seraphima (Chernaya), the granddaughter of the martyr Saint Seraphim (Chichagov), who died in 1999; Her successor was Abbess Serafima (Isaeva).
...The last reliable news about the miraculous first image dates back to 1941. Closed in 1929, the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk was not destroyed: its shrines and utensils remained intact until the start of the Great Patriotic War. August 1, 1941 entered the city German troops informed their High Command that “a very ancient icon, attributed by legend to the Evangelist Luke, later rewritten, ... is in its original place and is not damaged. She... was recognized as miraculous and was a place of pilgrimage for believers.” But when two years later Smolensk was liberated Soviet troops, the icon was no longer there. One can only hope that sooner or later her fate will begin to become clearer - just as it is happening with another miraculous woman who disappeared in that war, Tikhvin.
Until its disappearance, the prototype of Smolenskaya was never subjected to detailed scientific study. According to old descriptions, the board on which the icon was written was unusually heavy, primed with chalk and glue and covered with canvas; The Most Pure One is depicted at half height, waist-deep, supporting the Child with her left hand. The Savior blesses those praying with His right hand, and holds a scroll with His hand. Outerwear The Virgin Marys are dark brown, the lower ones are dark blue; The Baby's clothes are dark green and gold. On the reverse side of the prototype was written the Crucifixion with the Greek inscription “The King is crucified” and a view of Jerusalem. When painting was renewed in Moscow in 1666, figures of the Mother of God and John the Evangelist, which were not there before, were added to this Crucifixion. Features of the Smolensk Icon are the frontal position of the Child; a very slight turn of the Mother of God towards His Child; Her head is slightly bowed; characteristic hand position.
The celebration of the Smolensk Icon takes place on July 28 according to the Christian calendar. Once upon a time, on this day, a procession of the cross from the Kremlin, along Prechistenka and Devichye Pole to the Novodevichy Convent took place in the Mother See. By the beginning of the twentieth century, there were more than three dozen miraculous and especially revered lists of Smolensk, churches dedicated to this image stood in many cities, towns and monasteries of the Russian land, in Moscow alone there were four Smolensk churches, in St. Petersburg - five. And today, throughout all Smolensk churches in Russia, the troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos sounds before Her icon, called “Hodegetria”:
Troparion, tone 4
Let us now diligently approach the Mother of God, sinners and humility, and let us fall down in repentance calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away your slaves, for you are the only hope of the imams.
Kontakion, tone 6
The intercession of Christians is not shameful, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance as good help to us who faithfully call Thee: hasten to prayer and strive to entreat, interceding ever since, the Mother of God, who honor Thee.
Kontakion, tone 6
There are no other imams of help, no other imams of hope, except You, the Lady: Help us, we hope in You and we boast in You: We are Your servants, let us not be ashamed.
Prayer before the Smolensk Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called "Hodegetria"
To whom shall I cry, Lady? To whom shall I resort in my sorrow, if not to You, Lady Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven? Who will accept my cry and my sighing, if not You, O Most Immaculate One, the hope of Christians and refuge for sinners?
Incline, O most pure Lady, Thy ear to my prayer. Mother of my God, do not look down on me, requiring Your help, hear my groaning and inspire the cry of my heart, O Lady Theotokos Queen. And give me spiritual joy, strengthen me, who is impatient, sad and careless towards Your praise. Enlighten and teach me how it is fitting for You to pray, and do not depart from me, the Mother of my God, for my grumbling and impatience: but be my protection and intercession in my life and lead me to the quiet haven of blessed peace, and count me to your face Thy chosen flock and there deign me to sing and glorify Thee forever. Amen.
Holy Dormition Cathedral Smolensk
Cathedral of Smolensk Saints
Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (Guide Book) Smolensk
The first split of Christianity occurred in the early era. Exact date final division of the United Christian Church The year 1054 is considered to be the year 1054 for Western and Eastern. The discrepancies affected not only dogmas, but also rituals, and, of course, iconographic subjects. Of course, Catholics also depict Holy Virgin with a Baby in her arms, but Western ones, even with religious subjects, are outwardly more secular. The Orthodox must follow stricter canons, and Greek names are adopted for some subjects. From Greek language the word “Hodegetria”, “pointing”, also came. According to legend, the author of the very first with such a plot was the Evangelist Luke.
In Catholic terminology, it is more common to call Mary not the Mother of God, but the Madonna.
How does she look?
From a group of icons depicting the Mother of God with Jesus in her arms, choose those where he has already grown up, he sits on his mother’s lap, and she tells him something. The mother holds the child with one hand. The palm of the second hand is open and directed upward, as if Mary is telling her baby something, guiding him on the right path. This is the Mother of God Hodegetria. It must be said that the body of Jesus always has the same proportions, regardless of what age he is depicted. This is a canon feature. Proportions in a Catholic icon human body are age appropriate, and Baby Jesus is no different from any other child. On Orthodox icon“Hodegetria” The Virgin Mary is usually depicted from the waist up. But, for example, on the icon of the Kazan Mother of God only shoulders are depicted.The icon in which Jesus presses his cheek to his mother’s is called Our Lady of Tenderness.
What is the divine Youth doing?
In this scenario, Jesus usually holds a scroll in his hand. Sometimes you can see a book, but this is a rarer option. The image of Christ Pantocrator appears before the viewer. This image also has Greek name- Pantocrator. With his other hand the Youth blesses humanity.This article will consider the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” In addition, we will learn in more detail about the origin of this icon, as well as the antiquity of the image about which there are legends. Let's look at existing icons and lists from the original image.
Hodegetria - what is it?
Where did this image come from? According to legend, it was originally written during the life of the Mother of God. This image, which later became known as the Mother of God Hodegetria, was sent to Constantinople in the fifth century. For a long time was in the Odegon monastery. Some researchers believe that this icon was a copy from Blachernae. That first image also contained a small part of the Mother of God’s maphoria.
Today in Tretyakov Gallery one of the oldest such images is kept, which remains as it was before. originates from Pskov and dates back to the end of the 13th century. Previously, it was located in the Church of St. Nicholas of Kozh.
It should be noted that the name of this image has its own legend. It appeared before two blind men and in some incomprehensible way led them to the temple in Blachernae. She placed the sufferers in front of the icon of the same name, and they began to see clearly. Since then, this image has received the name “Hodegetria”, which is translated from Greek as “guidebook”.
According to another legend, the icon became a blessing for the wedding of Anna, who was the daughter of the Greek emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. After a long journey to Rus', it acquired its name.
"Hodegetria" in Rus'
The icon came to the territory of present-day Russia somewhere in the middle of the 11th century. She was brought by Princess Anna, who after some time became the wife of Vsevolod Yaroslavich of Chernigov. This image was originally miraculous and enjoyed special veneration by Christians. After some time, “Hodegetria” began to be called Smolensk.
Many copies of this icon quickly spread throughout Rus'. Of course, the image itself underwent some changes, since there was no strict iconographic canon for this type of Mother of God, and no one demanded an exact copy of the shrine. However common features the icons were preserved.
Special attitude towards the Mother of God in Rus'
So, the Hodegetria icon in Rus' is quite popular and very revered. Evidence of this are numerous lists of the first image, which were distributed throughout Ancient Rus'. It should be noted that the Mother of God is favorable to people living in this territory, since in many areas she is considered a patroness and intercessor.
Very often, sincere prayer saved a person from some misfortune or misfortune. There is a lot of evidence of this, both in ancient times and today.
Iconography of the image
The Hodegetria icon is a special image of the Mother of God. Translated from Greek, as already mentioned, this is a “guidebook”. The icon has special meaning for Christians. This image usually depicts the Mother of God and Child. Her hand is a finger pointing to the Son (located in front of the chest), as well as to the salvation of all mankind. This moment very important. The Baby himself sits on his left hand. His left hand occupied by a rolled scroll, and the right one raised in a blessing gesture. The Baby's legs are either crossed or straight. Usually the Son is depicted frontally, but sometimes he can be drawn half-turned. In any case, the blessing gesture is preserved. The Virgin Mary is sometimes depicted on a throne, sometimes in full height or waist-deep.
It should be noted that this image was known for quite a long time, even before the 6th century, in Palestine and Egypt. After which it became widespread throughout the Orthodox East. In the 3rd century, a theological understanding of this image took place, namely the interpretation of the moment of the Incarnation of God by the Mother of God. It should be noted that it is from this plot that new ones emerge that are directly related to the Mother of God. This and “ Burning bush”, and “The Unbreakable Wall”, and many others.
Smolensk icon - the most popular for this type
The icon "Hodegetria of Smolensk" is considered the prototype of all similar icons in Rus'. Its history goes back centuries, but these are mostly legends that were passed down from mouth to mouth. It is believed that it is a copy of the first icon that was painted by the Apostle Luke. She came to Rus', as was written above, with the daughter of Emperor Constantine.
After Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich and his wife Anna died, the icon was inherited by their son, Vladimir Monomakh. He transferred the miraculous image to Smolensk and placed it in the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Since then, the icon has become Smolensk.
In terms of the number of miracles performed, she is in one of the first places among her kind. It was the “Mother of God Hodegetria of Smolensk” who in 1239 was the intercessor and savior of the Russian land from the invasion of the troops of Batu Khan.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the icon was moved to Moscow and placed in the Kremlin in the Annunciation Cathedral. After some time, she was returned to her homeland, to Smolensk. After this, the image made many more travels and migrations, especially during wars and aggressive actions, but always returned to its homeland. Unfortunately, after the events of World War II, the fate of the image is unknown.
At one time, many copies were written from this icon, which spread throughout Russia. In Smolensk, in place of the ancient icon there is now another one, which also has miraculous properties. It is considered one of the most important shrines of the Russian land.
Tikhvin icon
Along with the Smolensk image, the “Tikhvin Hodegetria” is also revered. The icon of the Mother of God has the same ancient history, during which there were wonderful moments. It is believed that the image disappeared from Constantinople after its fall, and some time later appeared in Russia near Tikhvin.
According to legend, the Patriarch of Constantinople himself said that this is the same icon that was once in the Blachernae Church. In the Tikhvin Monastery the image was placed in the same way as originally in the temple of Constantinople. He stayed there all the time until monasteries and churches began to close throughout the country (USSR times).
IN Soviet years The icon was in America, and in 2004 it returned to Russia, where the Tikhvin Monastery began to be rebuilt.
Kazan icon
Another famous “Our Lady Hodegetria” is located in Kazan. This icon was found in 1579 in the city of Kazan, after there was a terrible fire that destroyed almost the entire settlement. The image of the Mother of God was revealed to a little girl, who dug the icon out from under the ashes.
The miraculous acquisition of the image after terrible tragedy It hit everyone very hard. Many at that time went to worship her, she gave hope for salvation (after all, cold weather was setting in, and many people were left on the street, without shelter or any property).
Subsequently, at the behest of Ivan the Terrible, the Kazan Cathedral was built, and near it it was founded. Miracles began to happen near the icon immediately after its discovery (the epiphany of two blind men).
Today the original icon does not exist; after some time it was lost. However, numerous lists from it still exist today, famous for their miracles.
Other famous icons of this type
The Hodegetria of Smolensk icon is, of course, the most famous among others of this type. However, there are many others similar to it. One of these icons is the Georgian one. Initially, she was in Georgia, but after 1622 she was taken to Persia (the conquest of the country took place). Her journey was long, and it stopped in the Arkhangelsk province in the Krasnogorsk monastery. Today, the original image is lost, but there are copies from it. Prayers are offered before the icon for the sake of getting rid of various epidemics, as well as to recover from ear and eye diseases.
Another, no less important, icon depicting the Mother of God Hodegetria is the Iverskaya. This image has no less mysterious story. In the 9th century, she was in the house of a pious woman. It was an iconoclastic period, and she decided to save the icon from destruction by lowering it into the waters of the sea. The icon appeared only two centuries later near Mount Athos near the Iveron Monastery. A gate church was built for her, where the image is still preserved.
Of course, these are not all the images of this type, which are kept and revered in many monasteries and temples. There are quite a lot of them, and they all have their own special power and give patronage.
Temples that are dedicated to the image of “Hodegetria”
Having considered the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” - it should be noted that this image Other shrines also correspond. For example, in many cities both in Russia and other countries, there are temples that were built in honor of the image of the “Guide”. Let's look at the list:
- Church in Kimzha, located in Arkhangelsk region(It does not work);
- church in the city of Disna, Belarus (operating);
- chapel-temple of Hodegetria, it is located in Simferopol, Crimea (operating);
- church in Kasimov, located in Ryazan region(current).
And there are quite a few such churches, chapels and temples a large number of, since the veneration of the Mother of God by the Orthodox is great.
Conclusion
So, now you know the answer to the question: “Hodegetria - what is it?” And also about where this iconographic type came from and what the most famous icons dedicated to it exist. It is quite understandable why this image is so revered in Rus', because more than once the Mother of God saved people from various troubles, instilled faith and hope, and did not allow them to lose heart.
The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria", which means "Guide", according to Church tradition, was painted by the holy evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this image was painted at the request of the Antiochian ruler Theophilus. From Antioch the shrine was transferred to Jerusalem, and from there Empress Eudokia, wife of Arcadius, transferred it to Constantinople to Pulcheria, the emperor’s sister, who placed the holy icon in the Blachernae Church.
The Greek Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh (1042-1054), marrying his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise, in 1046, blessed her on her journey with this icon. After the death of Prince Vsevolod, the icon passed to his son Vladimir Monomakh, who transferred it at the beginning of the 12th century to the Smolensk Cathedral Church in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From that time on, the icon received the name Hodegetria of Smolensk.
In 1238, according to a voice from the icon, the selfless Orthodox warrior Mercury penetrated Batu's camp at night and killed many enemies, including their strongest warrior. Having suffered a martyr's death in battle, he was canonized by the Church (November 24).
In the 14th century, Smolensk was in the possession of the Lithuanian princes. The daughter of Prince Vytautas Sophia was married to the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398, she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with her to Moscow. The holy image was installed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the royal gates. In 1456, at the request of the residents of Smolensk, led by Bishop Misail, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk with a religious procession, and two copies of it remained in Moscow. One was erected in the Annunciation Cathedral, and the other - “measure in moderation” - in 1524 in the Novodevichy Convent, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on the Maiden Field, where “with many tears” the Muscovites released the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602 with miraculous icon an exact list was written (in 1666, along with an ancient icon new list taken to Moscow for renovation), which was placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall, above the Dnieper Gate, under a specially constructed tent. Later, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802 - a stone one.
The new copy took on the beneficial power of the ancient image, and when Russian troops left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for protection from the enemy. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, this image was worn around the camp to strengthen and encourage the soldiers for a great feat. An ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, taken temporarily to the Assumption Cathedral, on the day of the Battle of Borodino, together with Iverskaya and Vladimir icons The Mother of God was carried around the White City, Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin walls, and then sent to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovo Palace. Before leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl.
Our ancestors so reverently guarded these sister icons, and the Mother of God protected our Motherland through Her images. After the victory over the enemy, the icon of Hodegetria, along with the illustrious list, was returned to Smolensk.
The celebration in honor of this miraculous image on July 28 was established in 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.
There are many revered lists from the Smolensk Hodegetria, which are celebrated on the same day. There is also a day of celebration of the Smolensk icon, which became famous in the 19th century - November 5, when this image, by order of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov, was returned to Smolensk. In memory of the expulsion of enemies from the Fatherland, it was established in Smolensk to celebrate this day annually.
The Holy Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria is one of the main shrines of the Russian Church. Believers received and receive from her abundant gracious help. The Mother of God, through Her holy image, intercedes and strengthens us, guiding us to salvation, and we cry out to Her: “You are the All-Blessed Hodegetria to the faithful people, You are the Smolensk Praise and all the Russian lands - affirmation! Rejoice, Hodegetria, salvation for Christians!”
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