Icon of the Mother of God, a sign of Abalatskaya and prayers to her. The Miraculous Image of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Mother of God

Very often, the holy icon itself was carried to various Siberian cities: Tyumen, Tara, Verkhoturye, etc. Therefore, it happened that pilgrims, having made a considerable journey, did not find the icon in Abalak, and were forced to return with great chagrin.

In order to put an end to these troubles, the well-known icon painter, Protodeacon Matthias, who once painted the miraculous image of the Znamensko-Abalatskaya Icon of the Mother of God, was instructed to make a copy of the miraculous icon, smaller in size, but completely identical in writing and colors. It was this list that began to be worn around the surrounding cities and villages of the Tobolsk Territory.

The miraculous icon was constantly in Abalak, where in 1783. a monastery was built.

Very soon, however, the carry list from the miraculous icon became famous for miraculous healings and other miracles. The grace-filled power of God and the goodwill of the Queen of Heaven also rested on this newly painted icon. For almost a hundred years the list was in Siberia, and only at the beginning of the 18th century. he, by the grace of God, was moved to the borders of present-day Kazakhstan. And among all the lists from the miraculous Znamensko-Abalatskaya icon the most famous was this Semipalatinsk copy of the icon of the Mother of God.

And it happened this way.

In 1720 to establish the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress from Tobolsk, a military detachment under the command of Guards Major Ivan Mikhailovich L and harev a. Being a believer and realizing what dangers might lie in wait for him on his further journey, Likharev, having reached the Abalatsky Monastery, near Tobolsk, asked the local clergy to serve a parting prayer service on his ships in front of the revered image of the Abalatsky Mother of God. For this, a list was brought to his ships from the miraculous image, which was usually worn in the surrounding villages. The pious desire of the officer was fulfilled.

The icon was brought to the ship. “The prayer service began ... The head of the detachment and his subordinates fervently and fervently prayed ... The time had come for the reading of the Gospel ... But only the priest pronounced the beginning of the Gospel reading, laid down at the prayer singing in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos: in those days, Mary arose and went to b mountainous (Luke 1, 39.) ... how all the ships of Likharev invisibly, by the almighty power of God, weighed anchor and, completely without any human help, sailed up the Irtysh, and to this day, which is distinguished by a very fast current ...

Letter from Major Likharev I.M.

All those on the ships were amazed by such a clearly accomplished miracle! ... With deep faith and fervent prayer in their souls and on their lips, they surrendered to the will of the Heavenly Guide, which miraculously brought them to the Semipalatinsk fortress, located 1288 versts from Abalak, and only in two years , before the narrated event, constructed. Near this fortress, the ship, on which the Holy Icon was located, stopped and, despite all the efforts of the team that was at Likharev, to move it from its place and pull it forward, did not budge.

Seeing in this the will of God and the second miracle from the holy icon, Likharev ordered reverently to take down the Holy Icon from the ship and place it in the fortress church of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. As soon as this order was executed, the ship easily moved off, and Likharev, with his people, sailed on, and the Holy Icon remained in the Semipalatinsk fortress. By the providence of God, Likharev's ships landed almost at the same place where the Svyatoklyuchevsky Orthodox Monastery subsequently arose.

The Mother of God took the Orthodox of the Irtysh region under Her special patronage, and a visible evidence of this was the placement of the miraculous copy of the Znamensko-Abalatskaya Icon of the Blessed Virgin in Semipalatinsk. Subsequently, the Abalatsky clergy demanded that the icon be returned to Abalak, but the people of Semipalatinsk refused to do so, not wanting to part with the face of the Mother of God. The conflict was resolved by the Metropolitan of Tobolsk Filofey (in the schema Theodore, Leshchinsky), who ordered to leave the icon forever in Semipalatinsk, but obliging the inhabitants of Semipalatinsk to write an exact copy from it and send it to Abalak. The list was supposed to resemble Semipalatinsk in everything in both appearance and size, which was done.

So the aged metropolitan, and a missionary known throughout Russia, secured the legitimacy of the stay of the miraculous list of the icon of the Virgin in the fortress of Semipalatinsk. It would not be out of place to note that this decree of Bishop Philotheus was one of his last decrees, in the same 1720 the venerable elder-metropolitan retired to the Trinity Tyumen Monastery.

Since then, the revered copy of the Abalatskaya Icon of the Mother of God has been in the Semipalatinsk church in the name of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. “According to the inventory of church property for 1751, it can be seen that by that time the church already had a bell tower of 6 bells and there were three icons of the Mother of God - one of them is a list from the miraculous icon of the Abalatskaya Mother of God, brought by Likharev in the summer of 1720.”

Glorified by such an obvious miracle of God, the icon was surrounded by veneration, and reverently kept in the fortress church, however, as it turned out, it needed to become even more glorified and sanctify the very area where the icon deigned to stay.

One night in 1740 the icon of the Mother of God disappeared. “According to the stories, they found her in the evening, a mile and a half further than the fortress, standing near the mountain spring, with a candle lit in front of her. The icon was removed and returned to the church, and the key was given the name of the Saint.

There is also a more extensive tradition, which is cited by the priest Dimitry Aleksinsky. According to this story, the icon was found by a Tatar who got lost in the forest, who went in the winter for firewood, but lost his way and froze. Being a non-Orthodox man, but a believer in God, he began to zealously appeal to God's mercy, praying for his salvation. Suddenly, he saw a luminous light in the thicket of the forest, going to which he found an icon standing near a poplar with a burning candle at the foot of a tree and a spring of water spouting from under the poplar roots. Having recognized the area, the traveler immediately found the way to the house and, having arrived in the city, told the priest of the Orthodox Church about what had happened to him. The priest, taking several Siberian Cossacks, having a Tatar as a guide, hurriedly went to that place.

At the Holy Spring on the "Holy Key"

The icon, as before, stood near the tree. After praying, the priest tried to remove the icon from the tree, but neither he nor any of the Cossacks accompanying him could do it. Only when the priest turned to the Tatar with a request to remove the icon, he, having prayed and washed his hands in the key, was able to remove the icon from the tree. The miraculous icon was returned to the fortress church, and the Key became a place of pilgrimage for many Orthodox people. It is no coincidence, perhaps, that it was a Tatar, a person of non-Orthodox faith, who happened to acquire a miraculous icon, since the convent that arose here later carried out great peacemaking, missionary work among the local Muslim population.

The place chosen in 1718 for the foundation of the fortress of Semipalatinsk turned out to be very unfortunate - overflowing, the Irtysh often flooded the entire city, so in 1767, at the initiative of Lieutenant General Shprinter, it was decided to move the city of Semipalatinsk, with all its buildings, 16 miles higher along the river Irtysh, to a place where the bank rose significantly above the river. In 1776, the transfer of the city began, and in 1777 it was decided to build a large stone cathedral in the city, instead of the wooden church of Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, standing on the site of the old fortress. In the original version, the temple was supposed to keep the old name in honor of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. But in July 1782, Major General Ogarev, at the request of the Semipalatinsk flock, filed a petition about the desire of the inhabitants to have a main chapel in the name of the Sign of the Mother of God, due to the special veneration of the venerated icon of Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk by the Orthodox Semipalatinsk.

In response to this request, Bishop Varlaam of Tobolsk (Petrov, 1768-1802) ordered “to call the church being erected Znamenskaya, to replace the chapel of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called with the name of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves; in addition, the iconostasis and icons from the old church should be brought into this chapel and consecrated, and the readiness for the consecration of the main altar and the chapel should be reported in due time. Together with the rest of the icons, the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, much revered by the people, was transferred to the Cathedral.

The miraculous Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Mother of God was considered the main shrine of the Cathedral of the Sign. It was kept in a row of local icons of the iconostasis of the main limit, to the left of the royal gates. (You can see it in the photo if you look closely)

Here is a detailed description of the miraculous icon, placed in the Chronicle of the Sign Cathedral: “Of the icons of this temple, the local icon of the Sign of the Mother of God is respected by the people and revered as miraculous. The Mother of God is depicted on this icon with outstretched hands as the Eternal Child in the womb with St. Nicholas and St. Mary of Egypt standing on either side. Its board is somewhat more than 6 inches long, and a little more than 5 inches wide. Previously, the riza on it was silver in 95 spools, arranged in 1789 in Tobolsk by the priest Vasily Makariev, but since 1797 it has been all and with a golden crown of 1 ¼ pounds is arranged for church 3,000 rubles, only on the crown is a crown, for greater relief, silver without gilding, but with precious stones, including 6 amethysts and 73 diamonds. It was sent in 1844 by the late wife of the Governor-General of Western Siberia, Princess Natalia Dimitrievna Gorchakova. The holy icon, due to its small size, for greater magnificence, is inserted into the middle of another larger icon, which depicts: at the top the coronation of the Mother of God, on the sides of Her Nativity, the Entry into the Temple, the Annunciation and the Assumption, and below the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, that everything is covered with a silver-gilt riza . At the bottom of the miraculous icon (on the riza - author) is signed: "The true image and measure of the miraculous image of the Most Pure Mother of God of Abalatskaya in the fortress of Semipalatinsk."

The true image of the miraculous image of the Most Pure Mother of God

Abalatskaya in the fortress of Semipalatinsk

A huge number of people - Orthodox pilgrims sought to worship the miraculous icon. Historical sources of that time note that in the Znamensky Cathedral, in the chapel consecrated in honor of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, another Abalak Icon of the Mother of God was kept of the same size and type as the miraculous list.

“The inhabitants of the villages located near Semipalatinsk, along the Irtysh, carry this list, and sometimes the original list from the Abalak icon, to their villages and to their fields, and to their cattle pastures; and earlier, when the Semipalatinsk region, according to church administration, belonged to the Tobolsk diocese, the icon was carried almost to the city of Omsk.

And every year on July 7 (old style, July 21 of the new style), on the eve of Prokopiev Day, when the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Kazan (1579), a procession was made from Semipalatinsk to the Holy Key, in which a large number of Orthodox Semipalatinsk residents participated . The procession was made from the Znamensky Cathedral, and the faithful with prayerful reverence carried with them, among other icons, the miraculous Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Being spiritually the heart of church life in Semipalatinsk, the Holy Key was to become the true center of Christian spiritual life in the city. The Mother of God desired that a righteous Christian virginal life begin at the site of the appearance of Her miraculous icon.

In 1902, the women's community from Zarechnaya Sloboda moved to Svyatoy Klyuch. Thus, the foundation was laid for the existence of a female Orthodox monastery here. In 1912 An important event in the history of the Holy Key took place - the women's community was turned into a cenobitic convent.

Sisters of the monastery

A completely new life awaited the Svyatoklyuchinsky monastery after the onset of bloody revolutionary events. the new authorities began to persecute the Holy Church, closing churches, trampling on every shrine, physically destroying clergy and monastics. The threat of closure also hung over the Holy Key.

The monastic tradition says that shortly before the closing of the monastery, on one of the nights, a nun who was on duty in the monastery saw that the monastery church was illuminated from the inside with light. Thinking that a fire had started, she woke up all the sisters, and they, led by the abbess Mother Superior Catherine (Ivanyuk), ran into the church with excitement. There was no fire, but from the revered copy of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, revered by the nuns, a bright ray of light beat, illuminating the entire church. The amazed sisters froze at the threshold, not knowing how to understand such a phenomenon, only the highly experienced mother abbess said: “Get ready, sisters, we will probably be closed soon.”

In March 1921 the monastery was officially abolished, the monastery church in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, with all its property, was transferred to the Orthodox community of the village of Staro-Semipalatinsk. The expelled nuns and nuns settled in small groups in the city of Semipalatinsk, renting or, by joint efforts, buying houses from the townspeople. Living in the city, the nuns of the devastated monastery continued to follow their rules, many of them began to work in hospitals as nurses, since this work was closer to them in the spirit of their lives.

Abbess of the monastery Ekaterina (Ivanyuk) was removed from the monastery by the authorities even before the final dissolution of the artel. In August 1937 mother abbess was arrested, along with Archbishop Alexander of Semipalatinsk (Shchukin). She was sentenced to imprisonment in Central Asia. Her further fate is unknown.

And on December 22, 1929, a decision was made to liquidate the Orthodox church in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Holy Key. Temple property, including a copy of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Mother of God, from which there was a sign before the closing of the monastery, it was decided to transfer the Resurrection Church in Semipalatinsk.

Thus, an icon appeared in the Church of the Resurrection, which was supposed to take over the succession of the revered list of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk image of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Abbess of the Monastery Catherine (Ivanyuk)

Tragic was the fate of the most miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos. Kept in the Znamensky Cathedral, he survived the fate of this temple. During the campaign to seize church valuables, Orthodox believers saved the miraculous icon from desecration - the riza remained on the icon, and in return the believers collected the same amount of jewelry that was on the silver-gilded riza.

In 1922 the rector of the Cathedral of the Sign, the priest Izvekov, evaded the Renovationist schism and, secretly from his ruling bishop, Bishop Cyprian of Semipalatinsk (Komarovsky), invited the Renovationist "bishop" Nikolai to Semipalatinsk. The miraculous image fell into the hands of the renovationists. During the time that the icon was with the Renovationists, it was plundered.

In April 1925 a state audit found that “the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God in a golden chasuble, the sample was only on the rim of the riza, the cloth of the riza was attached to the rim with nails. Two karamzins turned out not to be diamonds, but simple glasses, 22 glasses in number, one fell out, the third karamzin has one diamond in it, six diamonds, the rest are simple glasses, three amethysts in the crown and three in the cross, there are 17 diamonds in the crown, 33 diamonds, and in it you need 50 diamonds. 10 golden topazes, 1 beryl and four simple glasses in a cross, one is missing. Topazes, beryl and simple glasses are not listed in the inventory.”

They were able to save the icon from the theomachists, but this did not stop the Renovationist heretics - they simply robbed it, thus betraying their selfish nature! In the future, traces of the genuine Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven are lost.

In February 1929 a group of Orthodox believers, insisting on the transfer of the Znamensky Cathedral to them, put forward the obligatory condition that the Znamensky Cathedral should be returned to the Orthodox “with all cult property and without fail with its shrine, the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign.”

But the cathedral was never returned to the Orthodox, it stood almost empty, because. believers refused to be parishioners of the “Krasnopopovskaya” church, while the small churches allocated to the Orthodox were overflowing with people! Znamensky Cathedral gradually deteriorated and in 1933. was blown up by the authorities, and nothing can be said about the fate of the Miraculous Icon.

The miraculous icon of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Mother of God disappeared without a trace. The revered list of the image, kept in the monastery church, was transferred to the Resurrection Church, which until 1937. remained the only functioning Orthodox church in the city. In November 1937 The Church of the Resurrection was closed, its last priests were martyred.

In 1944 an initiative group of parishioners filed a petition with the Soviet authorities to open an Orthodox Resurrection Cathedral. On April 16, 1944 the cathedral was opened. The condition of the temple was horrendous: the floor was broken, there was no plaster inside, the windows were broken, the icons were looted, the iconostasis gaped with empty eye sockets. The headman Ekaterina Belova took up the restoration of the temple.

Among the property of the temple was a copy of the icon of the Sign of Semipalatinsk-Abalatskaya, from the monastery church on the Holy Key.

It was the same icon from which, before the closing of the monastery, a ray of light came. By Easter 1949 (April 24), the renovation of the church was completed and regular services began. The basis of the permanent church choir was the nuns of the devastated monastery, who passed on their spiritual traditions to those who became parishioners of the Resurrection Church.

So in the Resurrection Church of Semipalatinsk, some traditions that existed in the devastated Svyatoklyuchensky monastery were entrenched, especially in the liturgical life of the temple. The temple had a portable throne consecrated in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, so at each liturgy it became customary to sing the troparion and kontakion to the Abalatsky image of the Virgin Mary at the entrance, some tunes of Orthodox chants came to the temple from the monastery, the very tradition of pilgrimage to the Holy Key lived among Orthodox Semipalatinsk residents and in the 60s, and in the 70s, and in the 80s. 20th century century.

Gradually, pilgrimages and trips to the Holy Key were fully resumed. especially on July 21, the day of memory of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Remembering the traditions of pre-revolutionary Semipalatinsk, people on a pilgrimage stayed to spend the night at the Holy Spring under the open sky, and in the morning, having collected holy water, they returned to the city. The glory of the Holy Source of the Mother of God also spread among the heterodox population - Muslims, and even Jews (who is writing these lines himself) during illnesses resorted to water from the Holy Spring and, according to their faith, received healing.

In the early 90s, the number of people visiting the Holy Key increased markedly, which was associated with the beginning of the revival of the Orthodox Church. A new stage of genuine ecclesiastical veneration of the Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk Icon of the Mother of God began in the late 1990s. 20th century

In December 1998 Archbishop Alexy (Kutepov), who then ruled the diocese, having visited Semipalatinsk, led the all-night vigil on the feast of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was in Novgorod the Great in 1170 (November 27 / December 10). At the same time, at the All-Night Vigil, the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos was sung in a singsong voice. Archbishop Alexy gave his blessing to read this Akathist every Friday in front of the revered image of the Mother of God of Semipalatinsk-Abalatsk, kept in the Resurrection Cathedral, in the main aisle, in the left corner of the church, in front of the holy altar. Since then, every Friday, with the exception of the first, last week of Great Lent and Bright Week, at 1400, the clergy of the temple, with an invariably large number of believers, serve a moleben to the Mother of God with the blessing of water, after which the Akathist is read.

Soon, the parishioners began to notice that, hitherto a very dark image, began to become enlightened, since then it has been updated, but not immediately, but gradually. This is especially noticeable during prayers - the image literally shines. Cases of healing people after these prayers began to multiply.

The Icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, whose significance for Russian Orthodox people can hardly be overestimated, has a very long history.

In Russia, the image has been known since the 11th century and was named so in honor of the miraculous sign from the Novgorod icon during the worst civil strife. Then, through the intercession of the Heavenly Queen, the city and its inhabitants were saved from the invasion of the invaders.

In 1352, people who came to the icon with prayer were healed of the plague. Two years later, grateful townspeople erected in her honor the Church of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the Mother of God face was solemnly transferred there two years later.

Description and meaning

In the image, the Mother of God raises her hands in a gesture of prayer. This movement is both an appeal to the Almighty and a blessing for those who need her help.

According to ancient testimonies, the raised hands were supposed to imitate the passions of the Lord, that is, such a gesture can be regarded as the desire of the Mother of God to share the suffering of her Son, as well as the suffering of all people asking for her protection.

The Divine Infant, located at the level of her chest, looks at the prayer and also blesses him.

It is quite reasonable to perceive the icon “The Sign of the Mother of God” in the meaning of “”, since both of these images have a common pedigree - Oranta, who was revered as the intercessor of all cities and villages, protecting from the attacks of the steppe nomads.

Interestingly, this face is called “Sign” only in Russia, residents of other countries called it akathist names.

Not only the original of the icon, but its lists became famous for their miraculous power. Among them are Mirozhskaya, Abalatskaya, Tsarskoye Selo and others.

Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" of Abalak

Siberian residents, more than others, revere the Abalakskaya (Abalatskaya, Abalatskaya-Znamenskaya) Mother of God. The name of this list was formed from the name of the Tatar village of Abalak.

This icon was painted by Protodeacon Matthew to fulfill a vow given by the relaxed peasant Yefimiy in honor of the new Church of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The reason for its construction was the repeated appearance of this image to the pious widow Mary. After writing the face of the Heavenly Queen, the paralytic was completely healed. In the future, this image of the Virgin Mary was associated with many other healings.

Outwardly, the image of Our Lady of Abalatsa differs from that of Novgorod only in that Mary of Egypt and St. Nicholas are standing on the first Mother of God.

What to pray for

The icon "The Sign of the Mother of God" has the meaning of a wall, protection for Orthodox Christians, so they pray to her:

• on the cessation of disasters;
• about salvation from enemies;
• about the return of what was lost and stolen;
• about reconciliation and appeasement of the warring;
• about healing from lepota and cholera.

Days of veneration: 2.08/20.07, 10.12/27.11 (according to the new/old style).

G. the widow Mary "in a light dream" of two icons - the Mother of God "The Sign" and the Monk Mary of Egypt and, "like a living being", St. Nicholas. From the icon of the Mother of God there was a voice commanding to build a church in honor of the icon "The Sign" with side chapels in the name of St. Mary of Egypt and St. Nicholas on the Abalatsky churchyard.

With the blessing of Archbishop Nektariy (Telyashin) of Tobolsk, the construction of the church began in the city and the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", Abalakskaya, was painted by the protodeacon of the Tobolsk Cathedral, Matthew Martynov, by order of the peasant E. Koki, from whose recovery miracles of healing from the icon began.

The legend about the Abalak icon "The Sign", including the story about the appearance of the icon and the miracles from it, has been preserved in 2 editions and has reached at least 10 lists of the 17th - early 19th centuries. The oldest edition was written in the city under the Tobolsk Archbishop Gerasim (Kremlin) on the basis of interrogative speeches of the widow Maria, preserved in the original. Its author was supposedly Savva Esipov, deacon of the Tobolsk Bishops' House and compiler of the Siberian Esipov Chronicle. The nature of the narration in this version of the Tale is close to documentary, although the language is largely close to bookish. In the mid 40s. 17th century The legend was continued by the recording of miracles by the local priest Pavel Stefanov; Under Archbishop Cornelius (1664–1677), a new edition of the monument was created - the text underwent stylistic changes and was supplemented with new miracles (the latter dates from 1664), recorded in the environment of the Tobolsk bishop. About 130 miracles are described in the Legend, among those who received healing from the icon there are residents of Central Russia (Yaroslavl), which indicates the all-Russian fame of the Abalak Icon “The Sign” already in the 2nd half of the 17th century. Messages about the miracles of healing from the Abalak Icon of the Sign, performed in the 19th century, were published in appendices to the edition of the Tale. The 2nd edition of the Tale was published in the 19th - early centuries. only in translations.

Her celebration takes place on the day of the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" - November 27. Archbishop Cornelius, in memory of the cessation of rains through the prayer of the Abalak Icon "The Sign", established in the city an annual procession from Abalak to Tobolsk, coinciding with the day of celebration (July 8) of the ancient Siberian shrine - the miraculous Kazan Icon (Tobolsk) in the Cathedral. The icon remained in the city until July 20, which became the second day of the celebration of the icon, which later ceased, since it fell at the time of the procession.

The Abalak Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” has not been preserved. It was a copy of the icon "The Sign" of Novgorod, supplemented with images of St. Nicholas and St. Mary of Egypt. The icon was inserted into a wooden frame-icon with picturesque images of the Mother of God feasts. The size of the icon is 27.0 by 22.5 cm, the size of the frame is 108 by 80 cm.

The service to the Abalak Icon of the Sign was approved at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 21.

Lists icons

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

Today, like the sun that never sets, / Your image shines brightly, O Most Pure One, / in the Abalak hills in the air / miraculously appeared to the widow. / And we, falling down to him, / to the Mother of God touchingly cry out: / oh, All-singing Lady, / grant peace to your abode / / and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4

Luke, the herald of the Gospel of Christ / Thy images, Most Pure, of old, depict, / widow, alone miraculously beholding from them, / proclaim to us Thy command, / yes, faithful, flowing to Thee, they call: presenting.

In kontakion, the voice is the same

Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore. Inv. No. ZhI-1295

Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore. Inv. No. ZhI-1302

"Abalaxtey".

Church Slavonic is correct: "our".

The Icon of the Sign of Abalatskaya (Abalakskaya) is one of the most revered images. The image is especially revered in the Siberian land. It was there that this icon appeared, in the same place the Image showed miracles and healings.

To whom and in what does the image of the Mother of God of the Sign of Abalatskaya help

Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Abalatskaya

The icon has healing power. Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Sign" Abalatskaya they pray for relaxation and paralysis, for the healing of eye diseases and blindness

If you sincerely pray, then the Mother of God of the Sign will help:

• heal from various diseases.
• under various hardships and troubles.
• strengthen faith.
• receive the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God.

Prayers to the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Sign of Abalatskaya

“O my Most Holy Lady Theotokos, mercy is the source, cover, hope and refuge of Christians! To you, Omnipotent Representative and Guarantee of my repentance and salvation, I, Thy sinful servant, I entrust my soul and body, my entrances and exits, my faith and residence, the end and number of my days, my words and thoughts, my deeds and beginnings; But you, merciful Mother of God, guide me, cover, observe and save me from all enemy machinations unscathed, but silently, until my last breath, I cry out to You: Rejoice, Bride not bride! Rejoice, Holy One, great saints! Holy Mother of God, save me! Amen!

Troparion to the Mother of God of the Sign Abalatskaya

Like an invincible wall and a source of miracles, Thy servants have acquired Thee, Most Pure Theotokos, we cast down the resisting militias. The same we pray to Thee: grant peace to Thy city and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion to the Mother of God of the Sign Abalatskaya

Your honorable image is a sign celebrating your people, the Theotokos, who gave you a wondrous victory in the city of opposition to yours. In the same way, we cry out to You by faith: Rejoice, Virgin, Christian praise.

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos of the Sign Abalatskaya

There is also a special Akathist, which is read in front of the Abalatskaya icon. This prayer chant is recited in the Temple during prayers and on the day of veneration of the Image November 27. If desired, you can read it yourself before homework.

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of her icon, called "Abalatskaya":

Chosen by the Eternal King in our faithful salvation of heaven and earth, the Queen, we bring thanksgiving praises to Thee, Mother of God! But you, as if you have an invincible power and indescribable mercy, free us from all troubles and grant us all the good, let us call you: Rejoice, Mother of the Virgin, all-singing praise of Christians.

The archangels and angels sing unceasing songs to you, pure virgin, in heaven. But we, sinners, on earth kneeling our souls and our hearts before Your Most Pure image with tears of tenderness, with mortal lips crying out to You: Rejoice, our zealous Intercessor; Rejoice, our most merciful Mother. Rejoice, our imperishable glory; Rejoice, our inexhaustible wealth. Rejoice, our immutable Helper; Rejoice, our dear patroness. Rejoice, our joy, cleansing us from all filth of the flesh and spirit; Rejoice, our Healer, delivering us from mental and physical illnesses. Rejoice, our praise, which does not deprive us of spiritual joys; Rejoice, our Lady, with your help healing our ailments. Rejoice, our refuge, covering us from enemies visible and invisible; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Seeing in three visions the God-loving widow Mary of Your all-honourable face, Blessed Virgin, an image, obsessed with great horror, be afraid to tell about your wonderful visions to people, in your hearts, from the depths of your soul, cry out to God: Alleluia.

The mind, unintelligible by human thoughts, seeking to understand in the miraculous appearance of Your most pure, Mother of God, image, Blessed Mary of the new, be worthy of a vision, in it the great Saint Nicholas terribly commanded her to proclaim what she saw, she, with fear and trembling, told everyone the secret of her vision and taught everyone to cry out to the Mother of God : Rejoice, having carried all the Builder in Your beds; Rejoice, thou who didst give birth to God in the flesh, the Savior of the world. Rejoice, incorruptible preservation of virginity at Christmas; Rejoice, thou who hast lived on earth like an angel. Rejoice, reconciling God with men; Rejoice, most holy saint of all. Rejoice, Blessed Virgin, wondrously showing us Your image; Rejoice, O Gracious One, in the manifestation of Your image showing mercy to us. Rejoice, for all those who honor Your image, holy providence; Rejoice, giving salvation to all who pray to You before Your holy image according to the measure of faith. Rejoice, for you raise our minds to the heavenly world with the miracles of Your image; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Seeking the power of God, take away the faithful people of Tobolstia in the wondrous manifestations of Your image, Bogomati, having gathered together with their bishop Nectarius, and be sure that the mercy of the Queen of Heaven will be desired to visit in our country all those who want to improve salvation; having confidence and rejoicing with great joy, chanting to God: Alleluia!

Having an all-hearted desire to acquire the treasure of heaven, Your holy face, the Theotokos, all unanimously desiring first with your own hands to build a new church in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God on the site of the appearances, and then erected, with all zeal singing to the Queen of Heaven: Rejoice, angelic great surprise; Rejoice, forefathers wondrous consolation. Rejoice, prophetic lofty sermon; Rejoice, most glorious apostolic praise. Rejoice, fair decoration of saints; Rejoice, strong affirmation of the martyrs. Rejoice, saving instruction of the monks; Rejoice, inexhaustible abstinence of fasters. Rejoice" virgin purity and glory; Rejoice, quiet joy of fathers and mothers. Rejoice, fertilizer for all Orthodox Christians; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

The storm of doubtful thoughts turned into joyful silence, always seeing in a vision the image of the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos of the decree to be its likeness of the Sign of Novgorod, exactly with the upcoming Saint Nicholas and Mary of Egypt; the same and crying out all to God: Alleluia.

Hearing Euthymius, weakened in body, but not in spirit, from a certain elder Paul, if he would write a revealed icon in a new church, which was being built by the command of God on Abalak, trying to give this work to the first deacon of the Tobolsk cathedra, skillful in painting, Matthew, always write this image, sick little by little kissing and the Mother of God diligently belt: Rejoice, Queen of Heaven, rejoicing us with the appearance of Your honest icon; Rejoice, Mother of God, surprising us with miraculous healing from her. Rejoice, bright enlightenment to our country; Rejoice, indestructible fence of our land. Rejoice, silence floating on the waters; Rejoice, overwhelmed peaceful haven. Rejoice, traveling easy passage; Rejoice, merciful Instructor of the wandering. Rejoice, good rest for those who labor; Rejoice, quiet refuge for the burdened. Rejoice, quick Intercessor in those troubles; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

The divine star, which sometimes led the Magi to the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, was like the appearance of Your icon, the Divine Virgin, within our boundaries: seeing those praying before her, our ancestors from You recognize Your Son, our Savior, but we learn to sing to Him more diligently: Alleluia .

Seeing the people of Tobolstia the honest icon of the Mother of God, who showed miraculous healing to the one who was zealous to write, like a divine treasure, you accepted it and like a multi-light lamp you put in the new temple they created, rejoicing and crying to the Mother of God: Rejoice, luminous Luminary, illuminating our country; Rejoice, thou who arrangest the salvation of our souls. Rejoice, enlightening our hearts with the heavenly light; Rejoice, peace, silence and prosperity to us showing. Rejoice, giving health to the sick spiritually and bodily; Rejoice, covering the offended with Your honest robe. Rejoice, hopeless well-known hope; Rejoice, enlightening mind of babies. Rejoice, Nurse of widows and orphans; Rejoice, naked robe and deliverance of captives. Rejoice, quick Helper to those who ask for help; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Preachers of the unflattering of Thy great mercy, Lady, to the people all who received miraculous healings from Thy holy icon; all those who heard and saw the gracious currents pouring out abundantly from You on the suffering and needy, together with them joyfully singing to God: Alleluia!

Ascend grace from your image, Pure Virgin, like the brightest sun within our limits, with the rays of miracles flowing from it, our city and all the cities and countries, not just Siberian lands, but also Russian illuminating, for this reason, bewilderingly utter the greatness of miracles, from your icon former, Mother of God, in the tenderness of the heart, with faith and love crying out to Thee: Rejoice, healing the obsessed with black weakness; Rejoice, consolidator of the sick eyes. Rejoice, deliverer of falling illnesses; Rejoice, thou who opens the eyes of the blind. Rejoice, driving away evil demons from people; Rejoice, giving health to the raging. Rejoice, exalting those who are weakened from the bed; Rejoice, thou who restorest the mute tongue and speech. Rejoice, healer of all cruel ailments; Rejoice, in dreams and visions of those who suffer, you reveal yourself. Rejoice, miraculously freeing from all misfortunes; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Want to glorify Thy holy icon, Virgin Mother of God, Thy Son and God our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the eyes of all the outpouring of an inexhaustible sea of ​​​​miracles from her, in it all those who sink with faith and hope accept the grace of healing and, thanking the Lord, cry out to Him with fear and love : Alleluia.

New and glorious miracles of Thy grace, Mother of God, reveal to us the Lord, when Thy holy icon is carried around the city and villages of our country; many believers will suddenly be healed of various incurable ailments, and unbelievers will turn to faith, singing to You with surprise, tenderness and love: Rejoice, healer of all diseases; Rejoice, you who drive away all ailments. Rejoice, ever-burning love of the Seraphim; Rejoice, inflaming our souls and hearts with divine love. Rejoice, thou who didst contain the fire of the Divine within Thee; Rejoice, changing the flame of our passions. Rejoice, from the fire of sinful believers in You, who observes: Rejoice, from the fire of Gehenna who loves You, delivering. Rejoice, thou who preservest us from the burning of the fiery dwelling; Rejoice, dispelling the darkness of our ignorance with the dawns of Your light. Rejoice, our warm Intercessor and zealous Prayer Book for God for us; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

A strange vision of the honest icon of the Mother of God, revealed from above with the upcoming Saint Nicholas and Mary of Egypt, having understood, let us leave, husbands and wives, of the vain world, raising the mind to heaven; for this sake, and for the sake of it, a wonderful icon of the Mother of God was given to us, but looking at the nude, we are philosophizing on high, and not earthly, crying out to God: Alleluia!

Thou art all in the highest, but even the lower ones do not leave the Virgin Mother of God, Your miracles, from Your holy icon, as if from a living and unenviable source, pouring out, enlighten us forever, flowing to You by faith and calling such: Rejoice, inexhaustible wealth of the poor in spirit and mercies abyss; Rejoice, Mother, loving child, sad invisible consolation. Rejoice, Dove, meek, quiet and gentle; Rejoice, sweet-voiced turtledove, secret reassurance of the hated. Rejoice, salvation of sinners and appropriation to God; Rejoice, solid fence of the faithful of all. Rejoice, invisible help and intercession to those who hope in Thee; Rejoice, angelic mind, ever seeing God. Rejoice, bright star of the intelligent sun; Rejoice, most glorious Cherubim and Seraphim. Rejoice, most honest of the Archangels and Angels; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Our whole country, protected by Your graces, Mother of God, graced, having Your miraculous icon as a shield and protection from enemies visible and invisible, with Your invisible help conquers all its adversaries, and in the joy of the heart reverently cries out to God: Alleluia.

Our songful oratory, like childish recklessness, does not suffice for the utterance of all the miracles and good deeds, by Thee, the Lady, revealed and ever revealed to us from Thy marvelous icon; for this reason, perplexedly praising Thee according to the property, with humility we cry out to Thee: Rejoice, glorifying Thee always glorifying; Rejoice, thou who sanctifies Thy icon by walking from fire, hail and our villages. Rejoice, graciously visiting our temples and houses with Your icon; Rejoice, thou who liftest up the prayers of those who pray to Thee to God. Rejoice, thou who never sweeps aside our sobs and sighs; Rejoice, by the coming of Your icon of joy, our aggravating. Rejoice, all our sorrows and bitter misfortunes sweetening it; Rejoice, encouraging those who are discouraged by your love of mankind. Rejoice, giving joy and health to those worshiping Your revealed icon; Rejoice, thou who tenderest the souls of the faithful with Thy mercy. Rejoice, our joy, comforting us with your holy icon; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Save the human race from eternal torment and give it the Kingdom of Heaven, the philanthropic Lord has given us sinners His Mother to help, cover and protect; wake us, O All-good One, Helper, Intercessor and Leader in all our life, in the end and after our death, do not leave us, by the mercy of those crying out: Alleluia.

Thou art a truly invincible wall, Virgin Mary, to all who resort to You; no one, flowing to You, departs thinly, the same, we are generous with Your mercy, in tenderness of the soul we pray to Thee: cover, intercede and save all of us, helpless, from all troubles, temptations and bitterness, crying out to Thee with love: Rejoice, strong protection placed on Thee hope; Rejoice, champion of the army. Rejoice, Companion to the unacceptable judges; Rejoice, mentors and schoolmasters admonition. Rejoice, pure mirror of knowledge of the truth; Rejoice, for the preservation of faith is a strong visor. Rejoice, all-good Comforter of the unfortunate; Rejoice, Patroness of homeless orphans. Rejoice, blessing of all children; Rejoice, guiding all youth to goodness. Rejoice, strengthening all ages in a holy life; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Our singing and prayers before the holy and miraculous icon of Yours, which you ascend, receive, the merciful Lady, intercede, save, have mercy and save us from every evil situation, but let us live a quiet and silent life under Your shelter in all piety and purity, from the depths of the soul tenderly singing to God: Alleluia.

The light-receiving candle of the divine light, as the Mother of God and the Mother of the Light of the Infinite, understanding and revering Thee, Most Pure, as we can utter Thy grace of illumination, ever-flowing from Thy icon, as from the radiant sun; In addition to the illumination of Your merciful, All-good, seeking, we dare to sing to You: Rejoice, unsetting dawn, shining upon us with eternal light; Rejoice, moon, shining over us from the Sun of Truth. Rejoice, luminary, placed on the higher candlestick; Rejoice, unquenchable candle of immaterial fire. Rejoice, Mother of the true light, enlightening the pious souls; Rejoice, light of heavenly life exuding us. Rejoice, Thou most blessedly pleasing to those who bless; Rejoice, illuminating those who earnestly pray to You with the light of grace. Rejoice, making every old age a model of holy life; Rejoice, exterminating darkness in which pagans, unbelievers, heretics and schismatics live. Rejoice, enlightening all sinners with Thy light and leading to repentance; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

Grace of the pledge that gave us Your holy icon, Mother of God the Most High, ask us from the Heavenly Master, Your Son and our God, the grace of the Holy Spirit; raise us up from the depths of sin, enlighten our eyes of the heart to the vision of salvation, enliven our hearts with the spirit of piety and the fear of God, the spirit of purity and truth, the spirit of love and mercy, may we always sing to God: Alleluia!

Singing Your ancient and new mercies and miracles, Mother of God, we praise You all, like our firm and reliable Representative, with tenderness we worship You, praying for us and doing good to us; we believe and hope, as if you ask and give us all that is good and saving, temporal and eternal, singing Ty: Rejoice, shameless hope in the stomach, in the outcome and after our death; Rejoice, for those who trust in Thee, the end of this belly is peaceful. Rejoice, on the day of judgment our hope and protection; Rejoice, Judge of the righteous supplication. Rejoice, refuge and intercession for all repentant sinners; Rejoice, glory and consolation to all the righteous. Rejoice, vouchsafed the joy of those who bring you eternal joys; Rejoice, graciously accepting our tearful prayers. Rejoice, covering us with your cover from enemies visible and invisible; Rejoice, instructing all of us sinners to salvation and the perception of eternal blessings. Rejoice, worshiping the icon of Thy and Thee to the aid of those calling for help soon; Rejoice, Holy One, great saints. Rejoice, Mother Devo, praise of all Christians.

O All-Blessed Mother the Virgin, Mother of God, ever blessed to us in Your holy icon, now accept You the only applied offering, deliver us from all troubles, misfortunes and sorrows, temporary and eternal, and make us, Your servants, settle in the villages of paradise, but forever and ever sing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1).

We invite you to listen to the performance of the prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos and let the Divine Light and Faith into your heart:

The history of the icon and its meaning

The Abalatskaya icon of the Mother of God of the Sign received its name in honor of the small Tatar village of Abalak, located not far from Tobolsk. One of the inhabitants of the village, a widow named Maria, who was distinguished by kindness and a righteous way of life, had a phenomenon. Three icons appeared to the woman: Mary of Egypt, St. Nicholas and the Mother of God. The voice from the icon ordered the widow to inform the villagers that it was required to build a temple on the rural churchyard, and to consecrate two limits in honor of those who appeared in the vision: the first - in the name of Mary of Egypt, the other - in the name of St. Nicholas.

The icon is an approximate list of the "Sign" of Novgorod, written in honor of the wisdom of God - Sophia. The only difference is the images of Saints Mary of Egypt and Nicholas, added to commemorate the miraculous vision.

History of writing

The Bishop of Tobolsk gave his blessing for the construction of a village church, and very soon construction work began. The sign of Abalatskaya was written for the opening of a new temple

Miracles

• The very first miracle was the healing of the Abalak peasant Yefimiy. It was he who paid for the work of painting the icon. And while the artist was creating the image, the seriously ill Yefimiy felt better and better every day. And when the Icon was ready, the patient felt so well that he himself took the icon and brought it to the Temple for consecration.
• The second miracle associated with the Abalatsky "Sign" happened a little later, during the transfer to the Abalatsky churchyard. The icon was accompanied by a solemn procession, and in one of the villages, when the image was carried past a peasant house, the owner went out to bow to the icon and asked for the healing of his blind daughter. And at the same moment, the girl, suffering from an eye disease, received her sight.
• An important event was the rescue of Tobolsk from the flood. In 1665 it rained all summer. The water destroyed all the crops. It was decided to transfer the Abalatsk icon "The Sign" to Tobolsk. As soon as the prayer began, the clouds parted, and the long-awaited sun came out.
• The image repeatedly showed other miracles, contributed to the healing of the afflicted, contributed to success in business for people who sincerely prayed before the icon. People came to bow to the image not only from the environs of Tobolsk, but also from all over Siberia and from other Russian cities.

miraculous lists

Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Abalatskaya

1. Throughout Siberia, there are many miraculous copies of the icon. The most famous is the Mother of God of Abalatskaya-Skitskaya. This image was created at the end of the nineteenth century in the convent in Yekaterinburg, after the revolution, the icon was placed in the Krasnoyarsk Museum, where it is now.
2. Also known is the list of the Semipalatinsk icon. The image was created at the end of the seventeenth century, and it was often taken to Siberian cities and villages for the worship of believers. During these trips, many miraculous healings and signs were revealed. Once the Image was placed on a warship, which stopped by itself in the middle of the river, reaching the banks of Semipalatinsk. In honor of the icon, the Church of the Sign was erected in the city.

Created: November 29, 2012 23:52

The history of this image dates back to 1636, and the name comes from c. Abalak, located 30 km from the city of Tobolsk. A certain widow Maria in a dream saw two icons: the “Sign” of the Mother of God and the image of St. Mary of Egypt. From the Mother of God icon, the widow received an order to build a church near the Abalatsky churchyard. In 1637, with the blessing of the Tobolsk archbishop. Nectarius, the Znamensky temple was erected with 2 aisles in honor of Mary of Egypt and Nicholas the Wonderworker, which laid the foundation for the Abalatsky Znamensky Monastery.According to the widow Maria, the local protodeacon Matthew Martynov in 1637. painted the icon of the Mother of God, called Abalatskaya (original). On the edge there is a half-length image of the Most Holy Theotokos with her hands raised in prayer and blessing the Christ Child in a mandorla (medallion) on Her chest. Such a composition corresponds to the Novgorod iconography of the Mother of God “The Sign”, but the hallmarks of the Abalak image were St. Mary of Egypt and St. Nikolay. With the donations of believers, the original icons were decorated with a precious salary. At the end of the 17th century, this icon painter Matthew wrote copies (copies). Abalatskaya icon: to the same monastery, the so-calledViceroy and a reduced list inSemipalatinsk city. These ancient lists were lost in the civil war. However, the Tyumen art critic Marina Sofronova, in her interview to the television "Tyumen-region" in 2009. stated that in reserve fundsTretyakov Gallery there is an Abalak icon dating from the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries.http://tyumen.rfn.ru/video.html?id=9185&type=r

A list of the Abalak Icon of the Mother of God, written at the beginning of the 20th century by Augusta, a nun of the St. John the Vvedensky Monastery. Procession of the Cross, Tobolsk 2010

In pre-revolutionary times, the Abalak icon was the most revered shrine of Siberia, and its numerous lists were in many churches and monasteries: inMoscow, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk, Tyumen, Ishim, Bryansk and of course in the Trans-Urals . Being imprisoned in Tobolsk, the family of the royal martyr Emperor Nicholas II prayed at the icon. Noteworthy is the entry in the tsar's diary on the feast of the Nativity of Christ: "After the liturgy, a moleben was served before the Abalak Icon of the Mother of God, brought the day before from the monastery"... Later, a list was made for the Sovereign from the icon, which accompanied him until the last hours of his life in Yekaterinburg. So the royal family met the fatal year of 1918 for them. It is known that at the time of the Abalatsk Icon, each Elder Grigory (Rasputin), Admiral Kolchak, White Generals Kornilov, Kappel, Diteriks, Popelyaev and others prayed at one time or another. In 1919, fearing for the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Abalak, Bishop Methodius with Admiral A.V. Kolchak takes away the icon on the ship from the Abalaksky monastery of Tobolsk to Omsk, and then through the Far East to Shanghai.
Currently, in the Znamenskaya Church of the Abalaksky Monastery, instead of a genuine icon, there is a not particularly ancient copy of the Abalaksky Icon of the Mother of God, written at the beginning of the 20th century by the nun of the St. John the Vvedensky Monastery Augusta. http://www.tobolsk-eparhia.ru/p/pages.php?id=t4_7 He is included in a number of miraculous icons and is surrounded by well-deserved veneration: they carry him for worship and arrange religious processions throughout the oil North. In addition, pilgrims from all over Russia now come to the Znamensky Abalatsky Monastery near Tobolsk. This 20th-century list of the Abalak Icon, according to journalists, is now included in the Seven Wonders of the Ural Federal District.

Some lists of the Abalatskaya icon written at the end of the 19th century, beginning. 20th century

Until recently, the location of the exported original of the Abacus icon was unknown. Only there were many legends about its existence abroad. Only after almost 80 years did the exact location of the icon become known - Australia, a suburb of Sydney - Kabrammat, Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God of the ROC MP. She was brought here by the descendants of the White Guard General Mikhail Konstantinovich Diterichs (1874-1937).http://www.orthodoxy.org.au/index.php My friend Mikhail Osipenko, who comes from a family of famous icon painters, was in Australia in 2003 with the Port Arthur icon and personally saw the Abalatsky original. He wrote to me about this and even promised a video recording of a conversation about the icon with a local priest.
In our Kurgan diocese, the Abalatsk icon is also very widely represented. Describes in detail the list of the Abalatskaya icon, revered by the Kurgans, written by order of the townspeople in 1860. in Tobolsk

Some lists of the Abalatskaya icon are available in the Kurgan and Shadrinsk diocese.

priest A. Sulotsky in his work “On the Church Antiquities of Siberia”, published in 1882. This image was decorated with kurgans with a rich silver robe and was in the Epiphany Cathedral, later destroyed. Now in the building of the Kurgan diocesan administration, in the press center on the wall there is a perfectly preserved Abalak image, but without a salary. It is possible that the riza could have been removed during the campaign to confiscate church valuables. Was it not this icon that Father Alexander (Sulotsky) had in mind? A full examination by experts is required. (See APPENDIX1).
In addition, there are also frequent Abalatsky lists for the deaneries of the diocese. Moreover, along with highly artistic lists, there are curious cases of non-canonical execution of images, probably by local illiterate peasant icon painters, “bogomazes” - that was their name then.
But the brightest “pearl” among not only the Kurgan, but also all Russian images is the Miraculous Icon of the Abalatskaya Mother of God, which has been located for about 200 years in the Peter and Paul Church in the city of Kurtamysh,consecrated in 1808. http://www.kurtamysh.com/p689.htm The church in the name of Peter and Paul with its rich decoration survived the civil war, but in 1937 it was closed and sealed in connection with the arrest and execution of priest Veniamin (Komarov). So the church stood sealed, but not plundered, although the bells were nevertheless removed. And how could it be otherwise: the church “on the blood” of the martyr has been preserved. But on April 2, 1942, on Easter, the first church in the current Kurgan region was reopened and the service has been continuously going on since then. I know only this case in the Kurgan diocese, with decorations preserved directly in the church: an iconostasis, frescoes, a chandelier and, most importantly, icons in ancient frames. In 1907, in Kurtamysh, on Zaimka, a stone Abalak church was built in honor of the image, which was unfortunately destroyed by the authorities in the 1930s along with the Resurrection Cathedral and a Muslim mosque.

According to legend, the Abalak icon was brought to Kurtamysh by a widow in gratitude for the healings granted to her to the newly built stone church of Peter and Paul in the 19th century. The icon still has a highly artistic silver setting, with hallmarks of the Moscow workshop, dated 1859-60. According to the chronicle, this riza was donated by the local deacon Ivan Avraamov for the healing of his son, instead of the copper salary that had long been available. Rizas do not donate to a newly painted icon, some time must pass, proving the chosenness and miraculousness of the image. Therefore, it is possible to date the icon as a minimum to the beginning of the 19th century. But why did we decide that the icon was painted specifically for the donation of a widow? Our widow could well have brought an icon that had been painted and prayed for a long time. This question can only be answered completely. study of the icon by art historians.

The Peter and Paul Church and the Abalak Icon are inextricably linked with the history of our family. According to registers of births, it is known that since the 19th century all the Pavlovs and Abalakovs have been married, baptized and communed here. Grandmother Anna Dmitrievna Pavlova, descended from the old family of the Shadrin townspeople Abalakov, from 1902 to 1917 served as a teacher in the parish school at this church.http://www.kurtamysh.com/p356.htm In the photo of the graduation of the school in 1912. one can see the teachers with the clergy of the church: Deacon Gleb Koptyakov, Dean Fr. Fedor (Karpov) and Archpriest Fr. Vitaly (Militsin), now numbered among the New Martyrs and Confessors of the 20th century.http://kuz3.pstbi.ccas.ru/bin/nkws.exe/ans/m/?HYZ9...uKheCxyAHYnALu2dOiUTawmAGsmBE*
In the hard times of the war, my grandmother prayed before the Mother of God of Abalak for the health of my only son, Boris, my father. He was drafted in 1941. in artillery, went through the whole war on three fronts, finished in Germany and safely returned to Kurtamysh in 1945. http://www.kurgangen.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=78

The Kurtamysh Abalak icon has always been revered by the locals. According to the inscription on the icon, since 1869, a religious procession was held annually in Kurtamysh, established by a vow given on the occasion of the cessation of fires after the removal of the icon in 1864, 1868 and 1869. Now the tradition of Cross Processions has been continued, and the image has been assigned to a number of miraculous diocesan icons. Famous singer Lina Mkrtchyan specially came to the icon to bow. Victoria Olegovna Gusakova, a candidate of art history from St. Petersburg, wrote an article about the Abalatskaya icon, which contains information about the Kurtamysh list. The article will be published in the 9th volume of the encyclopedia "Holy Russia", St. Petersburg, 2010, completely devoted to icon painting.

Of course, no one knows how many Abalatsi icons have been preserved in Russia to this day. But based on the available materials from the press and the Internet, it follows that all the Abalatsky icons known to the author and preserved, arranged in a list by the date of writing and, therefore, antiquity, prayerfulness and grace, can be arranged in the following order:

1. Original of the Abaksk icon, 1637, Church of the Intercession, suburb of Sydney - Kabrammat, Australia;

2. List of the Abalak icon, late 17th-early 18th century. in. reserve funds of the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow;

3. List of the Abalak icon, early. 19th century (or even earlier), Peter and Paul Church, Kurtamysh;

4. Lists of the Abalak icon, late 19th century, Svensky list in St. Petersburg, Omsk (See APPENDIX 1), Krasnoyarsk (See APPENDIX 2), Shadrinsk (Resurrection Church), in Kurgan eparchial. press center;

5. Lists of the Abalak Icon, early. 20th century, Abalatsky Monastery in Tobolsk, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Tyumen, Shadrinsk, from Borovlyanka, from Chimeevo, pos. Smolino, pos. Mishkino.

The return to Russia of the Miraculous Image of the Mother of God of Abalak after the fall of the communist regime, the elimination of the consequences of godless power, can become not only the most important event in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church. This event could mean a genuine reunification of the divided Russian people - the Russian World. The original image, located in Australia, of course, in full agreement with the parishioners and heirs, it would be nice to solemnly return to their homeland. There is information about the ongoing negotiations.http://omsk.rfn.ru/rnews.html?id=11275733&cid=7 http://www.newsprom.ru/news/116549600887033.shtml?sdate=1222905600 As we know, in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia, the icons of the Abalatskaya Mother of God have also been preserved, which gives us hope for the patronage of the Most Holy Theotokos. We, the people of Kurgan, need to continue searching for lost images and studying the available ones by specialists. This is especially true of the Abalatsky icons: the ancient one from the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the correct dating of the miraculous one from the Peter and Paul Church in the city of Kurtamysh and the identification of the list in the press center of the Kurgan and Shadrinsk diocese.

Source - http://www.kurtamysh.com/p1382.htm