The feast of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God is celebrated. Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

Are you here: Fairy-tale heroes

This day, like other similar days, is called a cathedral because, unlike individual holidays in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, such as Her Conception, Her Christmas, Her Annunciation and numerous holidays in honor of Her miraculous icons, on this day a common ( cathedral) celebration in honor and praise of the Mother of God. This holiday was established to be celebrated immediately after the Nativity of Christ, because the Blessed Virgin is honored primarily as the One from whom God the Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, was born, incarnated.

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

(Russian North, late 17th century)

Icon Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Rostov-Suzdal school, middle of the 15th century)

The miraculous icon "Rejoices in You..." was painted in the middle of the 16th century, and has been in the Solovetsky Monastery for many centuries. Now it is an exhibit in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The icon is dedicated to the feast called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is celebrated on January 8, the day after the Nativity of Christ.

"Rejoices in You"
The name of the icon is given according to the first words of the hymn dedicated to the Theotokos: “Rejoices in Thee, Blessed One…” The Most Holy Theotokos is depicted in the Garden of Eden against the backdrop of a many-domed temple, the symbol of Heavenly Jerusalem. At the foot of the throne, on which the Mother of God sits with the Eternal Infant, is depicted the author of the hymn - the Monk John of Damascus, a hymn writer (Comm. December 17, according to a new style), in whose hands is a scroll with the text of the hymn. Below is a host of Orthodox saints glorifying the Mother of God.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You

"The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God" is the most revered image of the Mother of God in Russia. Byzantium. 12th century

The miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir is the greatest shrine of the Russian land. Three times she showed the miracle of saving Moscow from the Tatar-Mongol defeat. These facts of the miraculous protection of the Russian people from destruction were even included in the writings of the historians Klyuchevsky and Solovyov. The icon came to us from Byzantium. According to legend, it was written by the Apostle Luke on the boards from the table at which the Last Supper took place. The Mother of God herself saw her and said: "In this way, my grace and strength abide." This icon is very strong and very ancient, now it resides in the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, which is part of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Every Orthodox person should bow to this shrine. Come to Moscow, pray in front of the icon and bow to it.
Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary
"Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Gracious Mary, the Lord is with You, blessed are You in women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as if You gave birth to our souls as the Savior."
Church Slavonic spelling

Icon depicting various types of icons of the Virgin

Prayer of the Mother of God
O Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Lord Most High, Intercessor and protector of all who resort to You! Look from the height of Thy saint on me, a sinner, falling down to Thy most pure image; hear my warm prayer and offer me before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; pray to Him, may it illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, may it deliver me from all need, sorrow and illness, may it send me a quiet and peaceful life, health of body and soul, may my suffering heart die and heal its wounds, may it guide me for good deeds, let my mind be cleansed from vain thoughts, but having taught me the fulfillment of His commandments, let it deliver from eternal torment and let it not deprive me of His Kingdom of Heaven. O Holy Mother of God! You, Joy of All Who Sorrow, hear me mournful; You, called the Assuagement of Sorrow, quench my sorrow as well; You, Kupino the Burning One, save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, Seeker of the Lost, do not let me perish in the abyss of my sins. On Tya, according to Bose, all my hope and hope. Be my intercessor in life and about eternal life before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. To you, Most Holy Mother of God, Blessed Mary, reverently honor until the end of my days. Amen.

January 8. Celebrating the 2nd day of Christmas. Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. Icons, shrines, prayers.

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

The next day after the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Orthodox Church with laudatory and thanksgiving songs turns to the Mother of God, who became the chosen instrument of Providence, who gave birth to the Savior.

This assembly of believers was called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the celebration of the Council, the memory of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, King David (an ancestor in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ) and Saint James, the brother of the Lord, the son from the first marriage of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, is commemorated. Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

The establishment of this celebration dates back to the ancient times of the Christian Church. Already Epiphanius of Cyprus (+ 402), as well as Saint Ambrose of Milan and Blessed Augustine, in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, combined praise of the God-man who had been born with praise of the Virgin who had given birth to Him. An indication of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in canon 79 of the 6th Ecumenical Council, held in 691.

http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/347486.html

Tuesday of the 32nd week of Pentecost.
Voice 6th.

Feast of the Nativity of Christ.
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.
Shmch. Euphemia, Ep. Sardis (c. 840).
Rev. Constantine of Sinadsky (VIII).
Rev. Evarest of Studio (825).
Novoshmch. Constance of the Russian (1743).
Vilna-Ostrobramskaya and called "Three joys", "Gracious", Barlovskaya "Blessed Womb" (1392) icons of the Mother of God.
Rev. Nicodemus Tismansky, Romanian (1406).
Novoshmch. Andrew, Ep. Ufimsky and Novots. Valentines (1937).
Prmch. Isaac II, Optina (1938). Sshmchch. Alexander and Demetrius presbyters (1918). Sshmchch. Nicholas, Nicholas, Michael the Presbyters and Michael the Deacon (1930). Shmch. Leonida, Ep. Marisky, Alexander presbyter, prmch. Vasily, and prmts. Anfisa and Macarius (1937). Shmch. Gregory the Presbyter, Rev. Augusta and Mary, mts. Agrippins (1938).
Icon of the Mother of God, called "Helper in Childbirth".

Mother of God: Heb., 306 credits, II, 11-18. Matt., 4 credits, II, 13-23.
At the great vespers entrance, the great prokeimenon: "Who is great God, like our God ...".
In the morning, both canons of the feast. According to the 3rd song of the canon - the kontakion, ikos and ipakoi of the holiday, according to the 6th - the kontakion “Before the daylighter ...” with the ikos. We don’t sing the “most honest” one, but we sing the refrains of the holiday. Great praise is sung.
At the liturgy at the entrance, the troparion of the feast "Thy Nativity, Christ our God ...", "Glory, and now" - kontakion, tone 6: "Before the morning day ..." (the same kontakion is read on the clock). Prokeimenon, voice 3: “My soul magnifies the Lord…”. Participated in "The Lord sent deliverance to His people."

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liturgical instructions

Tuesday. Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.

Shmch. Euphemia, ep. Sardinian.

Icon of the Mother of God of the Three Joys.

Yesterday, church songs glorified the One who was born in a den and a manger, and now the Culprit of our joy, the Most Holy Theotokos.
This holiday is called a cathedral because the ancient Christians used to gather on this day in temples to glorify the Mother of God.
On the day of the council of believers for the glorification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us point out the most important virtues and perfections with which the Blessed Virgin was adorned on earth, not daring to enter into the very depths of grace on Her resting.
The first virtue, and at the same time the foundation of all human virtues, is devotion to the will of God with forgetfulness of one's own will. This virtue, necessary for man, constantly filled with itself the whole soul and the whole life of St. Virgin Mary. Behold the servant of the Lord, wake Me according to your word! - She said to the archangel, who announced to Her the conception of the Son of God. Apparently, it was not difficult to express such devotion at a time when one should have decided not on something regrettable and humiliated, but on honor and glory - to be the Mother of the Son of God: but in fact it was the height of human devotion and self-denial. For, firstly, as we shall see, many sorrows and temptations belonged to the dignity and title of the Mother of God, such, moreover, that do not visit the greatest ascetics of piety. Therefore, to say: behold the servant of the Lord meant to say: behold, I am ready for all hardships, sorrows and sufferings, ready for the weapon to pierce my very soul! (Luke 2:35). The very dignity of the Mother of God, although it is the highest of all dignity, but for a truly humble soul, such as the soul of Mary, it is even more difficult to decide to accept it than to decide in sorrow: for a humble person considers the latter to be his natural share and belonging for his moral imperfection, - and to become higher than cherubim and seraphim - as befitted the Mother of God - for this a truly humble soul could be bowed by one boundless devotion to the will of God. And this devotion was expressed in all its power in the words of the Ever-Virgin: Behold, the servant of the Lord, be Me according to your word! It was said so once - to the archangel; but it was always fulfilled, not only before the angels, but also before the stubborn enemies of truth and righteousness. Nothing could shake this devotion in Mary, not even the very cross of Her Son, which shook the whole earth. The second virtue of a righteous soul is purity of body and spirit: all the servants of God are adorned with it: but no one was adorned in such fullness as the Blessed Virgin. According to this virtue, She, still belonging to the Old Testament, where the celibate state was, as it were, even contrary to the law, which promised many children and numerous offspring as a reward for fulfilling it, chose virginity for Her whole life, and thus set an example in Herself. perfection belonging to the New Testament. By this virtue, the Most Blessed One agreed to the gospel of the archangel not before, when she learned that by fulfilling it over Her, the holy vow of virginity would not be violated in the least. For what does she say to him? - How will this be, where I don’t know my husband? (Luke 1:34). As if, i.e., so She said: the matter that you will tell about, everything and everything depends on whether I can remain with him in a celibate state, chosen by Me for Myself: if I can, then I am ready to serve the mystery ; if not, then let your gospel pass on another head! - This is how far, as you can see, the love for the purity of spirit and body in the Most Pure One extended!
The third virtue of the souls of saints is the courageous enduring of sorrows and temptations. The Blessed Virgin Mary, after her Son and God, is the first and highest example of this virtue. What temptation did she not endure, what sorrow did she not endure? The word was flesh (John 1:14), i.e., was conceived from the Spirit in the womb of the Ever-Virgin: for the last of the mothers, there is weakness and indulgence in a similar position; for the Mother of the Son of God - there is none! The holy betrothed, knowing no secret, suspects Her of stealing marriage. What could be harder than this temptation? But the Holy Virgin endures it silently. - One word of Her could calm the elder, and with him Her, and dispel suspicions; but She does not dare to say this word, because this is the secret of Providence - she suffers and is silent! Then the time of birth is approaching - peace is needed here even more, and the Mother of the Son of God had to go to Bethlehem with Joseph at this very time in order to undergo a census of the people. At the very moment of birth, there is not enough room in the monastery; and Mary goes to the den for this, puts the one born in the manger! and the Mother and the Child were compelled to flee to Egypt in the way by which, even in the middle of the day, the strongest and most armed people with difficulty pass. Imitating the evangelist, we pass in silence for the next years. Behold, Mary is already at Calvary. What a torment for the heart of the Mother to see on the cross in torment the Son, that Son who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, who, according to the prophecy of the archangel, was to reign in the house of Jacob forever! .. (Luke 1, 33). Strangers could not endure this spectacle, and returned from Golgotha, beating in their chests (Lk. 23:48); and the Mother of Jesus stands at the cross in silence, immersed in thought into the abyss of the ways of God. What can compare with this holy courage of spirit and heart?
We will not offer a story about the greatness of the most honest cherub. Instead of glorifying the Most Pure Ones, let us hasten to turn to Her with prayer. About what? Most of all, that by Her grace-filled assistance even in our unclean souls, even a small and weak image of those virtues and perfections that adorned Her on earth would be reflected - so that we would be guided and guided in our actions not by our vain desires, but by the most holy will of God, - so that they preserve, as far as possible, their soul and body from the filth of the world, and that they know how to complacently endure those disasters and sorrows that meet us on the path of our earthly journey. Amen.

Archpriest Grigory DIACHENKO

CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
AND THE MEMORY OF THE HOLY MARTYR Euthymius,
BISHOP OF SARDIA

EVENING

AT THE GREAT EVENING

There is no poetry, except for a week. On the Lord, I cried out: the stichera of the feast on 6:

There is no poetry, except Sunday. On the Lord, I cried out: the stichera of the feast on 6:
Voice 2, self-voiced:

On "Lord I have called" stichera are self-voiced, tone 2
Germanovo: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, telling a real mystery: / the mediastinum of the city is destroyed, / the fiery weapon gives splashes, / and the Cherubim retreats from the tree of life, / and I partake of heavenly food, / I was expelled from the worthless for the sake of disobedience; / the unchanging image of the Father, / the image of His ever-present, / accepts the sight of a slave, / passed from the Unskilled Mater, / having not undergone change, / even if it were, God is true, / and even if it is not pleasant, Man being philanthropy for the sake of. / Let us cry out to him: / be born of the Virgin, God, have mercy on us. (2)

Patriarch German: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, / explaining the current Sacrament: / the wall separating us from God is destroyed, / the flaming sword turns back / and the Cherubim retreat from the tree of life / and I partake of the blessings of paradise, / from which I was expelled for disobedience. / For the unchanging Image of the Father / and His Inscription of eternity / takes the form of a slave, / from the Mother who has not experienced marriage, having occurred / without undergoing a change. / For He remained what He was - the true God, / and took upon Himself what He was not, / becoming a man according to love for mankind. / Let us exclaim to Him: / “God, born of the Virgin, have mercy on us!” (2)
Anatoliyevo: I was born to the Lord Jesus from the Holy Virgin, / everything was enlightened: / a shepherd who swore and a sorcerer worshiping, / An angel singing, Herod, restless, / like God appeared in the flesh, / Savior of our souls. (2)

Anatolia: With the birth of the Lord Jesus from the holy Virgin, / the whole world was enlightened: / the shepherds played the pipes and the wise men worshiped, / the angels sang - but Herod was worried / that God had appeared in the flesh, / the Savior of our souls. (2)
Thy Kingdom, Christ God, / Kingdom of all ages, / and Thy dominion in every kind and generation, / incarnated from the Holy Spirit / and from the Ever-Virgin Mary incarnated, / the light is exalted to us, Christ God, / Thy coming; / Light from the Light, Father's radiance, / Thou enlightened the whole creation, / every breath praises Thee. / The image of the glory of the Father, / Who is, and before He is, / and shone from the Virgin, God, have mercy on us.

Your kingdom, O Christ God, / is the kingdom of all ages, / and your dominion in every kind and generation. / Incarnated from the Holy Spirit / and incarnated from the eternally virgin Mary, / You kindled the light for us, Christ God, by Your coming. / Light from Light, Father's radiance, / You illuminated all creation. / All that breathes praises You, / The mark of the glory of the Father. / Existing and Pre-existing / and resplendent from the Virgin, have mercy on us!
What shall we bring Thee, O Christ, / as if thou hast appeared on earth / as a Man for our sake? / Every time, from Thee, former creatures bring thanks to Thee: / Angels - singing; heaven is a star; / Volsvi - gifts; shepherding is a miracle; / earth - nativity scene; desert - nursery; / we are the Mother of the Virgin. / Even before the age, God, have mercy on us.

What will we offer You as a gift, O Christ, / for the fact that You appeared on earth as a man for us? / For each of the creations created by You, / brings gratitude to You: / Angels - a song, heaven - a star, / magicians - gifts, shepherds - surprise, / earth - a cave, desert - manger, / we - Mother Virgin. / Eternal God, have mercy on us!
Glory, and now, tone 6: Glory to God in the Highest, / and peace on earth, / today Bethlehem will receive the One who sits ever with the Father, / today the angels of the Child born will glorify Godly: / glory to God in the Highest, / and peace on earth, / in goodwill of people.

Glory, now, voice 6: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth! / On this day, Bethlehem receives Him who sits forever with the Father. / On this day, the Angels of the born Infant as God glorify: / “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, / goodwill among people!”

Entrance. Prokeimenon, tone 7:
Who is the great God, like our God? / You are God, do miracles.

Entrance. Prokimen, tone 7
Who is a great God like our God? / You are God who works miracles. Ps 76:14b-15a
Verse 1: Thou hast spoken Thy strength among the people, and Thou hast redeemed Thy people by Thy arm.

Verse 1: You have shown Your power among the nations; with Your arm You have redeemed Your people. Ps 76:15b-16a
Verse 2: And rech: now began, this betrayal of the right hand of the Most High.

Verse 2: And I said, “Now I have begun to understand that this change is from the right hand of the Most High.” Ps 76:11
Verse 3: I remember the works of the Lord, for I will remember your wonders from the beginning.

Verse 3: I remembered the works of the Lord; for I will remember your wonders from the beginning. Ps 76:12
If it is Saturday, we will sing the prokeimenon in the evening: The Lord reigns, clothed in splendor: (from his verses). And the great prokimen: Who is a great God, like our God: from his verses it is then sung on the eve of the holiday; daytime is left. Seed of litany.

On Saturday at the great vespers we sing the prokeimenon: The Lord reigns: with his verses.

On the verse, the stichera are self-voiced, tone 8.

The verses on the verse are self-voiced, tone 8
John the monk: A glorious sacrament is arranged today, / the nature is renewed, and God the Man is, / if he abides, and if he is not welcome, / having endured no confusion, below separation.

An unheard-of sacrament is performed on this day: / the nature is renewed, and God becomes a man. / He remained what he was, / and what he did not accept, / having undergone neither confusion nor separation.
Verse: From the womb before the morning day, Thou begotten, / the Lord swears and will not repent.

Verse: “From the womb before the morning star I begat You,” / the Lord swore, and will not repent. Ps 109:3B-4A
Lord, when you came to Bethlehem, / you settled in the den, / having a throne in heaven, / you relied on the manger, / His armies surround the Angel, / you descended as a shepherd, / yes, save, like Mercy, our kind, glory to Thee.

Lord, having arrived in Bethlehem, / you settled in a cave; / having heaven as a throne, / was laid in a manger; / He Who is surrounded by the armies of Angels, / descended to the shepherds, / to save, as Merciful, our kind. Glory to Thee!
Verse: The Lord said to my Lord: / Sit at my right hand.

Verse: The Lord said to my Lord: / "Sit to my right." Ps 109:1A
What great mystery shall I utter? / The incorporeal is embodied, / The Word becomes white, / The invisible is seen, / and the Intangible is tangible, / and the Beginningless begins. / The Son of God is the Son of Man, / Jesus Christ yesterday and today, the same and forever.

How will I announce the great sacrament? / The incorporeal is embodied, / The Word is reified, / The invisible is contemplated, / and the Intangible is tangible, / and the Beginningless begins. / The Son of God becomes the Son of Man: / Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever!
Glory, and now, the voice of the same: In Bethlehem, the shepherd flocked, / the true proclaiming Shepherd, / sitting on the Cherubimech / and reclining in the manger of the Infant, the sight of us received the sight, / Lord, glory to Thee.

Glory, and now, the voice is the same: Shepherds gathered in Bethlehem, / announcing the true Shepherd, / seated on Cherubim and lying in a manger, / who took the form of a Child for us. / Lord, glory to Thee!

Troparion of the feast, tone 4:
Thy Nativity, Christ our God, / ascend the world with the light of reason, / in it, for serving the stars / I study with a star / Bow down to You, the Sun of Truth, / and lead You from the height of the east. / Lord, glory to Thee.

Troparion of the feast, tone 4
Your Nativity, Christ our God, / illuminated the world with the light of knowledge, / for through it those who serve the stars / were taught by the star / to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, / and to know You, from on high the Rising Star. / Lord, glory to Thee!

Troparion of the Theotokos, tone 4:

Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, / Your honest Cathedral is decorated with many kinds of goodness, / the gifts of Thee are brought, Madam, by many worldly people, / tear our sinful bonds with Your mercy / and save our souls.

Troparion to the Theotokos, tone 4

Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God! / Your sacred assembly is adorned with diverse beauties; / Gifts are brought to You, Madam, by many worldly people. / Break our sinful bonds with Your mercy / and save our souls. *

Another troparion, tone 4

[Like a baby carrying in his arms, Pure, / Dominating over all, / who took the flesh from You, / You appeared to be the Giver of joy. / Therefore, all creation in this day sings joyfully / throwing awe into Your generations, Mother of God, / for You gave birth to the source of immortality to the world. (From Greek)]
The canon to Hieromartyr Euthymius is sung at Compline on another day.

The Power of Prayer to Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Vigilantly praying at the Throne of the Lord, the Mother of God, Intercessor for our salvation.

If the fervent prayer of the righteous can do much (James 5:16), then the more powerful is the prayer of the Most Holy Theotokos. Even during Her earthly life, She found grace from the Lord and turned to Him with intercession for those who asked for Her help and intercession.

The Most Holy Theotokos was honored with special grace and closeness to the Throne of God after Her glorious Assumption. She moved to Heaven not only in order to abide in the radiance and majesty of the Divine Glory of Her beloved Son, but also in order to intercede for us with Her prayers before Him. “Rejoice! I am with you all the days,” she said, appearing to the holy apostles.

The Blessed Virgin, living on earth, herself experienced the same hardships, need, troubles and misfortunes that we also experience. She experienced the sorrow of suffering on the cross and the death of her beloved Son.

She knows our infirmities, needs and sorrows. Each of our sins causes Her suffering, and at the same time, each of our troubles finds Her sympathy. What mother does not care for her children and is not heartbroken by their misfortunes? What mother leaves them without her help and attention? The Mother of God is always ready to give us timely help.

The Mother of God shines like the sun and warms us with the rays of Her love and enlivens our souls with the grace given to Her by God. By Her Spirit She always abides on earth. When Blessed Andrew the Fool-for-Christ, like the Apostle Paul, was caught up by the spirit into the heavenly abodes and saw the Lord there, he began to grieve, not seeing the Most Pure Theotokos. But the Angel told him that She had gone into the world to help people.

We are all burdened with sorrows, life's adversities, illnesses and misfortunes, for we all sin. The Word of God says that there is no person who would live on earth and not sin (see: 2 Chronicles 6, 36). But God is the highest Love (1 John 4:8), and out of love for His Mother and for us, He accepts Her prayers. We believe in Her constant intercession and intercession for us sinners before the Merciful and Humanitarian God and in the power of Her prayers. Let us resort to Her as to a quiet and kind refuge and diligently call on Her all-holy and all-singing name. And She will not leave us with the unexpected joy of salvation.

OSTROBRAMSKAYA VILNA
Day of celebration: December 26

Just as in Moscow everyone bares their heads, passing through the Spassky Gates of the Kremlin, so in Vilna everyone reverently bares their heads under the vaults of Ostrobramskaya, on which the miraculous icon of the Mother of God is located.

It is reputed to be Korsunskaya, because, according to legend, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd acquired it in the Crimea, when he defeated the Tatar hordes and devastated the peninsula to the ancient Korsun. He was then still a semi-pagan and presented this icon to his wife Maria, while his second wife Juliana (daughter of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver) dedicated this icon to the Trinity Monastery, founded by her over the sacred remains of the first three Vilna martyrs: Anthony, John and Eustathius. (They were tortured by Olgerd at the beginning of his reign for a firm confession of the faith of Christ, in favor of the priests and nobles). A wooden chapel was built over the neighboring gates of the Ostrago End to store the Holy Icon of the Mother of God, and here it has been honored nationwide since the 14th century (since 1341), under the name of Ostrobramskaya.

After the introduction of the union, the Orthodox monks lost, along with the Trinity Monastery, the sacred Ostrobramskaya chapel. But when the union was destroyed (in 1839), the ancient Trinity monastery again passed into the hands of the Orthodox, and the miraculous icon remained in the hands of the Catholic monks (Carmelites).

It is touching, however, to see the zeal of the whole city for the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the incessantly burning candles in front of the sacred face, clothed in a precious robe, and the crowd of worshipers on the top of the tower, inside the chapel, and on both sides of the narrow Ostrobramskaya street.

"THREE JOYS"
Memorial Day: December 26

At the beginning of the century before last, a pious painter brought from Italy a copy of the painting "The Holy Family" and left it in Moscow with his relative, the priest of the Trinity Church, on Gryazekhi (which is on Pokrovka), and he himself soon went abroad again, where he died . The priest, having received the news of his death, donated this icon to his church and placed it in the porch above the entrance. Forty years have passed since then. One noble woman in a short period of time suffered heavy losses, one after another: her husband was somehow slandered and sent into exile, the estate was taken to the treasury, and her only son, the mother’s consolation, was captured during the war. The unfortunate woman sought consolation in prayer and asked the Queen of Heaven to be an intercessor before God's mercy for the innocent sufferers. And then one day she hears in a dream a voice commanding her to find the icon of the Holy Family and pray before it. The grieving woman searched the Moscow churches for a long time for the desired icon, until she finally found it at the porch of the Trinity Church on Pokrovka. She prayed earnestly in front of this icon and soon received three good news: her husband was acquitted and returned from exile, her son was released from a heavy captivity, and the estate was returned from the treasury. That is why this holy icon received the name "Three Joys".
And today the icon does not cease to show miracles. In the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazakh, near the Pokrovsky Gates (Pokrovka, 13), where she was glorified, an akathist to the icon of the Mother of God "Three Joys" was recently brought. Prior to this, an akathist to St. Nicholas was read in the church on Wednesdays. Now the question arose whether to continue reading the akathist to St. Nicholas, or to start reading it to the revered icon of the Three Joys. In the midst of discussions at the icon of the Mother of God "Three Joys" a lamp was lit by itself. Since then, the akathist to the icon of the Mother of God "Three Joys" began to be read in the temple on Wednesdays at 17.00. She is considered the intercessor of the slandered, separated from loved ones, those who have lost their accumulated labor, an assistant in family needs, and the patroness of seed well-being.

The image of the Mother of God “Three Joys” shows its grace to servicemen who need her high patronage in the hot spots of our long-suffering Motherland. Under the special patronage of the Mother of God are people who are left alone, including, as already mentioned, those who find themselves in captivity and in a foreign land.

Here are the testimonies of one colonel of the Russian army: “I was led to the Church of the Holy Trinity by the desire to receive a blessing before leaving on a business trip to the peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. Father John blessed me and gave me an icon with the image of the Mother of God “Three Joys”.

In December 2002, we moved along broken roads to the place of permanent deployment, there was an unpleasant drizzle. Upon arrival at the location of the military unit, located far from the settlements in the destroyed poultry farm, I saw only one mountain Urta, and my soul became sad from such an environment. Having settled in a damp room without light and heat, I put the Icon in a prominent place, after praying in front of it, my heart immediately felt warm. In my further service, I prayed in front of the icon every day, and leaving for checkpoints that were on the line of separation of the opposing sides and where peacekeepers served, protecting, among other things, civilians from bandits, I always took it with me. On 14 February 2003, a mine was reported at checkpoint 301, on a road near the Inguri River. On duty, I needed to understand the situation and make a decision. Taking the icon with me, I arrived at the place and saw that there was a mine with an unknown improvised fuse near the refugee tent, the second mine was found under the bridge. Setting up the cordon and evacuating people, I found myself 15 meters from the mine and at that time an explosion occurred. The dispersion of fragments with a continuous defeat at the mine is up to 200 meters, but thanks to the icon, not a single fragment hit me. Being at the “front line” in the conditions of a mine war and constant clashes with bandits, no one died out of 1,500 soldiers and officers who were under my command for a year of service.

On September 18, 2003, Private A.V. Derevyannykh was captured by bandits. During the search, I had to move at night through the areas of operation of bandit formations, and everywhere the icon was with me and kept me. On October 1, 2003, after the bandit group was disarmed, the hostage was released.

In December 2003, I gave the icon to the mother of another hostage who was taken by bandits in Gagra in July 2003. She had been trying to free her son for six months already, she was in a desperate state, because. Russia's law enforcement agencies could not do anything in Abkhazia. Negotiations with the bandits were very difficult - they demanded a huge amount of money and threatened to kill the hostage.

On December 31, 2003, the hostage, 18-year-old Muscovite Alexey Vorobyov, was released in very dangerous and difficult conditions - two mines were removed along the detachment's withdrawal route, while all participants in the operation remained alive. Wonderful are Thy deeds, Lord, by the intercession of Thy Mother!

We can say that it was from this icon that the revival of spiritual life began in the Muranovo estate and in the area, which has rather deep spiritual traditions. In 1998, by decree of His Eminence Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Hieromonk Feofan (Zamesov) was appointed rector of the Church of the Passion Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Artemovo. Tyutchev. In this event, the initiator and active participant was and continues to be the director of the museum V.V. Patsyukov.

In June, on the feast of the Holy Trinity, the first prayer service was performed on the street in front of the restored church. At the end of the service, a woman in the rank of schema nun approached the rector of the temple, who, out of love for God, even during the period of hard times, accepted monasticism and took care of the great Russian ascetic of piety of the 20th century, Sheigumen Savva. This woman, schema-nun Michael, handed the priest a whole pack of icons - these were the icons of the Three Joys. She fulfilled the will of her mentor, who blessed her to distribute these images to people. By the way, Schiegumen Savva labored in the last days of his life in the Pskov-Caves Monastery, for his advice and kind words, Russian people traveled from all over our vast Motherland. The rector treated the offered icons with special responsibility, and later they were distributed to the pilgrims. In fact, the Mother of God blessed the opening of the Murano temple through this image.
Years of tireless labor and prayer have passed. Hieromonk Feofan was appointed responsible for the pastoral care of the legendary Sofrino operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The divisions of the unit were constantly and are, performing combat missions, in places of regional ethnic conflicts on the territory of the former USSR, with the aim of establishing law and order there - Baku, Fergana, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tbilisi, Dagestan and Chechnya. A few years ago, the mutual desire of the command of the brigade and the clergy of the Pushkin Deanery was expressed to build a temple on the territory of the unit. And on September 27, 2003, a temple was laid in the name of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, and soon its construction began. According to existing practice, during the construction period, a chapel-temple is being built, where a full range of Divine Services can be held. The leadership of the military unit allocated a suitable room, where, in the shortest possible time, a temple was equipped in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir the Baptist, the collector and defender of Russia, who is the patron of the internal troops of our state. During the construction of the holy place, the Lord visibly helped this good cause - there were people who donated the necessary utensils and liturgical books. In the Easter week of 2004, a small rite of consecration was held here by Dean of the Pushkin District John Monarchek, and after that the first Liturgy was already held, at which the soldiers received the Sacrament of Holy Communion. By the way, some spiritual work was carried out earlier, including Confession, Communion and Baptism. During the close cooperation between the clergy and the military, about 1,000 fighters were baptized. The rector of the temple, Hieromonk Feofan, repeatedly came up with the idea that it would be good to have an icon here that helps the soldiers in their difficult field, and which would be their protector. For this purpose, at the end of the Liturgy, a moleben was served in the Muranovo church, addressed to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother. A few hours later, pilgrims from the city of Khimki near Moscow entered the refectory, bringing humanitarian aid for the soldiers, including spiritual content. After a brief conversation, Sergius, the servant of God, unrolled the bundle and took out an old icon… — it turned out to be the image of the Mother of God “Three Joys”. By the way, there are very few such icons. According to those who came, this image has already helped the wars in their difficult service. They handed it over to the priest with the firm conviction that the icon of the Mother of God "Three Joys" would help the soldiers of the Sofrino brigade. Seeing the providence of God, the priest placed the shrine in a worthy place in the temple-chapel in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

Orthodox people, having learned that the miraculous image of the Mother of God is in the church community, expressed a desire to pray before him. The icon of the Three Joys was taken out of the military unit for a short time by the rector, Father Feofan, so that everyone could ask for the intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God. In the following days, there were repeated cases of grace-filled help and intercession of the Queen of Heaven for those praying in front of her image.

How harmoniously intertwined in the world of God are the destinies of people who are now living and those who have already died, what surrounded them, and what was valuable to them ...

Anna Fedorovna Aksakova (nee Tyutcheva), who was the first tutor of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (son of Alexander II), wrote in a letter to Sergei Alexandrovich that she would like to give his bride an unusual gift ... Many years ago, after a prayer service and vow at the shrine of St. Sergei Anna Feodorovna gave the mother of Sergei Alexandrovich (Empress Maria Alexandrovna) the image of the Virgin "Three Joys". This image was always with her and she prayed before it every day. The image was returned to A.F. Aksakova after the death of the Empress ... “I would like (Anna Feodorovna wrote) that your bride (Grand Duchess Yelezaveta Feodorovna, who visited the Muranovo estate several times and was the godmother of one of the descendants of the poet F.I. Tyutchev) took this image as a blessing coming from your mother and from the saint, who is the patron of Russia, who, at the same time, is your patron.

Now the image of the Mother of God "Three Joys" has taken its rightful place in the way of life of the Sofrino operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. This shrine is taken to the parade ground or to the assembly hall on special occasions in the life of the brigade - the Day of the Brigade and the Day of Remembrance of the fallen Sofrinsky soldiers, as well as when sending fighters on business trips and during prayers and religious processions - to bless and help military personnel.

The icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" was written, according to legend, by the Apostle Luke and handed over to the Egyptian Christians by him. In 980, she was taken to Constantinople. During the reign of Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1082-1118), it was revealed to the Cypriot elder-hermit Isaiah in a miraculous sign that this image should be on the island of Cyprus. The elder put a lot of effort to fulfill the divine command.

It was not easy to get an icon from the royal chambers. And only after the intervention of the power of God, after the illness and miraculous healing of the imperial daughter, the shrine was honorably sent to the island. There, on Mount Kykkos, from which the icon got its second name, a temple was built in her honor and a monastery was built at the expense of the emperor. Numerous miracles that began to be performed from the icon upon its arrival on the island are recorded in the monastery books. With the grace-filled power from this icon, it rained many times during a drought, the dumb said, the lad, almost already dead, recovered.

From ancient times to the present day, suffering from all kinds of ailments flock to the monastery of Our Lady "Merciful" from all sides and receive healing according to their faith. Not only Christians, but also non-Christians believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, and they resort to it in troubles and illnesses. The Kykkian icon has one remarkable feature: it is not known since when it was half-covered with a veil from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one can see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. For boldly lifting the veil, many were punished.
Through prayers before the icon of the “Merciful” (Kykk) Mother of God, during a drought, blessed rain is sent to the earth, the sick, bleeding, suffering from headaches and relaxation receive healing, childbearing is given to the barren.

The theme of the incarnation of the Savior in Eastern Christian art is reflected not only in icons depicting the Nativity of Christ, but also in images dedicated to the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the liturgical annual circle there is the following feature: after the “main”, “main” holiday, the next day a special memory of those persons associated with this holiday is celebrated. So, after the Epiphany, the "Cathedral of John the Baptist" is celebrated, after the day of the chief apostles Peter and Paul - the "Cathedral of the 12 Apostles." The word "cathedral" in this context means a certain, not limited by either time or space, assembly of the faithful, performed in honor of a saint. The celebration of the Cathedral of Our Lady takes place on the second day of the Nativity of Christ, January 8 (n.s.). The divine services of these days are closely connected in meaning and character, as are the iconographies of these holidays. On the day of the Cathedral of Our Lady, we honor Her as the Blessed Virgin and Mother of the Son of God, who served the great mystery of the Incarnation.

The celebration in honor of the Mother of God, correlated with the feast of the Nativity, arose in the Church very early, already in the 4th century. It was the very first Mother of God feast, from which other Mother of God celebrations were later formed.

The iconography of the "Cathedral of Our Lady" was formed quite late, only at the end of the 13th century. It was based on the iconography of the Nativity of Christ and some important elements introduced under the influence of the text of the Nativity stichera. This is the fourth verse of the Great Vespers of the Feast of the Nativity: « What will we bring to you, Christ, as if you appeared on earth as a Man for us? Each time, from Thee former creatures bring thanks to Thee: Angels - singing; heaven is a star; Volsvi - gifts; shepherding is a miracle; earth - den; desert - nursery; we are the Virgin Mother. Even before the age, God, have mercy on us. In the manuscript of the Sofia library of the XIV century. (No. 193) it is said that the shepherds bring "surprise" to Christ as thanksgiving.

The earliest known composition on this subject is a fresco in the narthex of the Church of Our Lady Peribleptos in Ohrid (1295). In the Paleologian period, iconography spread in the Orthodox ecumene. The oldest Russian icon on this subject comes from Pskov and was created at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century. This is a most interesting monument both in its iconography and in stylistic terms. The icon differs significantly both from previous Byzantine monuments and from Russian icons and frescoes of a later time. Perhaps the features of the composition of the icon are due to the fact that it was based not only on the text of the stichera “What shall we bring to you…”, but also on other festive hymns. Some details of this particular Pskov icon still remain a mystery to researchers.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG, Moscow

In the center of the icon is depicted the Blessed Virgin sitting on a throne, which has a curved asymmetrical back and is decorated with a white curtain. However, the Mother of God does not hold the Christ Child in her arms, although this is how She is depicted in all other works on this plot. On the Pskov icon, in front of the Mother of God, on Her chest, is placed an image of Christ Emmanuel enclosed in a two-color eight-pointed “glory”, which She seems to be holding.

Such an image of the Savior and the Mother of God resembles the iconography of the Mother of God "The Sign". On the “Sign” icons, the placement of the image of Emmanuel in “glory” on the chest of the Mother of God indicates His hidden, mysterious presence and emphasizes the main theological idea of the image - the dogma about the incarnation of God the Son from the Ever-Virgin Mary predicted by the prophets. In the iconography of the Cathedral of Our Lady, such an unusual move further emphasizes the theme of the Incarnation.

Another feature of the Pskov icon is the image of a cave, inside which is a manger with a swaddled Baby. This episode, borrowed from the image of the Nativity of Christ, is not found in other works of iconography of the Cathedral of Our Lady. It can be assumed that both of these unique features appeared as a reflection, for example, of the text of the kontakion of the Christmas holiday: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Substantial, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable: angels with shepherds glorify, wise men travel with a star: for our sake be born Otrocha young, Eternal God ». In this case, the image of a manger with a newly born Baby reinforces the very theme of birth, and the image of Christ-Emmanuel in “glory” is intended to emphasize that it is born from the Virgin, incarnates, not an ordinary person, but precisely the “Eternal God”, the Second Hypostasis of the Most Holy Trinity.

Otherwise, the central and upper parts of the composition of the icon follow the established tradition. To the left of the throne of the Mother of God, the Magi are depicted bringing gifts, one of which points to a star, the image of which has not been preserved. To the right and left of the foot of the throne are placed two peculiar figures: half-naked women with disheveled hair. These are personifications - images that personify the Desert and the Earth. The desert, dressed in red, brings a manger to Christ, and the Earth, dressed in a green cloak, with one hand, as it were, stretches out a den, and in the other holds a flourishing branch.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG. Fragment

Above, above the hills, angels and wondering shepherds are written. In the upper corners are half-figured images of especially revered saints: Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Barbarians, which, apparently, were made at the request of the customer and are not directly related to iconography.

Usually, in the compositions of the Cathedral of Our Lady, a solemn Christmas service is depicted below: a choir of singers, hymnographers John of Damascus and Cosmas Mayumsky, priests, monks; patriarchs and kings may also be depicted. This group, on the one hand, personifies the entire human race, which, according to the verse, brings the Virgin Mother to Christ. On the other hand, the depicted liturgical glorification of the Mother of God is performed right before our eyes. This enhances the liturgical, liturgical function of the image.

Mid 15th century Rostov-Suzdal school. House-Museum of P.D. Korina, Moscow

In the lower part of the Pskov image, a unique iconographic solution is again found. It depicts three men in white robes, similar to surplices, a young reader, and a young man in an intricate pose, reminiscent of the movement of a dance. This whole scene still has no unambiguous interpretation. There are conflicting interpretations in the scientific literature.

Icon from the Pskov Varvara Church. Late XIV - early XV century. Pskov. GTG. Fragment

It is assumed that the whole group as a whole can personify various forms of glorification of the Mother of God, which is performed by all mankind (therefore, characters of different ages and peoples are depicted). The three central figures were interpreted as a choir of singers, as deacons, as the Fathers of God David, Joseph and Jacob. They were defined as "pastors in the concrete and allegorical sense of the word," meaning by this the wandering performers of spiritual verses dedicated to biblical events.

Some researchers see the Magi in men. Indeed, three men are very similar to the Magi depicted in the middle part of the icon in appearance and age: an old man, a middle-aged man and a young man. The change in the color and character of the robes can be explained by the tradition, according to which, after Pentecost, the Magi were baptized by the Apostle Thomas. White clothes are a sign of the cleansing of the newly baptized from the burden of original sin.

It should be noted that in Western Europe the Magi were very revered. Their relics, according to legend acquired by Empress Helen, from Constantinople came to Milan, and from there to Cologne. In the 12th century, a special liturgical Christmas rite arose in the West, which is a kind of performance in faces performed by clerics, singers and readers. Magi were the main characters of this mystery. Much later, having got to Western Ukraine, a theatrical performance of this kind was called "Nativity Scene". Pskov was the westernmost Russian city and Western European traditions and influences were strong in this principality. It is quite possible that in the 14th century the people of Pskov knew about such performances, and perhaps a similar rite was part of the celebration of Christmas in this city. This is not difficult to assume, if we remember that in Russia there was a rank close in nature - “Stove Action”. Thus, a specific festive church rite can be represented on the Pskov icon. In exactly the same way, in the iconography considered above, the Christmas service was depicted, but without indicating any specific part of the service.

Dionysius. Painting of the Pokhvalsky chapel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. 1481

Using and transforming the version about the image of a special festive rite representing the adoration of the Magi, we dare to suggest that the three men may not be Magi, but shepherds. The shepherds depicted in the upper part of the icon are also an old man, a middle-aged man and a young man. There is also a certain external similarity. Men in white robes and shepherds have the same attributes - staves. This version is supported by the fact that from the 11th century in the Western Church there was a liturgical rite dedicated exclusively to the worship of shepherds.

This church rite was performed as follows: a manger was set up near the Throne on a special dais, in which there was a statue or icon of the Virgin with the Child. Several canons (clerics) in church vestments, with linen scarves on their heads and wands in their hands, represented the Bethlehem shepherds. A choir boy who pretended to be an angel told them about Christmas by quoting the gospel. To the singing of the choir “Glory to God in the highest…” the shepherds went to the altar, where two canons, representing midwives, were waiting for them at the manger. They asked: “Who are you looking for in the manger, shepherds?” “We are looking for,” answered the shepherds, “the Savior of Christ.” The midwives pulled back the veil that hid the image of the Blessed Virgin with the Divine Infant. Pointing to him, they said: "Here he is - this Infant with his Mother." The shepherds bowed and sang prayers, then the liturgy began.

In this version, both the unusual shape of the throne of the Virgin and the white curtain, which is extremely rare for Russian monuments, would be well explained. However, this motif - the veil on the throne - originated in early Christian art, and later developed in South Slavic paintings and icons. The above reasoning is nothing more than a cautious guess, since it is not possible to know for certain whether such a rank could be known in the Western Russian lands. And such an attribute as a staff could well move from one “scenario” to another and become an attribute of a traveling sorcerer.

The riddles of the icon do not end there. The most difficult figure to interpret is the dancing youth. There is an opinion that this is a young shepherd marveling (surprising) at the miracle of Christmas. Struck, he covers his face with his hand, which resembles the shepherd depicted in the upper corner of the icon - he, seeing a star, also covers his eyes. The young man's clothing - a short tunic - corresponds to the tradition of depicting shepherds. It is easier to define the image of a young man with a book in his hands. Some researchers see him as Roman the Melodist; others, pointing to the absence of a halo, the reduced size of the figure, and other details, believe that this is some kind of collective image of a hymnographer or reader.

In the monuments of the 16th-17th centuries, the composition is greatly expanded, it includes personifications of the sea and winds, bringing to the Child, in the words of the icon-painting original, obedience and obedience. The image of the worshipers becomes more and more multi-figured.

Dionysius. Frescoes in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos at the Ferapontov Monastery. 1502

16th century Moscow. Museums of the Moscow Kremlin

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. history of the holiday

In the liturgical annual circle there is such a feature: after the great feast, the next day, the memory of the saints who served this event is celebrated. So, after celebrating Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, after - the Cathedral of John the Baptist, after the day - the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. On the second day after the Nativity of Christ, the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated. This holiday is dedicated to the glorification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. Glorifying the Most Holy Theotokos, the Church remembers the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.

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When King Herod learned that the Magi, who bowed to the newborn Savior, went to their land without telling him the birthplace of the Baby, Herod fell into anger and ordered to kill all babies under two years old in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. But an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph and told him to take the Christ Child and the Most Holy Theotokos and flee to Egypt. Joseph did as the angel told him. When King Herod died, the angel appeared to Joseph again and told him to return to Bethlehem. Joseph, the Virgin Mary with the Child settled not in Bethlehem, but in Nazareth, fearing the son of Herod - Archelaus. On the first Sunday after Christmas, the memory of holy righteous Joseph to whom the Virgin Mary was betrothed, Holy King David from whose lineage Christ descended, and Holy Apostle James, brother of the Lord son of Joseph.

Establishment of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos

Establishment Celebrations of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God refers to the ancient times of the Christian Church. Epiphanius of Cyprus(d.403), Saint Ambrose of Milan(c.340-397) and Blessed Aurelius Augustine(354-430), in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, they combined the praise of the born Christ with the praise of the Virgin Mary who gave birth to Him. An indication of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day following the Nativity of Christ is contained in Canon 79 of the VI Ecumenical Council, which took place in 680-681.

Feast of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. worship

Troparion to the Nativity of Christ, tone 4.

Rzhctvo2 your xrte b9e ours, rise the light of the world. in 8 him even ѕvezdam servants, ѕvezd0yu puchakhusz. to you clantisz to the righteous sun. and3 lead you over the east, gD and glory to you.

Kontakion to the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, Tone 6.

And before the days t nц7A without a birth, on earth2 without 8 nц7A incarnate today and 3stebE. the same way, the blessing of the sorcerer, or else the shepherds sing, the unsaid rite2 of yours is bradovanny.

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. Icons

Iconography of the Cathedral of Our Lady formed at the end of the thirteenth century. In Russia, the icons of the Cathedral of the Mother of God have been known since the 14th century. In the center of the composition is depicted the Mother of God sitting on a throne with the Child in her arms. She is surrounded by angels, shepherds and magicians. The icon also depicts Orthodox hymnographers and Church Fathers glorifying the Mother of God. The earliest known fresco depicting the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God is in the Church of Our Lady Peribleptos in Ohrid (1295). The most ancient Russian icon of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, dating back to XIV - early. XV centuries, comes from Pskov. The icon is very different both from previous Byzantine monuments and from Russian icons and frescoes of a later time. In the center of the icon is the Mother of God on a throne, which has a curved asymmetrical back and is decorated with a white curtain. However, the Mother of God does not hold the Christ Child in her arms, although this is how She is depicted in all other works on this plot. On this icon, in front of the Theotokos, on Her chest, is placed an image of Christ enclosed in a two-color eight-pointed “glory”, which She seems to be holding.

To the left of the throne of the Virgin Mary, the Magi are depicted bringing gifts, one of them points to a star, the image of which has not been preserved on the icon. To the right and left of the foot of the throne are the figures of two women who personify the Desert and the Earth. The desert is dressed in red, she brings a manger to Christ, and the Earth is dressed in a green cloak: with one hand she, as it were, holds out a den, and in the other she holds a flourishing branch. Above, above the hills, angels and wondering shepherds are depicted. In the upper corners are images of especially revered saints - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Great Martyr Barbara. The image of the saints was probably made at the request of the customer, and is not directly related to iconography. At the bottom of the image are three men in white robes, similar to surplices, a young reader, and a young man. This scene to this day does not have an unambiguous interpretation. There are conflicting interpretations in the scientific literature. It is assumed that the whole group as a whole can personify various forms of glorification of the Mother of God performed by people. The three central figures were regarded as a choir of singers, as deacons, as the Fathers of God David, Joseph and Jacob. They were called "shepherds" in the concrete and allegorical sense of the word, meaning by this the wandering performers of spiritual verses dedicated to biblical events.

There are also later icon-paintings and frescoes of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos. As mentioned above, the Blessed Virgin is depicted sitting on a throne with the Infant Christ, surrounded by angels, sorcerers who present gifts to the Savior, and saints.

Folk traditions of the holiday Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Among the people, the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos was called "Women's porridge." On this day, it was customary to honor women in labor and midwives. In the villages, on January 8, pies were baked and treated to women in labor. In peasant families with children, on this day, parents prepared dishes and went with a bow to visit the midwife who took birth. According to ancient Russian traditions, on the day of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, women felt their special unity with the Mother of God, which is why they left bread for Her as a gift. Women baked bread and brought it to church: they left part of the treats at the altar, and after the consecration they carried some home. Also on this day it was supposed to cook porridge. It is believed that these traditions are of pagan origin, since pagan beliefs existed for a long time after the Baptism of Russia. It is known that before the Baptism in Russia there was polytheism. Among the gods, they revered the patroness of all women - Makosh, whose cult after the Baptism of Russia changed and mingled with the Christian holiday of the Cathedral of the Virgin.

The second day after Christmas is called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, i.e. an assembly that included persons personally close to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph the Betrothed, and also the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the celebration of the Council, the memory of those who, according to the flesh, were close to the Savior, is remembered
- Saint Joseph the Betrothed,
- King David (an ancestor in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ)
- St. James, brother of the Lord, son from the first marriage of St. Joseph the Betrothed. Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

Being an 80-year-old elder, Joseph the Betrothed, with the blessing of the high priest, received the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure, his whole ministry was to protect the Mother of God.

“But for many people who did not know the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph was the father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we note that the Mother of God also said, referring to Jesus, who at the age of twelve remained in the Jerusalem temple and was lost for his parents, that the Servant grieved his father - after all, Joseph was like a father to those around him (cf. Luke 2:39-52).

On the first Sunday on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church also remembers the king, the prophet, the psalmist David - a holy man who sinned grievously, but repented in such a way that people today call on the name of God with his words, recalling the great lines addressed to the Creator: “Have mercy on me, God, according to your great mercy ”(Ps. 50. 1). “Prophet David was according to the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should be, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the lineage of David.”

The Apostle James is called the brother of God, because he was the eldest son of the Betrothed Joseph - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man, and after the Resurrection of Christ he was chosen as the primate of the Jerusalem Church. “Jacob, fulfilling the prescriptions of the Old Law, was the bishop of the New Testament and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ both the Messiah and the Redeemer of Israel,” the archpastor emphasized. In his opinion, this sermon was objectionable to all those who led Jesus Christ to Calvary, and the holy Apostle James was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem temple.

VI Ecumenical Council - Rule 79

“The Divine birth from the Virgin, as having been seedless, confessing it painless, and preaching this to the whole world, we subject those who create, out of ignorance, that something is not due. Because some, on the day of the holy birth of Christ our God, are seen preparing bread biscuits, and each those who pass on to each other, as if in honor of the diseases of the birth of the all-immaculate Virgin Mother: then we determine that the faithful do nothing of the kind. example of an ordinary and natural birth. If from now on anyone who does such things is seen, let the clergy be deposed, and the laity be excommunicated.

On the Meaning of the Feast Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The birth of the Savior was from the Holy Spirit. This was not an ordinary birth. But in the earthly life of the Savior, His family played an important role: His Most Pure Mother, Joseph the Betrothed, His closest relatives - those who surrounded the Infant and Child Jesus. And therefore the Church, paying special veneration to all that the Lord God brought into the world through the incarnation of His Son, at the same time remembers the earthly life of the Savior and His loved ones. And it could not be otherwise, because in the Church the Divine and the human, the heavenly and the earthly are united, and in this union one is not diminished by the other.

It was pleasing to God that human nature, human life, with its joys and sorrows, be raptured into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, so that this human life would be deified. This was pleasing to the Lord in relation to His beloved Son, and after the incarnation of the Son of God, this God's plan to glorify all creation, to glorify human nature became completely obvious, for in Christ the heavenly and the earthly, the divine and the human are united.

That is why a Christian, striving for the things above, striving for eternal salvation, must never follow the path to salvation, offending his relatives and friends, refusing good family relationships and generally humiliating the human principle. It seems to some that in the human beginning there is sin. But sin is not in human nature itself, but in the evil human will. And everything that a person does for the glory of God, everything that is the result of his work, is blessed by God. This is a kind of shrine through which we serve God. That is why human creativity, both the highest and the most insignificant, is all our gift to God, it is a sacrifice that we bring to God.

If we have such an understanding of human existence, such an understanding of human nature, such an understanding of human relations, then this being, this nature and these relations will be filled with the grace of God - so that, according to the word of the apostle, the heavenly is united with the earthly and that at the head of everything is God, who fills everything and contains everything with His power.

The Nativity of Christ - the mystery of the Divine Incarnation - teaches us a lot, including the attitude of a person to his earthly life that is pleasing to God. Let us glorify the Lord in our souls and bodies, which are God's, the apostle calls us. And today, emphasizing the kinship and human relations of the Savior with those who surrounded Him, again and again calls us all to a pious life, to good relations with our loved ones and relatives, to building human relationships according to the commandment of God, in order to truly glorify God and in our souls and in our bodies. Amen.

The power of prayer to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Vigilantly praying at the Throne of the Lord, the Mother of God, Intercessor for our salvation.

The Most Holy Theotokos was honored with special grace and closeness to the Throne of God after Her glorious Assumption. She moved to Heaven not only in order to abide in the radiance and majesty of the Divine Glory of Her beloved Son, but also in order to intercede for us with Her prayers before Him. "Rejoice! I am with you all the days," She said, appearing to the holy apostles.

The Mother of God shines like the sun and warms us with the rays of Her love and enlivens our souls with the grace given to Her by God. By Her Spirit She always abides on earth. When Blessed Andrew the Fool-for-Christ, like the Apostle Paul, was caught up by the spirit into the heavenly abodes and saw the Lord there, he began to grieve, not seeing the Most Pure Theotokos. But the Angel told him that She had gone into the world to help people.

The Legend of the Flight of the Blessed Virgin Marywith the Divine Infant to Egypt.

After the Magi had left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, fled to Egypt and remained there until he was led from there return, because Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother by night and went to Egypt.

But first, before his departure there, he fulfilled in Solomon’s temple everything that was determined according to the law of the Lord, for the days of purification of the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God had already come, and in that temple the elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess met our Lord. Then, having fulfilled everything that was determined in the law, Joseph went to Nazareth, to his house. For thus says St. Luke: "And when they had done everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth" (Luke 2:39).

From this it is clear that they did not immediately set off from Bethlehem to Egypt, but first went to the temple of the Lord, then to Nazareth, and finally to Egypt. This is also testified by St. Theophylact in his interpretation of the Evangelist Matthew, when he writes as follows: “Question: How does the Evangelist Luke say that the Lord withdrew to Nazareth after 40 days after His birth and after meeting His elder Simeon?

And here St. Matthew says that he came to Nazareth after his return from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist Luke mentions what the Evangelist Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (Luke says) after His birth went to Nazareth. And Matthew speaks of what happened after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how, on his return from there, he again went to Nazareth. In general, the Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only Luke speaks of the removal of Christ from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and Matthew tells of His return to Nazareth from Egypt. of their house, and then, having taken everything necessary for the journey, hastily, at night (so that the nearest neighbors would not know this) set off along the road to Egypt.At the same time, they took with them, for service, and Jacob, the eldest son of Joseph, later called the brother of the Lord , which can be seen from the church hymn for October 23 (S.S.), where it is sung like this: "brother appeared to you, disciple, and seer of divine mysteries, run with him, and in Egypt being with Joseph"... From here it is clear that James accompanied the holy family on their way to Egypt, ministering to them during the journey.

And the Lord fled to Egypt in part in order to show that He is a true incarnate man, and not a spirit and a ghost (which Saint Ephraim points out in the word on the Transfiguration when he says: "If He were not flesh, then with By whom did Joseph flee to Egypt"); and partly in order to teach us to flee the wrath and fury of man, and not to resist them with pride. This is how Chrysostom explains: “In his flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give place to rage, that is, to run away from human rage. And if the Almighty flees, then we, the proud, learn not to endanger ourselves.” The purpose of the Lord’s flight to Egypt is also that to cleanse Egypt of idols and, as the holy Pope Leo says, so that not without this country, in which for the first time through the slaughter of a lamb the saving sign of the cross and the Passover of the Lord were foreshadowed, the sacrament of the most holy sacrifice was prepared. Also, to fulfill the following prophecy of Isaiah: "The Lord will sit on a light cloud, and will come in Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence" (Is.19:1). In this place, under a cloud, St. Ambrose means the Most Pure Virgin, Who brought her Lord into Egypt in her arms, and the idols of the Egyptian gods fell. That cloud, the Most Pure Virgin, is light, for She is not weighed down by any burden of any sin or carnal lust and the knowledge of marriage.

It is also transmitted that when the righteous Joseph, the Most Pure Virgin and the Divine Infant were going to Egypt, in one deserted place robbers attacked them and wanted to take away their donkey, on which they carried the little that was necessary for them on the road, and on which sometimes and they traveled. One of those robbers, seeing the Baby of extraordinary beauty and being surprised at such beauty, said:

If God took on a human body, He would not want to be more beautiful than this Infant.

Having said this, he forbade his comrades, other robbers, and did not allow them to offend these travelers in any way. Then the Most Pure Theotokos said to that robber:

Know that this Child will reward you with a generous reward for guarding Him.

This thief was the same one who later, at the crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross on the right side, and to whom the Lord said: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). And the prophetic prediction of the Mother of God was fulfilled, that "This Child will reward you."

Caravaggio. 1594-1596. Rome. Doria Pamphili Gallery

When they entered the Egyptian country and were within the boundaries of Thebaid, they approached the city of Hermopolis. Near the entrance to this city grew a very beautiful tree, called "Perseus", which the inhabitants there, according to their idolatrous custom, revered as a god, because of his height and majestic beauty, worshiping him and making sacrifices to him, for in that tree lived and the demon worshiped by them. When the Most Pure Mother of God with the Divine Child approached that tree, it immediately shook violently, for the demon, fearing the coming of Jesus, fled. And the tree bowed its top to the very ground, giving due worship to its Creator and His Parent, the Most Pure Virgin, in addition, it protected them from the heat of the sun with the shadow of its many leafy branches and thus gave the weary holy travelers the opportunity to rest. And in such an inclined form that tree remained as an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord into Egypt. After the Lord with His Matter and Joseph rested under this tree, this tree received healing power, for all kinds of diseases were healed from its branches. Then the holy travelers first of all entered that city and the idol temple that was in it, and immediately all the idols fell. Palladius mentions this temple in Lavsaik: “We saw,” he says, “there (in Hermopol) an idol temple, in which, during the coming of the Savior, all the idols fell prostrate to the ground. Also in one village called Siren, it fell three hundred and sixty-five idols in one temple, while Christ entered there with the Most Pure Matter.

And in all Egypt, at the time of the coming of the Lord, idols were broken, and demons fled from them, and in this event that which St. the prophet Jeremiah, while in Egypt, when he said "All idols will have to fall, and all the images of the gods will grieve when the Virgin Mother comes here with the Baby born in the manger." From the time of this prophecy of Jeremiah, it was customary for the Egyptians to depict the Virgin resting on a bed, and near Her the Infant, lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, and to worship this image. When King Ptolemy once asked the Egyptian priests why they were doing this, they replied, "This is a secret proclaimed to our ancient ancestors by one holy prophet, and we are waiting for the fulfillment of that prophecy and the disclosure of this secret."

After this, the holy travelers turned a little away from the city of Hermopol and, looking for a place to stop, entered the village called "Natareya", which lies not far from Iliopol, near this village, Joseph left the Most Pure Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he himself went to the village in order to acquire needed. And that fig tree, which sheltered the holy wanderers under it, forked from top to bottom and lowered its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or a tent over their heads: and below, at its root, it formed, as it were, a recess in that cleft, convenient for staying, and there the Most Pure Virgin with the Child lay down and rested from her journey. That place is still in great veneration not only among Christians, but also among the Saracens, who still (as it is told by reliable eyewitnesses) light a lamp with oil in a cleft of a tree in honor of the Virgin with the Child who rested there.

Joseph and the Most Holy Theotokos wanted to stay in that village and, having found a hut for themselves not far from that tree, they began to live in it. Another miracle was also performed by the power of the Divine Infant, for there, near their place of residence and near that wonderful tree, suddenly appeared a source of living water, from which the Most Pure Virgin drew for her needs and in which she arranged a bath for Her Infant. That spring exists to this day, having very cold and healthy water. And what is even more amazing is that in all the land of Egypt it is the only source of living water, and it is famous in that village. This ends the story of the sojourn of the Most Pure Mother of God with Christ in Egypt, where they spent several years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. Epiphanius says that - two years, and Nikifor three years, and George Kedrin five years; others, like Ammonius of Alexandria, think that it is seven years. In any case, it is certain that until the death of Herod, as the Gospel says: "And there he was until the death of Herod" (Matt. 2:15).

After the slaughter of the Bethlehem babies and after the accursed Herod died an evil death, the Angel of the Lord again appeared in a dream to Joseph, commanding him to return from the land of Egypt to the land of Israel, "for (he said) those who sought the soul of the child died." Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judah, which was the best and most part of the land of Israel. When he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left behind him three sons: the first Archelaus, another Herod Antipas, and the third, the youngest, Philip. All of them, after the death of their father, went to Rome, to Caesar, because of rivalry, since each of them wanted to receive the kingdom of his father. Caesar, without giving any of them royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tetrarchies. He gave Judea to his elder brother Archelaus, Galilee to Herod Antipas, and Trachonite country to his younger brother Philip; He gave Avilinia to Lysanias, the younger son of Lysanias the elder, once a friend of Herod, and then killed by him out of envy.

Releasing all of them from Rome, Caesar promised Archelaus royal honor, if only he would show good and careful management of his part. But Archelaus was no better than his cruel father, tormenting and killing many, for, having come to Jerusalem, he immediately killed three thousand people in vain, and ordered many citizens to be tortured on the day of the holiday, in the middle of the temple, in front of the entire assembly of the Jews. Because of his cruelty, he was, after a few years, slandered, deprived of power and exiled to prison. Joseph, on his return, heard that this evil Archelaus reigns, although without a royal title, and was afraid to go to Judea, receiving the same a notice in a dream from that angel who had already appeared to him before, went into the Galilee, into the possession of Herod Antipas, the brother of Archelaus, for this Herod ruled the people with greater meekness than his brother; and Joseph settled in the city of Nazareth, in his house, where they had lived before, so that what was predicted about Christ the Lord by the prophets would be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazirite. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Bassano (Jacopo da Ponte). 1545-46

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