Celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (03/06)

The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (icon of the Mother of God) is considered miraculous and, according to legend, was painted by the evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Holy Family ate: the Savior, the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The Mother of God, seeing this image, said: « From now on all generations will please Me. May the grace of Him who was born from Me and Mine with this icon be».

The icon was brought to Russia from Byzantium at the beginning of the 12th century, as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from Patriarch Luke Chrysoverchus of Constantinople. The icon was erected in the Vyshgorod convent, not far from Kyiv; rumors about its miracles reached the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who decided to transport the icon to the north.

Passing Vladimir, the horses carrying the miraculous icon stood up and could not move. Replacing horses with new ones also did not help. The prince saw in this the desire of the Mother of God to stay in Vladimir, where in two years the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built. The celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary takes place several times a year (June 3, July 6, September 8). The most solemn celebration takes place on September 8 (new style), installed in honor of the meeting of the Vladimir Icon when moving it from Vladimir to Moscow.

The June 3 holiday was established in memory of the salvation of Moscow in 1521 from the invasion of the Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girey. Tatar hordes approached Moscow, putting Russian cities and villages to fire and destruction, exterminating their inhabitants. Grand Duke Vasily gathered an army against the Tatars, and Moscow Metropolitan Varlaam, together with the residents of Moscow, diligently prayed for deliverance from death.



A similar vision was given to the Moscow saint, Blessed Basil, to whom it was revealed that Moscow would be saved by the intercession of the Mother of God and the prayers of the saints. The Tatar Khan had a vision of the Mother of God, surrounded by a formidable army rushing to their shelves. The Tatars fled in fear, the capital of the Russian state was saved.

In front of the icon of the Mother of God «Vladimirskaya», many of the most important state acts of Russia were performed: the oath of allegiance to the Motherland, prayers before military campaigns, the election of All-Russian Patriarchs.

Thus, repeatedly the Most Holy Intercessor of the human race showed mercy to the Russian land through Her holy icon «Vladimir». At all times, with faith and fervent prayer for the pardon of the Russian land, the multi-sorrowful Russian people turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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