Icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin": how the image and holiday arose

After Jesus came to the Kingdom of Heaven, John the Theologian became the care of the Theotokos . And when he set off on a long journey and was not there, the Mother of God lived in his parents' house.

To her constantly came believing people to see the Virgin Mary personally and talk about the events that occur in her life, about her son Christ and his birth. She, in turn, constantly preached Christianity and prayed a lot.

As the tradition says

Icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" - what is depicted on it? All of this is below.

So, when the mass persecution of Christians began, Mary and the Theologian went to Ephesus, where John was going to preach to the people the Christian faith. It was then that the Mother of God visited Lazarus Chetverdnevnogo, who lived in Cyprus. And when Mary rose to St. Athos, she said these words: "This place will be to Me for the lot given to me from the Son and my God. I will be the Intercessor of this place and God of the Meddler about him. "

Very shortly before her Assumption, the Virgin was in Jerusalem. Soon it was known as the Mother of God in the whole world. And here believers went to her at the sermon, and the enemies were eager to kill. But the Lord safely kept it from all attacks and dangers.

At the Holy Sepulcher

Mary the merry returned home. She was happy that she would meet her son. The only thing she asked the Lord for is to gather all the apostles to her death, who in the meantime preached Christianity in different parts of the world. Very often she came to the Holy Sepulcher. There she prayed for a long time and thought about something. And one of these days during the prayer Archangel Gabriel descended to her from heaven . He told her that soon her earthly life would end and life in heaven begin.

Actually it is from here that the story of what the icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" is.

What is depicted on the icon?

Here came that day. The hour of the Assumption was approaching. The Virgin lay and prayed on the bed, which was decorated with beautiful fabrics, and around it burned many candles. Apostles gathered near her. All waited, when will the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin take place.

This icon captures this particular alarming hour. Suddenly the candles went out and the room was lit up by a blinding light. This Christ Himself descended from heaven accompanied by Angels and Archangels and many other souls. This is what the icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" has meaning.

Maria rejoiced when she saw her son, alive and unharmed, and then rose from her bed and bowed to him to the very ground. According to the ancient tradition, without any suffering and pain, Saint Mary delivered her soul into the hands of Jesus and the Lord. Following the Divine light, singing was heard in the room, the heavenly gates opened and took the soul of the Mother of God.

On the options for the execution of the image and the burial itself

Each icon "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" is made in its own style. But the events it reflects are the same. Somewhere, a picture of Mary's deathbed is depicted, surrounded by apostles. And somewhere above the Virgin on the bed, you can see the Divine Light and Jesus with the Angels and Archangels.

After the soul of the Theotokos ascended into heaven, a luminous circle appeared like a large crown over her body. Before the funeral, this body was accompanied by Mary's body.

In the last way, dozens of believers saw her off, which the Jewish priests and some of their superiors did not like. At one point, one such priest, named Afonius, ran up to the grave of the Mother of God, and tried to overthrow the body of the Virgin Mary on the ground. For this an invisible angel who was walking behind the coffin, cut off his hands. The priest fell to his knees, repented of his evil intentions and began to ask for mercy, and the apostle Peter healed Athanias. The icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" in some embodiments can have an image of this scene.

Further, according to the legend, the Jewish soldiers rushed to the crowd of people carrying a coffin with the body of the Mother of God, but a mysterious circle blocked their way. Buried the Virgin Mary in a cave, the entrance of which was covered with a large boulder stone. What was the surprise of the believers when, after three days of unceasing prayers, they returned to the cave and opened the coffin, and the body of the Mother of God was no longer there! Only at the bottom could be seen its funeral veil.

This miracle said that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven with her body.

A little about the holiday itself

About the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and its ascension to heaven is evidenced by the many churches and monasteries that were built in honor of this event. And on this majestic and solemn day, all believing people can feel that the Mother of God is with us, and through prayer to her everyone will receive her maternal intercession and intercession. The Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is the oldest festival that appeared many centuries ago. To him, the church is prepared by means of a special Uspensky fast, which was established in ancient times.