Icon "Holy Family" - one of the most controversial shrines of Christianity

The icon "Holy Family" does not belong to the canonical icons of Orthodoxy, that is, it is a false icon. The biggest aversion among churchmen is that Joseph the Betrothed embraces the Mother of God, while he was with her rather as a keeper, and not as a husband. They were only engaged, as evidenced by the very name of the Betrothed. And he was at the time of the birth of Christ a hundred-year-old. There are also complaints about the white color of the clothes.

Picture or icon

The icon "Holy Family" recalls, rather, a picture written on a biblical subject. The world knows hundreds of such works, the most famous of them are the brushes of Rembrandt, Raphael and Rubens. About 100 great artists painted paintings on biblical themes, but none of them (except the only one - the "Three Joys") claim to be an icon (the "icon" in Greek means "image", sometimes an icon that depicts one Or one saint, is called a face).

Icon in Orthodoxy - prayer, conversation with God. Before the revolution, no one would have thought of holding an uncanonized icon at home, and even praying to her. This was apostasy, sectarianism, heresy of pure water.

In our time there is a lack of church education, on this ground the concepts are blurred, around a lot of false saints. There was an opportunity to travel to different countries, including Israel, where there is a real cult of the icon "Holy Family". It is located in the temples, and in all the shops and shops located along the route of tourists, it is made for every taste and purse.

Traditions and rules of the "Holy Family" in Christianity

They position it as the keeper of the home, the integrity of the family, and everything that is only related to the word "family." The icon "Holy Family" can help and in search of the second half and to spoil the razluchnitsu. Thus, the icon bought in the Holy Land and serving the noble purposes becomes more and more popular in Russia. And not many of its owners will come to mind to check it for pseudo-churchliness.

Already around this image there are some traditions, rules and rites, holidays are indicated, to which it is necessary to present only this icon: the newlyweds, so that the marriage is happy, by the anniversary of the wedding, to the birth of the child. So, the icon "Holy Family", popular in the Holy Land (the prayer in which will save the family from all conceivable and inconceivable troubles) has taken root in Russia. And this despite the fact that Orthodoxy has its own icon of the "Three Joys", which has the second name - the icon "Holy Family", namolennaya, with its interesting history. It depicts Joseph the carpenter (on some there is John the Baptist), but they are located on the second plan, as befits the custodians, and the "holy family" means the Virgin with her son. In this image all church canons and subtleties of Russian Orthodoxy are observed.

Importance of icons for world culture

"Three Joys" or "Holy Family" - an icon whose meaning is difficult to overestimate. Firstly, this is the only miraculous icon, which was written in Italy in the manner of Raphael, and brought to Russia became a national shrine.

She is treated not only with a plea for the preservation of the family, she is very helpful in returning a hopeless debt, an honor to an unjustly slandered person, she is praying for sinners and prisoners. The fate of her, unfortunately, repeated the fate of many Orthodox shrines, when in the 30 years of the last century, temples were thundered, stolen and destroyed. She's gone.

Now her list is in the church of the Holy Trinity on the Muds in Moscow. Every Wednesday hundreds of admirers come to the removal of this icon, it is known to believers throughout the country. The church feast in honor of this image falls on January 8 (December 19 in the old style). Many people are eager to visit the temple on this day and pray to the Holy Family, ask for intercession.