Shuiskaya-Smolenskaya icon of the Mother of God. History of its creation

Among the icons most revered by our people, there is one - the Shuiskaya-Smolensk icon of the Mother of God. About it our story will go. But first of all - a few words about how the miraculous icons of the Virgin, so revered by us for many centuries, came to Russia.

The history of the first image of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The first icon depicting the Blessed Virgin was written during her lifetime by the holy Evangelist Luke. It was called "Hodegetria", which means "Guidebook".

The icon was painted in the city of Antioch, and, having traveled a long way through Jerusalem, Constantinople and Smolensk, it got to Moscow. After some time the shrine returned to Smolensk, and the Muscovites had two copies of it.

In the traditions of Orthodox iconography several canons of writing the image of the Virgin are envisaged. The one of which we are talking about, was called Smolenskaya. Currently there are many lists from it. One of them is the Shuiskaya-Smolensk icon of the Mother of God.

The discovery of the miracle-working image

The Russian land knew many disasters. Among other punishments of God, there were terrible epidemics that claimed thousands of lives. One of them happened in the city of Shuya. Visited him in 1654 a pestilence. The inhabitants of the city were completely helpless before this misfortune, because there was no medical care. Every day dozens of dead were taken to the cemetery, and the priests did not have time to read them.

Intercession could only be asked of the Lord God, and of His Most Pure Mother. That's why it was decided to pray before the new, just written it. Fortunately, there was a skilled master - icon painter Gerasim Ikonnikov. As an example, the artist used the icon Odigitria Smolenskaya. Tradition says that during all the days of work the residents of the city remained vigilantly praying and holding fasting.

The first miracle was shown by the icon in the workshop of Gerasim. Suddenly the features of the Mother of God changed by themselves, and she assumed a different appearance. After that, when the ready icon was brought to the Resurrection Church, everyone felt an inexplicable aroma. Seeing in this a happy omen, the townspeople fell to their knees and began to pray earnestly. And the Shuiskaya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God saved the city. The epidemic began to decline, and soon it stopped altogether. A year later the grateful residents of the city put a chapel in memory of this event.

The miracles shown by the icon

In 1666 the special bishop's commission gave the icon the status of miraculous. This took place after a year and a half from her received the healing of more than a hundred people, and all cases were officially registered. From that time it got its present name. The date of the holiday was set November 15 - the day of delivering the city from pestilence.

In those old years, the city was built mostly of wood. It often happened that the fire destroyed entire areas in them. A few large fires survived and Shuya. Every time the damage was applied to the Resurrection Church, where it was permanently located, and each time the icon miraculously remained unscathed. In 1848 the Shuiskaya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God again saved the city from an epidemic. This time Shuyu visited the cholera.

The fate of the icon in subsequent years

Throughout its history, the miraculous image has seen many crowned individuals and members of the reigning house. His glory was so great that when visiting the city, they considered it their duty to visit the Resurrection Church and pray in it. When the years of the God-struggles hard for the church came, people loyal to Orthodoxy preserved the icon. Some of them paid a price for this life. A case is known when parishioners of the church resisted the authorities, who seized church values and encroached on the precious salary of the icon. Some of them were shot, others were sent to prison.

Today, on November 15, the day of the celebration of the holy icon, a religious procession takes place in the city, in which Shuya residents and pilgrims from other cities take part.