What helps the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God?

In ancient times in Russia the city of Tsargrad was called the famous Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. As for the first baptized Slavs, they became known from the history of the princess Apostles Olga and her grandson, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, who later worked much hard to introduce the Orthodox faith in Russia. They themselves took the Christian faith in the territory of Byzantium - Olga in Constantinople itself, and Grand Duke Vladimir in Korsun (now in this territory is Sevastopol). It was from Constantinople that Russian people received a precious list of the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God.

In 1054, Great Rome disconnected from Byzantium and, according to ancient sources, in 1071 on April 8 (25) this icon was transferred from Rome to Constantinople.

After the adoption of the union, the split into two camps and the fall of Byzantium in 1453 by the hands of Mehmed the Second, when heretical attitudes began to arise in Russia, the list of the miraculous image appeared to the Russian people.

The Image of the Most Pure Image of the Mother of God in the Eleazar Convent

In the XV century, the Pskov region suffered greatly from the invasion of the Swedes, Latvians and Estonians. At the same time, Patriarch of Constantinople Gennady II sent a list of the miraculous Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God to the newly built Eleazar cloister. The icon was presented as a gift of God, as a symbol of the fact that God turns from the people who fell into a heresy and turns to those who hold fast to Orthodoxy.

The inhabitants of the monastery believed in the image of the Most Pure Mother and God-Child with faith and reverence. The Monk Yefrosin together with the brothers went out to meet the icon at the water source, and there they took her singing the akathist and the service of the prayer. At the meeting place a wooden chapel was built with a well, the water of which is considered to be healing even then and now. The chapel exists until today: it is reconstructed from wooden to stone, it is called "Chapel of the Most Pure". The monastery for a long time was called the Sretensk Eleazarovskaya desert.

Healing and miracles

During the stay of the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God in the monastery, by the grace of God, miracles came from her. Many people were healed of mental and bodily diseases. Not only Orthodox people came to her, but also Latvians, Estonians and all those who needed help and protection.

Lutheran Emilia, who suffered for many years from a woman's illness, fell into total exhaustion and could barely walk. Hardly came to the temple and stood the singing of the Akathist to the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God, she was anointed with oil from the lamp, lit before the image. The woman immediately felt healing and, opening her heart to God, accepted Orthodoxy. She returned home already to an Orthodox Christian, praising the Lord and His Most Pure Mother.

Known is another, no less amazing case of healing. Blind from his youth, a man named Andris often visited the Eleazar convent and prayed before the miraculous icon. One day during the Sacramental Moleben, frenzied and praying earnestly, he asked the Virgin Mary and the Lord to receive healing from blindness. When water was sprinkled with water, Andrei (Andris) felt the drops of water hit his eyes and, after washing them, they made a sighted person. The look of a man fell on the face of the God-fader and His Most Pure Mother, then he saw the Monk Euphrosinius and other people looking at him happily. There were other miracles coming from the icon.

Loss of the icon

Unfortunately, raids on the Spaso-Eleazarovskiy monastery were constantly raided, and according to legend the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Tsaregrad, decorated with a silver salary with precious stones, was seized by Swedes along with other valuable things, but they did not take it - they drowned in Lake Chudskoe, in a place Confluence of the Tolby River. Neither the ship nor the icons have been found.

Once this icon was the guardian of Rome (First Rome), then it was moved to Constantinople (Second Rome), and the last refuge was Rus, or, as they say, the Third Rome. The fourth is not given. But another list of icons was kept for a long time in the monastery.

Acquisition of the icon

In the difficult period of the October Revolution, when the believers were persecuted, the Savior-Eleazar monastery was plundered and the monks dispersed. The list of the Tsaregrad icon kept there for the joy of all survived thanks to the elder Nikolai Guryanov, who lived on the island of Zalita.

During the revival of the monastery, he transferred it to the abbot of the monastery, and now everyone can pray before the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God and pray with his true faith to the Lord.

Another image of the Tsaregrad Icon

There is another image of the Tsaregrad icon, which is very different from the previous one. According to tradition, this icon was presented by two Byzantine monks. There is no reliable information about this, but the legend survived, saying that once in Staraya Russa, 93 km from Novgorod, two travelers entered. They traveled from Constantinople and in the local cathedral (most likely, the Transfiguration of the Savior) they defended the service.

The worship service was so popular with the Greeks that they left a small icon with the image of the Mother of God of Tsaregrad. The icon, embossed on a hard slate, was specially made for small travelers. Glorify her on September 30.

The Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God. What are they praying for before her?

This icon is one of the amazing images that the holy apostle Luke left to believers . It came to Russia from the very heart of Orthodoxy - the Byzantine state, which for many centuries preserved apostolic traditions and teachings.

As with all other images of the Mother of God and Her Most Pure Son, we need to pray before her about our needs, requests, and thanks to our heavenly patrons. In short, there are no restrictions, but it happens that some images of saints, angels, the Mother of God, the Lord Jesus Christ help in specific problems.

Icon of the Mother of God "Tsaregradskaya" in what helps?

This holy image strengthens the Orthodox faith, fights against heresies and idols. As soon as deviations from pure Orthodox doctrine arise and people move away from the truth, one must pray for the country, not to fall into heresy, not to accept a union, and so on.

The icon is the keeper of the focus of the apostolic teaching and the truth of God. At present, the troubled time of the Tsaregrad Icon of the Mother of God, a photo of which can be seen in this article, is in the Holy Eleazar Monastery. Through the ages looking at the images of the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, one can feel the connection of times and thank God for His Providence - the opportunity to pray or simply contemplate the list of the icon written by the Evangelist Luke himself.

The connection of times is not broken: like two millennia ago, so now believers have the same feelings that unite us with the past.