What do people pray for to the Nicene Icon?: they pray for the admonition of those who have gone astray and apostatized from the faith.
Icon of the Mother of God "Nicaea"
Prayer to the Icon of the Mother of God "Nicaea"
O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! Thou art the highest of all Angels and Archangels and of all the most honest creatures: Thou art the Helper of the offended, the hopeless hope, the poor intercessor, the sad consolation, the hungry nurse, the naked robe, the healing of the sick, the salvation of sinners, the help and intercession of all Christians. O All-Merciful Lady, Virgin Mary and Lady! By Your mercy, save and have mercy on our Orthodox country, Your Right Reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, and the entire priestly and monastic rank, military leaders, city governors and Christ-loving army, and well-wishers, and all Orthodox Christians, protect Your honorable robe: and pray, Lady, from You without To the seed of the incarnate Christ our God, may He gird us with His power from above against our invisible and visible enemies. O All-Merciful Lady Lady Theotokos! Raise us from the depths of sin, and deliver us from famine, destruction, from cowardice and flood, from fire and sword, from the presence of foreigners and internecine warfare, and from sudden death, and from attacks of the enemy, and from corrupting winds, and from deadly plagues , and from all evil. Grant, O Lady, peace and health to Thy servant, all Orthodox Christians, and enlighten their minds and the eyes of their hearts to salvation: and make us, Thy sinful servants, worthy of the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God, for His power is blessed and glorified, with His beginningless Father, and his Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Seeing the ancient icon of the Mother of God “Thy belly was a holy meal” is a rare success for a collector and researcher. Not every museum can boast that its collection contains this rare subject. It is reliably known that a similar image, created by an unknown author of the 18th century, is kept in the Church-Archaeological Cabinet of the Moscow Theological Academy.
I was lucky enough to come across such an icon in the private collection of one of the residents of our city. This is an icon of the first half of the 19th century. painted on a wooden board with tempera paints using ancient technology.
The iconography (basic types and rules for depicting a specific person, event or plot) of the “Thy belly was a holy meal” icon is quite complex. This iconographic type developed gradually, enriched with more and more new symbolic details.
At the heart of this complex and multi-valued image is the Mother of God “Great Panagia” or “Oranta”, presented full-length, frontally, with her hands raised in prayer. On her chest is a gold medallion with a half-figure of Christ - the Savior Emmanuel, who also extended his arms in a blessing gesture. The Mother of God “of the Sign,” especially revered in Rus', with her hands raised in prayer and the Infant God “revealed in her bosom,” has a great resemblance to this icon. This symbolic image of the infant Christ makes the “Sign” similar to the Annunciation.
The icon called “Thy belly was a holy meal” differs from the “Sign” in that the Infant God (Savior Emmanuel) is placed in a cup standing on the throne - a symbol of the Eucharist (holy communion). The throne is located in the temple, we guess about this by the presence of architectural details: domes and columns.
Let's try to translate the icon symbols into modern Russian. This will help us understand the deeper meaning of the image. On top of the plate (maforia) the head of the Mother of God is covered with a crown. This means that before us is the “Queen of Heaven.” The hands of the Virgin Mary are raised in prayer: she prays to her divine son for the human race. This gesture is a sign of the eternal prayer of the Blessed Virgin, bringing hope and protection to the world.
Savior Emmanuel miraculously appeared in the bosom of the Mother of God. This is the moment of the Annunciation, when the Blessed Virgin learns from the Archangel Gabriel the good news that the God-Man is in her womb. The Eucharistic cup on the throne (altar) symbolizes Holy Communion - the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ, his holy sacrifice in the name of liberating man from the abomination of original sin. And finally, a symbolic image of the temple - the “earthly church” - the unity of all Orthodox believers.
The first such icon was the famous Byzantine “Our Lady of Nicaea” (named after the Asian city of Nicaea, where she became famous).
It received a new name in 325 by the decision of the First Ecumenical Council, when the church fathers decided to sing before this icon: “Your belly will be a holy meal.”
The Russian icon, called “Thy belly was a holy meal,” differs from its Byzantine prototype in the presence of architectural details and the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove flying from heaven. On the icon from the Church-Archaeological Cabinet of the Moscow Theological Academy, it is placed in the left top corner, on ours - on the rim of the halo of the Mother of God.
The miraculously preserved icon from the private collection of a Khabarovsk resident amazes with its bright colors: a combination of cherry and crimson. golden and green colors. This color scheme makes it similar to the traditions of Pomeranian Old Believers icon painters. It is enough to compare the Old Believer church stored in the State Historical Museum. icon XIX V. “Saved the Good Silence” with the one described in order to discover the correspondence of the color relationships, the manner of writing the face, the shape close to a square, the color of the edge (the color outline along the edge of the board and the middle).
In the 19th century, when New Believer churches were filled with “life-like”, carnal images close to secular art, Old Believers icon painters preserved ancient piety in the icon, following ancient traditions tempera icon painting.
Old Believer masters attached great importance to the use of gold in icons. After all, gold is a symbol of Favorian, divine light. Icon painters gild the background with gold leaf and richly decorate the decoration of the clothes with dissolved gold (dissolved in alum), making it with light, brittle lines.
All this closely connects our icon with the work of the monks of the Vygovskaya Hermitage - the spiritual center of the Old Believers in the 18th - 19th centuries. Vygovskaya Hermitage is a settlement of Old Believers-Pomeranians, located on the Vyg River, northeast of Lake Onega, in dense impenetrable forests surrounded by swamps.
Vygovskoe hostel, which included men's and convents, as well as the peasant villages around, was founded by Old Believers monks from northern monasteries.
In 1702, Emperor Peter I was informed about the existence of a schismatic monastery, but the tsar commanded: “Let them live,” and ordered the Old Believers-hermits to be assigned to the Povenets iron factories.
Here, far from worldly temptations and from the influence of “enlightened” Europe, the traditions of Russian spirituality continued to develop, and the continuity of art was preserved from pre-Nikon times.
The Vygov monks considered themselves followers of the monks of the Solovetsky Monastery, known for their open opposition to Nikon’s reform. For eight years, from 1668 to 1676, the Solovetsky Monastery withstood the siege of the tsarist troops.
It was the monks from Solovki who organized the main workshops in the desert: copper foundry, icon-making, book-making, bookbinding, etc.
The desert was famous for its collecting; Old Believers from all over the country brought ancient images, books and vestments here. The monastic mentors collected a rich library in which the entire written heritage was presented Ancient Rus', including unique monuments of hagiographic literature.
No less significant was the icon collection, which made it possible, based on the traditions of various icon painting schools Ancient Rus' developed its own Pomeranian style, which we see in the decoration of handwritten books, and in icons, and in the painting of dishes, and in copper-cast works. But they will be discussed in the next article, dedicated to the work of the Old Believers.
Galina EGOSHINA, art critic,
chief specialist of the Rosokhrankultura Department for the Far Eastern Federal District
At the request of one of the blog readers, I am posting the text of the canon in the “Charter Notes” Mother of God before Her miraculous icon, called the Nicene or “Inexhaustible Chalice”, even in the city of Serpukhov. The text is published from a brochure without imprint from the end of the 20th century.
Canon of Our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, more miraculous than Her Icon of Nicea, called the “Inexhaustible Chalice”, even in Serpukhov
Creation of the Hieromonk Simeon
Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos, tone 4.
Glory, even now. Troparion, same voice.
With the cup of joy and true joy, through the wisdom of Thy Christ, let thirsty people give a drink to the Mother of God, so that we may now celebrate Your holiday brightly and burning with heavenly love, who was born of You with good deeds, so that He may raise us up as sovereigns against all temptations and cruel sins, with Your help. and intercession, like omnipotence.Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, tone 4.
Song 1.
Chorus: Most Holy Lady Theotokos, hear the prayer of Your servants who pray to You.
Having divided the abyss of hell into your hands, and liberated the human race from corruption, give me, O Savior, the cup of Wisdom, and shower with the dew of Thy grace, sing boldly to Thy Most Pure Mother.
The Wisdom of the Father, which affirms the world, having created for itself a worldly dwelling in the Virgin, calls people to the table of immortality, drawing wine through the cup of salvation, remission of sins and endless life.
Glory. May Thy body, O Lord, be the bread of life, and Thy blood be the source of incorruption, the holy source of Thy Church, my secret meal, the cup for the remission of sins, the Most Pure Lady.
And now. From the barren Anna, the God-bearing vine vegetated, bringing the grapes of immortality to the world, heavenly Lady, glorious Mariam, let the angelic faces ever sing.
Confusion. Save Thy servants from troubles, O Virgin Mother of God, as we all, according to God, resort to You, as to an unbreakable wall and intercession (bow). Lord have mercy (three times, with bows).
Song 3.
Irmos. From on high he descended by will to the earth, who is above all power, and lifted up the humble, from the pit of the underworld, the human race. There is nothing more holy than You, Lord.Do not leave the circle of heaven with the Divine, having humbled yourself as an infant, dwell in Your womb, so that our humility will lift up the human race from the womb of hell, through You, the Lady, having joined our nature.
Rejoicing from the angel at conception, having received, rejoicing from Elizabeth in your soul, and rejoice me with a cup of joy, delighting my mind with heavenly love, there is no other joy than this, Lady.
Glory. And the teaching of the enemy has been completely abolished, before the infirmities are girded with strength, we are filled with courage with the cup from You, by You, the Mother of God, we powerfully strengthen the chosen commander of You, they glorify and sing, for there is no Most Holy One, except our God.
And now. Raising the poor from the earth, and raising the wretched from the rot, He lifts up Your man, O Mother of God, the Son, seating you on the Throne of the Most High Glory, putting on a crown of joy, creating cups of divine joy for ever as a partaker.
Sedalen, voice 8. Similar to: P divine sacrament.
In lovingly fulfilling the eternal counsel, the Word of God dwelt in the flesh of man, through You the inexperienced Virgin, the heavens inconceivable power of the Divine, poured out into Your Most Pure womb more than nature, pouring out the true cup of deification for You, showing us, Thy sinful servant, so that by Thy grace we are enlightened by the cry of Ty: Rejoice, unbridled Bride.Song 4.
Irmos. For the sake of Your generous love and image, standing on Your Cross, and the pagans melted away, You are my God, my strength and praise.Whenever my soul is troubled in anger, when I am mired in the depths of destruction, seek Your image, the Savior, stretching out your hands for me, who was stretched out on the Cross for my sake, receiving Your prayers from the Mother, even showing the abyss of mercy to those overwhelmed in the abyss of sin.
Mary the maiden, Lady Blessed of God, guides you moistly through the waves of life, crushing the serpents in the depths with the copy of Your Son, Thou art our victorious joy, glory and praise.
Glory. The cup of salvation, cooling the heat of sin, the cup of wisdom, freeing the captive mind, fill me with the grace of Christ above all else, and vouchsafe His heavenly incorruptible supper in the future, to the Mother of God.
And now. Through You all sorrow is assuaged, Through You the filth of sin is completely washed away, through You I enjoy the drink of the vision of God, through You I see the image of God in myself, through You I ascend to heaven like a ladder, friend of God, the heavenly Queen.
Song 5.
Irmos. And from the light they drive away the first-born destruction, as in the light of the deed they sing of Thee, Christ the Creator. In Your light, guide our paths.Drive away passions from people, morning beautiful for souls You shine, you are a helper of God’s mercy, guide our feet towards the light of eternal life. (Twice)
Glory. In the dawn, rising over the vale of weeping, revealing the righteous sun of Christ, the golden-winged Virgin, adorning the glory of God with the brilliance of mankind, directs our paths in the light of His face.
And now. In the joy of God's chosen ones and in paradise, a dear haven for righteous souls, gloriously save your perishing city, guide your people on the path of repentance.
Song 6.
Irmos. I sank into the depths of the sea, and a storm drowned me, I have committed many sins, but like God from aphids, raise up my belly, O abundantly merciful.And from the depths of heavy despondency, from the passions of wordless obsession, lift me up, Most Pure Mother of God. Thou art a ship of salvation, and a teacher of souls, to the One, the most merciful.
Immersed in evil insensibility, and in the oblivion of God, having touched their dead conscience, Your right hand of mercy has come to You, O Mother of God, Son, to seek and save the lost.
Glory. The cup of endless joy, the wine of immortality and deification, take away the passions of deadly drunkenness, and raise from ashes to the light of the love of my Jesus, the only life-giver and many-merciful.
And now. Dry up my evils, O Most Pure One, scorching all filth with fire, conquer with Thy all-victorious purity, Thy most worldly Nativity by grace, give birth to me as a child of God my Savior, the only many-merciful One.
Kontakion, tone 8.
To the wonderful Intercessor of the Christian race, the everlasting hope of peace, now the Russian country falls weeping, and cries out for mercy from Her: save my sons and daughters from the flames of pernicious passions, oblivion and darkness, drunken madness, fornication, rebellion, murder and brotherly hatred . I have no other hope than You, I trust in You to the end, I glorify Your longed-for name throughout all generations, Rejoice, blessed Mary, Rejoice, unbrided Bride.Ikos. In the evil sorrows of a darkened life, in the insatiability of fierce passions, we drink the cup of God’s wrath worthily, and have found salvation in You, Most Immaculate. You restore from despondency and despair, you enlighten souls with the hope of forgiveness, you give tears of repentance, and with the grace of the mercy of Your Son, you strengthen the hearts of all who come running. In the same way, we always cry out to You and say: Rejoice at the cup of eternal life, rejoice at the giver of heavenly joy, rejoice at the table of Christ’s supper, rejoice at God’s creation of perfection and glory, rejoice at the Creator of the wonderful temple, rejoice at the unbrided Bride.
According to the Gospel, even at Matins, according to Psalm 50, stichera, tone 6.
Lift your hands, fall on your knees, seek healing with faith, heal with heartfelt love. For the heavenly glorious Queen enters into the earthly church, accompanied by starry faces, wrapped in the sun as if in a robe, stretching out her hand to the sinners and the humble, carrying the cup of salvation: come and partake of immortality, so that you may reign with Christ forever, for the earth and heaven will be renewed for you, run away illness and sadness and sighing.Song 7.
Irmos. Do not betray us to the end for Thy name's sake, and do not destroy Thy covenant, and do not leave Thy mercy from us, O Lord God of our father, praiseworthy forever.Do not let us, Most Pure One, depart from You, do not let us raise our hands to those who are strangers to God, but save the Russian country from all heresy, and enlighten Your people with Orthodoxy, and strengthen them in virtue, those who glorify You forever.
The Church of God, adorned, the Holy Tabernacle of God, the indestructible tablet of the New Testament, the most pure receptacle of the mysteries of Christ, save the Church of Your Son from temptation and heresy, and establish in unanimity and peace the right to glorify the Lord God our fathers.
Glory. Fulfillment of the remnant council of God, who in the earth-born image of the purity of heaven, having the table of animal bread forever, establish the hierarchical and priestly order, to the knowledge of the truth and wisdom of Christ, to offer an immaculate and peaceful sacrifice of praise, to the Lord God our father.
And now. More than the cup of sanctification, more than the cup of incorruption, drinking from the sweet faith of Jesus, we are most adored in body and soul, strengthen Thy priests with the fear of God and love, so that the people named after Christ may lift up the cup of Christ worthily, to the glory of the Lord God our fathers.
Song 8.
Irmos. O Lord of all things, having formed the wisdom of all things, and firmly established the earth as if it had set the bottom upon the immeasurable waters, thus all chanting with a cry, bless the works of the Lord without ceasing.And the Wisdom of God, which is creative and meaningful in every way, the Word of the Father, praised by the angels and all creation, the Most Pure One, who passed through You, clothes me in all things, so that He will clothe those who cry with Divine glory, bless all the works of the Lord the Lord.
As we look, brethren, to the prepared kingdom, hearing the call to heaven calling us, we will not serve the creature, the foul idol of voluptuousness, we will not offer insanely destructive sacrifices, but having been strengthened by faith, with the Most Pure Virgin, and with all the saints, we cry out to Christ, We glorify Thee our God, and exalt in eyelids.
Glory. And Your youths of old, saved You from the fiery furnace, preserved Your most pure womb, the Divines unburnt by fire, and now quench the sinful flames, with the cup of repentance of animal water, serve the living God unchangeably, sing and exalt Him forever.
And now. About that flame of temptation, indescribable coolness, thirsting for truth, joyful quenching, rejoicing in man's dwelling with God, rejoicing in the endless singing of the saints with angels, glorifying and exalting the Lord forever.
Song 9.
Irmos. In every earthly spirit, let us leap into spirit, let the nature of the disembodied minds rejoice, honoring the holy triumph of God to the Mother, and let it sing: Rejoice, Blessed Mother of God, Pure Ever-Virgin.Let the faithful sing with us today, offering praise to the Mother of God, for Christ, the conqueror of hell, appeared, ascending from death and corruption to heaven, magnifying Thee with the Orthodox faith.
May Thy prayer, O Most Pure One, enlighten us on our journey through life, may the imam be Thy candlestick in the night, unquenchable, for the radiance of the glory of the Heavenly Father shines upon His people, who magnify Thee with the Orthodox faith.
Therefore, this, at the right hand of the Throne of Glory, coming, the Queen, more shining than the sun, the daughter of man, the Mother of the Lord, more than the cherubs in You, exalt the earthly nature, and we all cry out, rejoicing to the Pure Mother of God of the Ever-Virgin.
Glory. Neither my voice nor my words are saturated with the spirit, to bring singing to You according to my inheritance, my heart cannot contain joy and consolation about You, forgive the unworthy servant, Mary, and raise up the new children of Your grace to sing, rejoicing to the Pure Mother of God of the Ever-Virgin.
And now. I drink to You, like a cup of heavenly fire, a cup of the most divine royal feast, rejoicing in the eternal life of my soul, rejoicing in the resurrection of my body, rejoicing in my light, rejoicing in the all-sung Mary, the Pure Mother of God of the Ever-Virgin.
Leave the verb: G Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayers for the sake of the Most Pure Ti Mater, Her honest and glorious miracle-working Icon of Nicea, called the “Inexhaustible Chalice”, even in the city of Serpukhov, and all the saints, have mercy and save us, as you are Good and Lover of Mankind. (28 May / 10 June)
Before the icon Holy Mother of God“Nicene” prays for the admonition of those who have gone astray and apostatized from the faith.
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos before Her Nicene Icon
O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! Thou art the highest of all Angels and Archangels and all honest creatures, the helper of the offended, the hopeless hope, the poor intercessor, the sad consolation, the hungry nurse, the naked robe, the healing of the sick, the salvation of sinners, the help and intercession of all Christians. O All-Merciful Lady, Virgin Mary and Lady! By Your mercy, save and have mercy on our country, Your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, and the entire priestly and monastic rank, military leaders, city governors and Christ-loving army, and well-wishers, and all Orthodox Christians, protect Your honest robe, and pray, Lady, from You without seed may the incarnate Christ our God gird us with His power from above against our invisible and visible enemies. O All-Merciful Lady Lady Theotokos! Raise us from the depths of sin, and deliver us from famine, destruction, from cowardice and flood, from fire and sword, from the presence of foreigners and internecine warfare, and from sudden death, and from attacks of the enemy, and from corrupting winds, and from deadly plagues , and from all evil. Grant, O Lady, peace and health to Thy servant, all Orthodox Christians, and enlighten their minds and the eyes of their hearts to salvation, and make us, Thy sinful servants, worthy of the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God, for His Power is blessed and glorified, with the Beginning His Father and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Troparion, tone 4
Thy belly became a holy meal, possessing the Heavenly Bread, Christ, from the Unworthiness of everyone who eats poison does not die, as everyone says, Mother of God, Nourisher.
Kontakion, tone 6
The intercession of Christians is shameless, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance, as the Good One, to the aid of us who faithfully call upon Thee: hasten to prayer and strive to supplicate, ever interceding, the Mother of God, who honor Thee.
Greatness
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy image, through which you heal our illnesses and raise our souls to God.
