The history of an icon that keeps a secret
Information about the creation and history of this image is very scarce and forces one to be careful in drawing any conclusions. The history of its appearance is shrouded in mystery. It is only known that the now lost primary source was written in 845. However, there is reason to believe that in its iconographic type it was identical to the image of “Agiosoritissa”, which means “Intercessor and Petitioner”. This ancient image was widespread in Byzantium in the 12th-15th centuries; it apparently came to Rus' from Greece.
The original version of the icon represented the figure of the Mother of God without the Child, but holding a scroll in her hands. This scroll listed the petitions for us addressed by the Most Pure Virgin to her Son. This gives us hope that the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God, like all other images of the Mother of God, will help and protect us from all troubles and adversity. Therefore, we pray in front of the icon about everything that is beyond our strength and needs God’s help.
Fire-shaped icon of the Mother of God: what helps
By analogy with many other faces of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Christians offer prayers to the image of the Fire-like Mother of God with a request to protect them in any endeavors and affairs. In addition, it is customary to ask the icon to heal a person from various pathologies, protect him from negative influences from the outside, help successfully give birth to a healthy baby, and it is also believed that the face allows you to stop the war and save the lives of soldiers.
By offering a sincere prayer at the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God, you can be convinced that it works real miracles. There are known confirmations from contemporaries who say that children for whom they prayed at the image were healed even from the most serious pathologies and regained health.
It is noteworthy that the church does not have any special prayer for this face. This means that you can easily use any prayer addressed to the Holy Virgin Mary. And for it to really help you, one important condition must be met: the prayer must be sincere and come from a pure heart and soul. And before you start making appeals, we advise you to sincerely repent of all the sins you have committed.
Icon color scheme
The red robe of the Virgin Mary symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ, shed by Him in the name of the atoning sacrifice for all people. The fiery color is a symbol of the cleansing fire that burns in our souls the tares of evil sown by the enemy of the human race. In Orthodox prayers and chants, the Most Holy Theotokos is often called the “Candlestick with Divine Fire” and the “Throne of Cherubic Fire.” In the canon written in Her honor, the Mother of God is likened to the “Fire-like Chariot of the Word.”
Looking at the icon, one cannot help but pay attention to the gaze of the Mother of God. He is addressed directly to us and is filled with meekness and humility, as if penetrating the soul of the viewer. This feature is very characteristic of Byzantine icons, devoid of external emotionality. In this case, the emotional impact is created by the rich red color.
What prayers to offer in front of the icon
The first icon of the Mother of God “Fire-shaped” mentioned in historical documents was painted in 1812. It was included in the Orthodox calendar three years later. This explains that in the Orthodox prayer book there is no prayer composed specifically for this image. The Akathist to the Fire-Shaped Icon of the Mother of God also does not exist. Therefore, the usual Mother of God prayers are offered before this icon.
Most often they read the prayer that was written for the icon called “Bogolyubskaya”. She, like the icon of the Mother of God “Fire-shaped”, in its iconographic type goes back to the icon “Agiosoritissa” - “Intercessor and Helper”, which was mentioned above. It received its name from the name of the pious Russian prince, who was honored to see in a dream the Most Holy Theotokos holding a scroll of petitions in her right hand and extending her left hand to Jesus Christ.
Icon of the Mother of God Fire-shaped: what they pray for
As noted earlier, the image of the Mother of God is able to protect a person from disease, bloodshed and military action. They pray at the face, asking to preserve (restore) the health and life of the defenders of the fatherland and soldiers. For this reason, it is not surprising that the icon is most popular among the mothers and sisters of those serving in combat zones. They are begging for help to end any fights as soon as possible and allow their sons and brothers to return home alive and unharmed.
In any case, no matter which of the faces of the Mother of God we consider and no matter what we call her, in reality we offer prayers not to the image itself, but directly to the Holy Virgin. This means that you may well turn to the Mother of God with a request to protect you from any misfortunes and troubles; the most important thing is that the prayer comes from a pure heart and is sincere.
Grace poured out by faith
There is a lot of information that the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God did not leave unanswered prayers addressed to her with faith and humility. Without this, it is impossible to receive help from above. Remembering the Gospel words of Jesus Christ that we receive everything we ask only by the strength of our faith, they can undoubtedly be attributed to the grace poured out through the image called the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God. People turn to her for help during childbirth, and also pray for healing for children’s illnesses. In addition, they ask for a speedy end to wars and to save the lives of Orthodox soldiers.
It is no coincidence that in our country the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God is associated with military themes. Its meaning takes on a new shade due to the fact that the memory of the icon is celebrated on February 23, when our country celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day. From her admirers we sometimes hear the words that the figure of a baby is missing on this icon precisely because with her own hands the Most Holy Theotokos is ready to accept into the arms of all the children of Christ scorched by the war.
Prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “The Burning Bush”
Queen of Heaven, our Lady, Lady of the Universe, Most Holy Theotokos, undefiled, unblasphemous, imperishable, most pure, pure Ever-Virgin, Mary Bride of God, Mother of the Creator of creation, Lord of glory and Lord of all! Through you the King of kings and Lord of lords has come and appeared to us on earth. You are God's mercy incarnate. You are the Mother of Light and Life, just as you once carried Him in Your womb and in Your arms You had the Child, the Word of the Eternal, God, and so you have always carried Him with You. For this reason, according to God, we resort to You, as if to an unbreakable wall and intercession: look with mercy, O all-sung Mother of God, on our fierce anger and heal our souls and bodies of illness: drive away from us every enemy and adversary, deliver from famine, pestilence, from plagues, from many waters and harmful airs, and from sudden death; and like the three youths in the cave of Babylon, preserve and keep us, so that, like the people of God of old, all good things will come to us who honor Thee; Let all those who hate us be ashamed and put to shame, and everyone will understand that the Lord is with You, O Lady, and God is with You. In the days of autumn, bring us the light of Thy grace, and in the darkness of the night, enlighten us with light from above, making everyone useful: turn our sorrow into sweetness and wipe the tears of Thy servants who have sinned and are in need, fulfilling all their requests for good; You can do everything you want, Mother of the Word and Life. The Father has crowned the Daughter, the Son has crowned the Virgin Mother, the Holy Spirit has crowned the Bride, so that you may reign like a queen, standing at the right hand of the Holy Trinity, and have mercy on us as you wish, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
PRAYER BEFORE THE BOGOLYUBSKAYA ICON OF THE HOLY VIRGIN: Oh, Most Pure Lady Theotokos, God-loving Mother, Hope of our salvation! Look mercifully at those who come with faith and love and worship Your most pure image: accept our singing of praise and pour out Your warm prayer for us sinners to the Lord, that, having despised all our sins, He will save and have mercy on us! O Precious Lady! Show us Your wonderful mercies. We pray to You with tenderness, deliver us from all sorrow, guide us on the path of all virtues and goodness, save us from temptations, troubles and illnesses, take away slander and quarrels from us; save from lightning thunder, from burning fire, from famine, cowardice, flood and deadly plagues; Give us Your merciful help on the way, in the sea and on land, so that we may not perish violently. Oh, All-Merciful, God-loving Mother, with firm hope we send our humble prayer to You! Do not reject our tears and sighs, do not forget us all the days of our lives, but always remain with us, and through Your intercession and intercession with the Lord, give us joy, consolation, protection and help, so that we may glorify and magnify Your most blessed and all-sung name. Amen.
Fire-shaped icon of the Mother of God
Author:
Tatiana
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Conclusions based on the study of the icon
Studying the iconographic features of this image and trying to reconstruct the history of its appearance, researchers are faced with a curious fact. From the documents that have reached us, it is clear that its primary source, from which all subsequent lists were made, came to the Russian lands in 845. Since the year of the Baptism of Rus' is considered to be 989, it follows that the icon appeared a century and a half earlier.
This fact may indicate that the Christian faith penetrated into Rus' long before its official adoption. Obviously, this happened in the first years of the reign of the Rurik dynasty. Nevertheless, the “Fire-shaped” icon of the Mother of God received its distribution in lists and veneration only in the 18th century.
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Day of celebration:
February 10 (old style)
February 23 (new style)
To my Queen, my Hope, to the Mother of God, the Friend of the orphans and the strange, to the Representative, to the grieving, to the Joy of the offended, to the Patroness! See my misfortune, see my sorrow; help me, for I am weak, feed me, for I am strange! Weigh my offense - resolve it, like voles! For I have no other help but You, no other Representative, no good Comforter, except You, O Mother of God! May you preserve me and cover me forever and ever. Amen.
No information has been preserved regarding the time and place of the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The clothes on the Most Holy Theotokos are red, and this was the reason for the name of the Fire-shaped icon. The red color symbolizes the New Testament Church and the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, shed for the salvation of mankind. Events from the history of the icon: Little is known about the Icon of the Mother of God of the Fire. Researchers, trying to reconstruct the history of its initial appearance, are guided by the mention of it in the calendar published in the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, which indicate that it occurred in 845, that is, more than a century and a half before the officially accepted date of the Baptism of Rus' - 989 of the year. Since the veneration of the Fire Icon of the Mother of God is known only in Orthodoxy, this confirms the temporal fact: the Christian faith penetrated into the Russian lands long before the Baptism of Rus' by the blessed Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich and before the birth of the blessed Princess Olga, even at the beginning of the reign of the Rurik dynasty. However, the veneration of the “Fire-shaped” icon itself throughout the Russian Orthodox Church, according to some historians, began only in the 18th century. Before that, from the 13th century, it was especially revered by Old Believers, believing that the red color of the icon is a symbol of the fullness of the Church, its salvation in the midst of Divine fire, purification, union with God and transformation in the fiery Divine spirit, which in its way can be considered as a kind of analogue of the phenomenon Transfiguration of the Lord and Tabor Fire. The origin of the “Fire-like” icon is called mysterious by some, but there are assumptions that allow us to connect it with the Byzantine image of Agiosoritissa-Svyatorachitsa (in Greek “Agio Soros” - “Holy Cancer”), in the Greek version she is called Paraklesis - the Suppliant, which also found reflected in the interpretation of the meaning of the “Fire-shaped” icon, painted by Russian icon painters. The image of Agiosoritissa was located in the Chalkopratian Church of the Virgin Mary in Constantinople, which was erected in the 5th century one and a half hundred meters from the Church of Hagia Sophia, but has not survived to this day; in its place, more than a century later, a new temple with the same name was erected, and with it – small basilica of St. Reliquary. In the Holy Reliquary of the Chalkoprate Church, from which the icon received its name, the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her robe, is preserved. The main differences between the “Fire-shaped” icon and its Byzantine prototype are as follows: the image of the Mother of God Agiosoritissa that has come down to us was depicted in full growth, without the Child, but often with a list in her hands, where Her requests and intercessions for us to the Lord were written down. The Russian list is a shoulder-length image of the Most Pure One. On images painted in the Byzantine tradition, three-quarters of the Mother of God’s face faces to the right, whereas in Russian copies it most often faces to the left. And the most important thing is the color, a fiery scarlet color, with which both the face of the Most Pure One and her clothes are painted, in contrast to Agiosoritissa, whose depiction is made in the colors generally accepted in Byzantine icon painting. The gaze of the Most Pure One is directed directly at us. The Mother of God looks intently, as if looking into the soul, and the expression on her face is calm, humble, as on Byzantine icons, which were never distinguished by pronounced emotionality. Here color brings emotion. Since similar images in the canonically accepted images of Russian icon painting are not found anywhere else, this is the only list with a small drawing, or rather, its single fiery color scheme, researchers attribute it to the fantasy of the first unknown icon painter who created it in Rus', preserving the external canon that allows us to correlate it with Agiosoritissa the Petitioner, the Intercessor. In Moscow, the icon of the Mother of God of the Fire, painted during the Napoleonic invasion, is kept in the State Historical Museum. Since the icon of the Mother of God of the Fire has been noted in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church since 1815, there was no specific prayer for it in the church charter. Therefore, you can pray any of the well-known prayers to the Mother of God, read the Theotokos canon or pray in front of the Bogolyubskaya icon of the Mother of God (named after Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky), which in type and history also goes back to the icon of Agiosoritissa - Intercessor, Petitioner.
Troparion to the Icon of the Mother of God “Fire-Shaped” voice 4 Let us now diligently approach the Mother of in sinfulness and humility, and let us fall down in repentance calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away Your servants’ vainness, You and the One hope imams. Kontakion to the Icon of the Mother of God “Fire-Shaped” voice 6 The intercession of Christians is not shameful, 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 Ty: hasten to prayer and strive to entreaty, interceding ever before the Mother of God , who honor Thee. Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “Fire-shaped” Oh, Most Pure Lady Theotokos, God-loving Mother, Hope of our salvation! Look mercifully at those who come with faith and love and worship Your most pure image: accept our singing of praise and pour out Your warm prayer for us sinners to the Lord, that, having despised all our sins, He will save and have mercy on us! O Precious Lady! Show us Your wonderful mercies. We pray to You with tenderness, deliver us from all sorrow, guide us on the path of all virtues and goodness, save us from temptations, troubles and illnesses, take away slander and quarrels from us; save from lightning thunder, from burning fire, from famine, cowardice, flood and deadly plagues; Give us Your merciful help on the way, in the sea and on land, so that we may not perish violently. Oh, All-Merciful, God-loving Mother, with firm hope we send our humble prayer to You! Do not reject our tears and sighs, do not forget us all the days of our lives, but always remain with us, and through Your intercession and intercession with the Lord, give us joy, consolation, protection and help, so that we may glorify and magnify Your most blessed and all-sung name. Amen.
Sermon by Archpriest Rodion Putyatin on the Holy Week, about the Last Judgment “Then he will also say to those on the left side: Depart from Me, you cursed, into eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41). This is what Jesus Christ will say at His Last Judgment to the people standing on the left hand: depart from Me, you cursed, into eternal fire. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me. Then they will answer him: Lord! When did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison - and did not serve You? Then He will answer them and say, “Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” Jesus Christ will say, and they will go into eternal torment (see: Matt. 25, 41–46). Christian listeners! Will people really go into eternal torment just for these sins, because they don’t feed the hungry, they don’t give drink to the thirsty, they don’t welcome a stranger into their home, they don’t clothe the naked, they don’t visit the sick and in prison? There are many other sins, both grave and great sins; Why doesn’t Jesus Christ remind sinners of these sins? There is no need to remind or talk about grave and great sins: even without the Judge pronouncing a sentence, they condemn sinners to eternal torment. Great and serious sinners will stand unrequited at the Last Judgment; without saying a word, they will go into eternal fire; they will have nothing to say in their apology, they will have nothing to justify themselves with. And therefore the sentence of Jesus Christ, which He will pronounce at the Last Judgment, has the following meaning: you, sinners, did not want to fulfill My commandments; you acted according to your own will, but did not obey Me; you only lived for yourself, but did nothing for Me; you didn’t even want to do such an easy thing for Me; For Me you did not feed the hungry, you did not give drink to the thirsty, you did not welcome the stranger into your home, you did not clothe the naked, you did not visit the sick and in prison, you did not want to do the easiest thing; This means that you have no mercy at all towards people, and therefore you have no mercy from Me either: step away from Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire. I am merciful, but only to those who are merciful to others. So, Christian listeners, what should we, sinners, do now, how can we be saved with our sins from the eternal torment that awaits sinners after death? Let us quickly take up the deeds of philanthropy, let us do more mercy to our neighbors, and God will show us His mercy, that is, he will give us time to repent of our sins, give us the means to atone for our crimes and, thus, forgive all sins and crimes and will no longer remember them at His Last Judgment. But let us not forget, listeners, that God forgives and resolves sins here on earth, and therefore we will do alms not so that God will forgive us our sins at the Last Judgment, but so that He will forgive and resolve here. At the Last Judgment He will not remember our sins if we repent of them here, if we receive forgiveness and permission here. Then He will remember only our alms that we have done, then He will say to us: you have been merciful, and for this I will show you mercy - come and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for you. But if we do not want to repent of our sins here, if we do not receive forgiveness and permission for them and, thus, appear at the Last Judgment with sins, then we will no longer have any mercy, the Lord will already reward us for our sins. He will no longer remember even if we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, or do other acts of alms. I also repeat: the Lord at the Last Judgment remembers alms and for it shows mercy only to those sinners who here repented and received forgiveness for their sins. So, listeners, try to make the Lord remember our alms at the Last Judgment, but be afraid, be afraid, lest He remember your sins then, and He will certainly remember everything if we forget to repent of them. Amen.
Sermon by Archpriest Viktor Guryev The devil is driven away by fasting, reading the Gospel and the fight against evil thoughts. Speaking with you about the means that are given to us to fight the devil and serve to shame him and drive him away from us, we pointed to prayer, humility, reading the Psalter, hard work and prayer to St. Archangel Michael. Now we intend to talk about some other benefits, namely: fasting, reading and studying the Gospel and the fight against evil thoughts. The Monk Macarius, sitting one day by the road, saw the devil in the form of a man, hung with some vessels and heading towards a nearby monastery. The saint stopped the demon with prayer and asked: “Where are you going?” “Yes, I’m going to visit the brethren,” was the answer. “What kind of vessels are you with?” - said the reverend. “And these,” answered the demon, “are various dishes for monks.” “Why are there so many of them with you?” – asked Macarius. “Yes, so that if you don’t like one thing, then treat the brethren with others. They won’t accept one of my evil advice or suggestions, so I’ll offer another, even worse one, and in this way I’ll catch someone,” said the devil and went his way. The monk remained to wait for his return. Having waited, he asked: “Well, how are you doing?” “Hoods,” answered the demon, “almost all the monks did not accept me, and only one obeys me a little.” “What’s his name?” “Theopemptus,” answered the devil and disappeared. Macarius went to the monastery. Having learned of his approach, the monks with statues in their hands came out to meet him, and everyone vied with each other and each called him to them. He, having learned which of them was Theopempt, went to the latter and was received with joy. The conversation began. "How are you doing?" – the monk asked his master. “Okay, with your prayers,” answered Theopempt. “Well, don’t evil thoughts bother you?” – the old man continued. Ashamed to admit them, the monk said that they were not embarrassed. “What a lucky guy! - the monk exclaimed; “And I’ve been fasting for so many years, and you yourself see how everyone reveres me, and yet bad thoughts still haunt me.” Then Theopempt confessed: “Yes, father, I too am greatly possessed by the spirit of fornication!” The elder then began to extort from him other evil thoughts that overwhelmed him, and Theopempt confessed to many. “Until what hour do you fast?” – asked Macarius after this. “Until the third hour in the afternoon,” answered the monk. The monk told him: “Try to fast until the evening; read and study the Gospel and the writings of St. fathers; if an evil thought comes, with all the strength of your soul, drive it away from you, and the Lord will help you defeat the enemy.” Theopempt promised to follow the elder’s advice, and Macarius left him. Soon after this, he again met the devil and in response to his question: “Where are you going?” again I received the answer: “I’m going to visit the brethren.” Having again waited for the demon to return, the monk asked again and again: “How are you doing?” “Very bad,” answered the devil. “Now all the monks, without exception, have not accepted me, and Theopempt is with them.” And I don’t know who corrupted him so much. For now he was the worst for me.” After this, the demon disappeared, and the monk returned to his cell, glorifying God. Seeing from here how intolerable fasting, the word of God and the fight against evil thoughts are for the devil, we will also use these means in battle with him and oppose them to our common enemy. He is trying by all means to destroy us: and we, for our part, must use all measures to defeat him. He declared irreconcilable abuse on us: and we will declare it on him. He goes about roaring like a lion, seeking whom he may devour: and we will go out against him, clothed with the whole armor of God. Amen.
Thoughts of St. Theophan the Recluse (1 Cor. 8:8–9:2; Matt. 25:31–46) The Last Judgment! The judge is coming to the clouds, surrounded by a myriad of ethereal heavenly forces. Trumpets sound to all ends of the earth and raise the dead. The rebel regiments flow in regiments to a certain place, to the throne of the Judge, already anticipating in advance what kind of sentence will sound in their ears. For the deeds of each will be written on the forehead of their nature, and their very appearance will correspond to their deeds and morals. The separation of the gums and the lips will take place by itself. Finally, everything has already been decided. There was deep silence. Another moment - and the decisive sentence of the Judge is heard - to some: “Come”, to others: “Go away” (Matthew 25:34, 41). Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us! May Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us! - but then it will be too late to cry like that. Now we must take care to wash away from our nature the signs written on it that are unfavorable for us. Then we would be ready to shed rivers of tears in order to wash ourselves; but this won't help anything. Let us cry now, if not with rivers of tears, then at least with streams; if not streams, at least raindrops; if we do not find this, we will be contrite in our hearts and, having confessed our sins to the Lord, we will beg Him to forgive us them, vowing not to offend Him again by violating His commandments, and then being jealous to faithfully fulfill such a vow.
Parable of the day About two shepherds One day two shepherds started a dispute among themselves about the affairs of the state. One of them condemned the sovereign with foam at the mouth, and the other defended his rule to the best of his ability. Hoarse from screaming, and even fighting, they were still unable to prove anything to each other. And the shepherds decided to follow the road until they found a person who could resolve their dispute. So, cursing, they went to God knows where, leaving the herd. Soon they met a village priest on his way to the service. The shepherds told him about their dispute and asked him to judge which of them was right. The priest told them: “My children!” The essence of your dispute is that one of you is milking a goat, and the other is putting a sieve on it. Where are your cows? The shepherds were dumbfounded by this answer, but immediately remembered the abandoned herd and hurried to go about their business.
Quote of the day The apostasy of the new Israel from the Savior towards the end of time will take on extensive development... and then, as a consequence and fruit of the apostasy, the man of lawlessness will be revealed, the son of destruction (2 Sol. 2:3), who will dare to call himself the promised Messiah... St. Ignatius Brianchaninov Arise to the Lord “And He said to Moses: Ascend to the Lord, you and Aaron” (Ex. 24:1) “I lift up my eyes to the mountains,” says the Psalmist, “this is exactly the answer to the call: “Ascend to the Lord.” And behind the eyes, let the soul and life rise to Him, grasping the hand of God, which stretches down to lift and bring closer. It is impossible to free yourself from sin and oppressive flesh, to climb the steep slope of temptation and temptation to heaven. But hand in hand with the One who opened and paved the way, the soul will rush upward, and what previously served as a stumbling block and a reason for its fall will become steps of ascent. Sin and flesh are trampled upon, conquered, and step by step we reach forward and upward. Jacob imagined life in the form of a ladder along which Angels descended and ascended; our life is also a ladder, onto the lower rung of which the Son of God descended in order to lift and lead us to God, sometimes along a thorny path, but blessed, because His footprints are on it. “Closer the Lord to You, Closer to You, Even if I had to climb up with a cross!” One dying child plaintively asked: “Lift me higher, higher!” The father took him in his arms and lifted him high, but the child continued to ask in a breaking voice until his last breath: “Higher, higher!” Soon the Lord took him to Himself, from the trembling hands of his earthly father into the loving arms of the Heavenly Father. On his grave, next to the child’s name, the words were inscribed: “RAISED HIGHER!” The Lord calls us all to Himself, higher, closer to Him, and wants to raise us from the earthly to the heavenly. Icon of the Mother of God “Fire-shaped”
Orthodox calendar February 23
