Shuya Icon of the Mother of God: saving from every disease
Author Victoria Matveeva
15.11.2018 09:00
Religion » Religions of Russia » Orthodoxy
The Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is especially revered by the Orthodox three days a year - November 15 (new style), August 10 and Tuesday of Bright Week. This list of the Smolensk image of the Mother of God was written by one monk at the tearful request of the parishioners of the Church of the Resurrection in the village of Shuya, whose inhabitants were devastated by a pestilence. And the Most Pure One heard their prayer.
“As a valuable treasure, the city of Shuya has received your wonderfully painted icon, the Most Holy Lady Virgin Mary, for the healing of severe ulcers and for the consolation of the Orthodox, bestowed by You, from sources of grace that still flow abundantly. Increase, O Most Pure One, and, for the future, Your mercy to those who lead You, protect Your city and the entire Russian land and save the people who flow to You with faith and love,” is sung in the 4th tone in the troparion of this holiday.
The lines of the prayer appeal clearly indicate that God's Help, given through the Shuisky-Smolensk holy image of the Most Pure Virgin, is not limited to either place or time.
The miracle, in memory of which the day of glorification of the amazing image was established, occurred in 1654. A written memory of him was preserved thanks to the efforts of the Shuya priest Evlampy Pravdin, who issued the “Tale of the Miracles that occurred from the Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God” translated by him from an ancient local manuscript. From this source we also know the worldly name of the painter who created the icon - Gerasim Tikhonovich Ikonnikov. Since he was a man of deep and childlike sincere faith, God blessed his work, and the image of the Mother of God was completed quite quickly and smoothly. It only took a week to write it. During this time, the clergy and laity of Shui offered fervent prayers of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, asking forgiveness for all known and unknown sins that caused the punishment of illness.
The first miracle appeared while working on the icon. The next day after the master applied the rays to the icon board, he noticed that the position of the Figure of the Infant God in the Arms of the Virgin Mary had changed compared to the original Smolensk image. The amazed icon painter hastened to correct the drawing, but, to his even greater surprise, the next day the drawing was positioned exactly the same as the day before. Then the novice realized that this was not an ordinary coincidence and not his error, but the Will of God - for some reason the Almighty was pleased to change the Faces in a new image. Therefore, the master left the last word in his creation to his own Creator....
Was the request of those who cried and begged for the lives of their loved ones in front of the newly consecrated icon immediately fulfilled? No. Initially, the mortality rate only increased. But the priests and their children did not give up. Although the natural fear of death still confused the nature, deeply believing Christians understood inside: everything that God does not give is for the better. Perhaps, first of all, those whom He wanted to take into His Heavenly Kingdom died, having atoned for all their sins with temporary earthly suffering. The latter, no matter how terrible it may seem to an unbeliever, is still nothing compared to eternal joy. And the inhabitants of ancient Shuya understood this very well - the surviving records of the chronicler indicate that they regularly resorted to Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, repentance in confession and prayer in anticipation of an early meeting with Christ.
When the saving icon was ready, a whole procession of the church clergy, dressed in festive vestments, and a multitude of people came for it. The image of the Mother of God was brought to the Church of the Resurrection and, when the priest placed it in place with thanksgiving, the temple was suddenly filled with an unearthly light. The people fell to their knees, amazed by the miracle, and the souls of all Christians were suddenly filled with long-forgotten joy. The “Tale” says that on the same day rich donations were collected to decorate the image, because people realized that there was hope. Neither God nor His Most Pure Mother ever abandons the help of anyone who retains even a drop of heartfelt hope in Their Grace.
When entire families knelt before God at the liturgy - the holiest and most intimate Christian service - death, at the behest of the Mother of God, retreated from this place. Before this, the Lord took Gerasim Ikonnikov to himself along with his relatives - but all five members of his family were tonsured into the great monastic schema before their death and rested in reverence and truth.
Only Christians, in whose teaching there is the concept of not only death, but also dormition - its antipode, blessed death in God as new life, understand how great an honor the Lord renders with such an end to the earthly path. Many said that accepting the highest rank of angel for mortals was a reward for Gerasim from the All-Tsaritsa Herself, whom he served both with his asceticism and with his talent given from God.
The next miracle sent by our Lord through the Shuya-Smolensk icon was the expulsion of demons from a boy named Jacob who was possessed by them. Thanks to nameless ascetics who record for posterity the history of healings from this miraculous image, it is known that from April 16 to October 7, 1667, 85 people received invisible help from the Shuya-Smolensk Face of the Lady of Heaven, and by 1800 - 109. Complete blindness and severe eye diseases, deafness, mental disorders and loss of mind, complete and partial paralysis, chronic diseases of internal organs, head, back, toothache, the influence of dark forces on humans - this is not a complete list of evils expelled by the Grace of God and the prayers of the Ever-Virgin through her Shuya icon.
And therefore, the residents of Shuya and surrounding areas greeted with delight the letter issued in 1667 by His Holiness Patriarch Joasaph of Moscow and All Rus'. She called on Archbishop Stefan of Tarusa and Suzdal to go to Shuya in order to testify to the miracles taking place there. The Bishop fulfilled the order, and subsequently the celebration of the Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Ever-Virgin Mary in Rus' was established.
A holiday in honor of the One who, through the Blessing of Her Son, the God-Man Jesus Christ, can save a person in any weakness...
The history of the first image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The first icon depicting the Most Pure Virgin was painted during her lifetime by the holy evangelist Luke. She was called “Hodegetria”, which translated means “Guide”.
The icon was painted in the city of Antioch, and, having traveled a long way through Jerusalem, Constantinople and Smolensk, it ended up in Moscow. After some time, the shrine returned to Smolensk again, and Muscovites were left with two copies of it.
In the traditions of Orthodox icon painting, there are several canons for painting the image of the Virgin Mary. The one in question was called “Smolenskaya”. Currently, there are many lists from it. One of them is the Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
Finding a miraculous image
The Russian land has known 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. A pestilence visited him in 1654. Residents of the city were completely helpless in the face of this scourge, because there was no medical help yet. Every day dozens of dead people were taken to the cemetery, and the priests did not have time to perform their funeral services.
Intercession could only be asked from the Lord God and His Most Pure Mother. It was for this purpose that it was decided to offer prayers in front of the new image that had just been painted of her. Fortunately, a skilled master was found - icon painter Gerasim Ikonnikov. The artist used the icon of Hodegetria of Smolensk as a sample. Tradition says that during all the days of work, the surviving residents of the city prayed vigilantly and kept fast.
The first miracle was revealed by the icon in Gerasim’s workshop. Suddenly the facial features of the Mother of God changed by themselves, and she took on a different appearance. After the finished icon was brought into the Church of the Resurrection, everyone felt an inexplicable aroma. Seeing this as a happy omen, the townspeople fell to their knees and began to pray earnestly. And the Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God saved the city. The epidemic subsided and soon stopped altogether. A year later, grateful residents of the city erected a chapel in memory of this event.
The fate of the icon in subsequent years
Throughout its history, the miraculous image has seen many crowned heads and members of the reigning house. His glory was so great that when visiting the city, they considered it their duty to visit the Church of the Resurrection and pray in it. When the difficult years of fighting against God came for the church, people faithful to Orthodoxy preserved the icon. Some of them paid for this with their lives. There is a known case when church parishioners resisted the authorities who confiscated church valuables and encroached on the precious frame of an icon. Some of them were shot, others were sent to prison.
Nowadays, every year on November 15, the day of the celebration of the holy icon, a procession of the cross takes place in the city, in which residents of Shuya and pilgrims from other cities take part.
Miracles revealed by the icon
In 1666, a special bishop's commission gave the icon miraculous status. This took place after more than a hundred people received healing from her over the course of a year and a half, and all cases were officially registered. From that time on, it received its current name. The date of the holiday was set on November 15 - the day the city was delivered from the pestilence.
In those early years, cities were built mainly from wood. It often happened that fire destroyed entire areas in them. Shuya also survived several major fires. Each time, damage was caused to the Church of the Resurrection, where it was constantly located, and each time the icon miraculously remained unharmed. In 1848, the Shuya-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God again saved the city from an epidemic. This time Shuya was visited by cholera.
Prayers
Troparion, tone 4
Like a valuable treasure, the city of Shuya receives your wonderfully painted icon, the Most Holy Lady, the Virgin Mother of God, for the healing of severe ulcers, and for the consolation of the Orthodox, given by you, / From now on, springs of grace flow abundantly./ Try, O Most Pure One, and on the future time of Your mercy to those who guide You,/ protect Your city and the entire Russian land// and save the people who flow to You with faith and love.
Troparion, tone 4
All-merciful and merciful Intercessor of the Christian race,/ Most Pure Virgin Mother of God,/ falling before Thy holy and miraculous image,/ even from the cruel death of the city of Shuyu, You have delivered us, / we tenderly cry out to You: / do not cease under the roof of Your goodness / to save you from troubles and circumstances Thy city/ and all the cities and villages of the Russian country/ and pray to Thy Son, Christ our God,// that He may save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 3
Most Holy Mother of God, / the wall of Christians, / the protection and intercession of our city Shuya! / The prayers of Thy servants who fall before Thy icon, accept, / in the confession of the Orthodox faith strengthen, / deliver from all adversity and misfortune, / transform the sorrows of the earth into joy / And pray to Your Son // that the city and Your people may be saved in peace.
