Icon of the Helper of Sinners - meaning, history, what it helps with

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During the glorification of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Helper of Sinners,” many miraculous incidents occurred: families were reunited, healing occurred, entire epidemics subsided.

History of the Holy Image

For a long time, this icon, unusual in its writing, did not receive due attention. It stood in an old chapel and was in such an abandoned state that the inscriptions, which later became the basis for naming the image of the Queen of Heaven, were not visible.

The inhabitants of the Nicholas Monastery in the Bryansk region (the village of Odrina) knew nothing about the miraculous image until an amazing incident occurred. In the summer, a merchant's wife came to the monastery with her little son. The boy was very sick - severe seizures gave no rest, nothing helped. The mother placed her hopes only on God and often spent time in prayer. After the end of the service, she decided to defend the prayer service in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, relying on her support.

The mother’s faith and the intercession of the Mother of God did their job: the baby became healthy immediately after finishing the prayer . They talk about two more cases of healing that occurred almost simultaneously: a blind baby regained his sight, and the landowner’s son was left paralyzed. This served as a source of enormous fame, which the image of the “Helper of Sinners” instantly gained.

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The monks cleaned the icon and moved it to its rightful place in the temple. Today it is the most revered local shrine. It is believed that the same ancient image has been preserved to this day. Unfortunately, the authorship remains a mystery - as does many other famous icons. It is believed that the Mother of God herself sends them, wanting to show mercy and protection to the world.

Believers' veneration of the miraculous image

The feast of the icon occurs three times a year. The most revered Thursday is Pentecost or Trinity.

In addition, on the twentieth of March, as well as the eleventh of June, a holiday is celebrated - the day of the icon “Helper of Sinners”.

You can venerate the unique Miracle-Working Icon in the Oryol Monastery of the Nikolo-Odrinsk Hermitage, which is located in the rural settlement of Odrino, Bryansk region. Here is the original image , donated by the Koretsky princes.

The Most Holy Theotokos reveals a large number of miracles on the day of the feast of the face of the “Helper of Sinners” precisely on June 11, during the hours of the All-Night Vigil:

for believers on this day the Mother of God performs various miracles;
at the end of the service, a rainbow blooms over the village;
in the temple you can feel the fragrance of the icon;
After the Liturgy, all the icons of the temple, even cardboard and paper ones, have been streaming myrrh for several years now.

History of the Temple of the Icon Sporuchnitsa Sinners

The Odrino-Nikolaevsky Monastery, where the icon “Supportress of Sinners” was revealed, has a long history - the monastery was founded at the end of the 14th century.

The place was not chosen by chance - the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, in whose honor the monastery was named.

The daughter of one prince donated a plot of land to the monks. Having survived the Troubled Times, the monastery began to grow - instead of the old wooden church, a cathedral with a bell tower and other necessary buildings were rebuilt.

Pilgrims began to flock to Odrina Hermitage; its patron was Peter I himself, who did not particularly respect monasteries. In 1720, the monastery was destroyed by bandits, the abbot suffered martyrdom - years of disasters began. Only Abbot Serapion (1836-1856) managed to achieve stability. It was under him that the glorification of the “Helper of Sinners” took place. Having grown to 90 buildings, the monastery had to go through trials again during socialism.

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In 1922, the monastery was closed; on its territory there was a colony, then a training ground. Some of the monks were arrested. The buildings fell into disrepair and were subject to vandalism; only two of them have survived to this day. During the war, on the territory of the former monastery there was a German headquarters, then an orphanage, then just a landfill. In 1995, Patriarch Aleksky II blessed the revival of the monastery, only now it became female.

Thanks to local residents, the miraculous icon was preserved. The image of “Sure Helper of Sinners” ended up in the village. Old, where he replaced several houses. In the 90s, the icon was taken to Odessa, where it remained. There was hope in the monastery to see the shrine again. Through the efforts of Elder Macarius, who helped the abbess in everything, it was possible to achieve the return of the icon to Russia.

Let's summarize

The Helper of Sinners is an image of the Mother of God and Child, very popular among Orthodox Christians. Most likely, it was written on the territory of Belarus or Ukraine in the early 17th century or earlier (although there is also a version that the shrine was brought from Rome).
The icon has many lists, and at least four of them are miraculous. You can venerate them in Moscow, Bryansk and Chelyabinsk regions.
This Mother of God is considered the intercessor of all sinners. They turn to her in case of repentance, in case of shaken faith. In addition, the icon is miraculous, which means it can help get rid of illness - both serious and seemingly banal, albeit annoying (insomnia, loss of energy, depression).

And in this short film you will learn one wonderful story from the life of our ancestors, the main character of which was the Mother of God, Helper of Sinners. Agree - it could happen in our days... Or maybe it is already happening somewhere?

Theological meaning

The meaning of the icon “Helper of Sinners” can be understood if you read the words that are located above the holy faces . This inscription on four canvases can be translated from Church Slavonic as follows: “I will be a petitioner for sinners before my Son, as a sign of agreement to always accept my prayers, He gave me his hand, sinners will find eternal joy through my prayers.” The Mother of God here acts as a constant intercessor for all sinners walking the earth.

When a person has lost all hope of his own strength, there is no longer any possibility of coping with illness or other problems - this should be prayed to the “Helper of Sinners”. You can take any prayer written to address the Mother of God, read it in front of this icon, then tell about what is on your heart, what it hurts about. There is no problem that the Queen of Heaven cannot understand.

What does it help with?

People come to this icon in difficult times and ask for deliverance from their sins, sacredly believing that the Mother of God will convey prayers to Her Son and the Lord God and intercede for those who repent.

Prayer before this face gives hope in receiving:

Forgiveness for sinful defilements.
Cures from serious illnesses, even hopeless ones, from a medical point of view.

Also, people turn to the icon during difficult life situations - despondency and sorrow, the harmful influence of dashing people, in hours of despair that take away spiritual vitality.

Fervent prayers to the Mother of God help strengthen the spirit of faith, gain strength for repentance and correction of sins and gain hope for forgiveness in the future.

Moscow image

After the first known appearance of the miraculous image, it so happened that a copy was made. It was presented as a gift to Dmitry Boncheskul, who lived in Moscow (Khamovniki). He was distinguished by his love for pilgrims, with whom he prayed together in front of the image. After Easter, abundant myrrh streaming began, which prompted the owner to give the image to the St. Nicholas Church, which was located nearby.

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The fragrant myrrh appeared in the form of a small drop, which gradually increased and spread throughout the icon. The moisture was collected on cloth and distributed to parishioners. Those who suffered received abundant blessings, and evidence of them has survived to this day.

One woman was healed of a leg disease that had left her bedridden. The oil from the icon lamp completely restored mobility.
A peasant from a village near Moscow suddenly fell into a motionless state, although his eyes remained open. Anticipating a quick end, his relatives took him to St. Nicholas Church, where they placed him next to the icon “Helper of Sinners.” He immediately woke up and rose to his feet.
During the cholera epidemic in the 19th century. many sick people were healed.
Already in our time, a storm broke out in the Ryazan region. Hailstones the size of hen's eggs fell from the sky, breaking windows and piercing slates. The boy who served as an altar boy was caught in bad weather, but returned home completely unharmed. He said that he prayed to the “Help of Sinners,” which helped him.

The temple where the “Sure Lady of Sinners” is still located today is very famous in the capital. After the image was transferred there, an unusual phenomenon was noticed in the altar. Late at night there was a glow in the form of stars and fire of varying brightness. This continued for several days, with many witnesses gathering.

The miracle caused an extraordinary stir - at night people watched the divine light, during the day they prayed near the icon. Over the first few years, more than a hundred miraculous healings were recorded through prayers at the “Helper of Sinners” icon. At first there were skeptics, but over time the image became one of the most revered in Moscow. The temple is located near the Park Kultury metro station, its doors are open to believers.

What does the image look like?

The word “guarantor” is translated as “guarantor” - this is the role the Mother of God plays before Christ, interceding for sinners. Her boundless faith, hope, love for all people should serve as an example to everyone. It doesn’t matter how a person lived, if he repented, she will accept his prayers. This is an expression of the essence of the ministry that Saint Mary carries out after her departure to heaven.

The Mother of God extends her hand to her Son, and He, as a sign of support and agreement to always answer her requests, squeezes his mother’s fingers with both hands. The Divine Infant sits on the half-bent left arm of Saint Mary, as if on a throne. This reminds us that the Virgin became a container for the Lord.

The Child and the Virgin Mary have richly decorated crowns on their heads, thin and elongated facial features, almond-shaped eyes made in the Byzantine tradition. Experts believe that the image was painted in Little Russia.

Despite widespread veneration among the people, the Moscow list was not decorated with a chasuble. This happened not because there were no people willing to do it. The fact is that the Mother of God appeared to the previous owner of the list in a dream; she asked that the icon remain the same as it arrived at the temple.

How to pray to the Mother of God correctly

For prayers addressed to the Queen of Heaven, the same rules apply as for others. You need to choose a quiet place in the house. First, read the “Trisagion” and the prayers that follow it, then the special prayer “Help of Sinners.” In any prayer request, it would not be amiss to first thank a higher power for the good that is in life, even if a person thinks that everything is bad, one should remember that many do not even have a roof over their head.

You can make requests not only for yourself, but also for loved ones - children, parents, friends; it is especially worth praying for those who cause any offense, insult the Church, the Christian faith. The Lord commanded to pray for enemies, therefore it is unacceptable to wish harm on someone, especially when standing in front of holy images.

A particularly popular form of addressing the saints is the akathist. It has a poetic form, alternating short and longer stanzas. The akathist “The Help of Sinners” well reveals the theological meaning of the icon, and also explains the role of Saint Mary, which she took on in heaven - to intercede for all the weak. Weakness (weakness) can be both physical and spiritual - unbelief, reluctance to pray, to go to church. You should pray for help in both cases.

Pious custom prescribes reading any akathist for 40 days, but if a person is not ready, it is better not to take such a promise. You should start small, over time the Lord will bless you with more. You can order the reading of an akathist in a church, for which you should agree with the priest on duty or the rector.

Today on the Internet you can see videos with akathists - but it is still preferable to read them yourself. A video cannot replace your own prayer, for which the soul has to make some effort. Through them spiritual growth is achieved. And this is the main meaning of any prayer. There is no need to consider them as a “magic wand” to achieve your desires; the goal of Christian life is the salvation of the soul.

Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
Icon of the Mother of God “Quiet My Sorrows” - here
Icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” -

Prayer to the Mother of God

A prayer service to the Mother of God is a special rite of worship in which She is asked to intercede before Her Son, begged for the sending of blessings and thanked for receiving what she desired.

Prayer services are served after the Liturgy, usually with the blessing of water. But first you need to write a note with the names of the people for whom the prayer song will be offered.

Prayer Tips:

the note should be submitted before the start of the Liturgy or the day before before the evening service;
the names of baptized people are indicated;
It is necessary to indicate no more than 10 names in one note, but if there are more, then you need to make several notes;
names are entered in the genitive case (they must answer the question “who?”: about the health of Svetlana, Maria, Konstantin, Mikhail) and in the Orthodox spelling: Yuri - George, Dmitry - Dimitri, Ivan - John, Sergei - Sergius, Yulia - Julia , Tatiana - Tatiana;
The names of the ministers of the church are indicated first (indicating the rank), then the monastics are entered and after them the laity;
no need to indicate middle names, last names, or age;
a child under 7 years of age is entered as an infant, and up to 14 years of age he is considered an adolescent;
if this is too important, then you can indicate “sick”, “traveling”, “warrior”, “prisoner”, “non-idle”.

Icon of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners”