Text of the victorious prayer to the Elected Voivode in Russian with accents

Learn to understand prayers - kontakion to the Mother of God

The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, which begins with this kontakion, was written in the 7th century in Constantinople. This is the first (and most beautiful) of the akathists, which became a model for all subsequent ones. All 12 ikos of the akathist end with multiple “repeats” of the Archangel’s greeting to the Blessed Virgin - “Rejoice!”, the final of which is Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! We magnify the heavenly purity of the Unworn Virgin, who inexpressibly gave birth to Christ our God, and in Her purity, the “Most Honest Cherub” Bride of the Unbride appears before us as the greatest warrior with the forces of evil - the Chosen Voivode, possessing an invincible power .

Rejoice, Unbrided Bride! If we turn to the Greek language in which the akathist was written, we will see that all these three words, translated with literal accuracy into Church Slavonic and entered into our religious consciousness, should have been perceived by the Greeks somewhat differently than we perceive them.

Rejoice - the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, brought to us by the Gospel - both before the Nativity of Christ and after it was a common greeting in Greek - the same as our “hello”. In the appearance of the Angel, in his wondrous and mysterious words, the inner meaning of the greeting, forgotten in everyday life, of course, was renewed and shone with all its strength; Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos (and every later inspiredly composed akathist), all permeated with these “Rejoice!” and sparkling with the joy of majesty, also resurrects the dormant meaning of the Greek word in everyday language. But in the Russian (and Old Russian) language they greeted each other not with the word “rejoice”, but with the word “hello” (in which we usually forget the wish for health). “Rejoice” remains for us a word that is always richer, more special – a conscious word of joy, a unique greeting for the Most Pure Virgin Mary and the saints of God.

Bride Unbride is a direct, literal translation of two Greek words. The Church Slavonic word for bride corresponds to the Greek word νύμφη “nymph,” which means not only a girl-bride, but also a newlywed wife and a young woman. The New Testament (and the Greek translation of the Bible) gave this word enormous mystical depth: The Bride of the Lamb in the Revelation of John the Theologian (Rev. 19, 7; 21, 9; 22, 17) is not only destined for Him, but is also in a mysterious marriage with Him; this is the image of both the Mother of God and the Church (in her we recognize the bride of the Song of Songs and the prophetic books of Scripture). And the Greek word ανύμφευτος, translated by the Slavic word nevestnaya, is a negative form of the first word, meaning “not married”; this word was quite common in Greek. For Greek, but not for Slavic! Indeed, in Slavic, a bride is precisely an unknown, unknown (that is, exactly what the Greek non-bride corresponds to) girl who has not entered into marriage, although destined for it; the word itself carries the meaning of purity. Within the Slavic language, the word nevestnaya is difficult to explain. It introduces a new shade of meaning into the expression of the akathist: Pure Bride, but – Unbridely , not ordinary, not comparable to any other bride.

Other Slavic epithets of the Mother of God, corresponding to the word Unmarried , are Neiskuslovnaya, Neiskuslovnaya.

To the elected Voivode, victorious ... Almost all of us are accustomed to hearing these words as a single whole, so we do not feel the structure of the phrase (quite simple): (to whom?) To the elected Voivode (we) sing (what?) a victorious thanksgiving, that is, a victorious song of gratitude, (why?) as if they got rid of the evil ones - because they got rid of troubles.

Akathist to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Nativity of the Virgin Mary and her parents are known from the apocryphal Proto-Gospel of James (2nd century). It says that a pious married couple from Jerusalem, Joachim and Anna, did not have children for a long time. They suffered greatly from this. And then one day, when they separately prayed for the gift of a child, both had a vision of an angel who announced that the Lord had heeded their prayers and their offspring would be talked about all over the world. After this gospel, Anna conceived. The couple made a vow to dedicate their child to God and, as was the custom then, to give him to the Jerusalem Temple for service and education until adulthood. Nine months later, Anna gave birth to a daughter, who was named Maria.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Saint Demetrius of Rostov

The Lord, who lives in heaven, desiring to appear on earth and live with people, first prepared on it a place for the settlement of His glory - His Most Pure Mother: for it is the custom of kings, when they want to come to any city, to prepare for themselves to stay in it. ward And just as the chambers of earthly kings are created by the most skilled craftsmen from the most precious objects, on the most elevated place, more beautiful and spacious than all other human dwellings, so the chamber of glory of the Heavenly King was created. In the Old Testament, when God wanted to live in Jerusalem, Solomon created a temple for Him (1 Kings 5-7; 2 Chronicles 2-4) through the most skillful builder Hiram, who was full of art, intelligence and knowledge for every work. Solomon created a temple from the most precious substances, from excellent stone (1 Kings 5:17-18), from fragrant trees: cedar and cypress (2 Kings 6:9-10), brought from Lebanon, and from pure gold, on the most elevated place , on Mount Moriah. The temple was all the more beautiful because on its walls there were also sculptured images of cherubim, various trees and fruits (1 Kings 6:18-35, 7:18-22, 29-42). The temple was so large in space that it could accommodate the entire multitude of the people of Israel without crowding, and the glory of the Lord descended on it in fire and cloud (1 Kings 8:10-11). However, this temple was not sufficient to contain the Incontainable God. Solomon created a temple for Him, but the Most High does not live in temples made by hands. “What house will you build for Me ,” says the Lord, or what place for My rest?” (Acts 7:49). And so God deigned that at the beginning of New Testament grace a temple not made by hands was created - the Most Pure, Most Blessed Virgin Mary. What kind of builder created that temple? Truly - the wisest, by the very Wisdom of God, as Scripture says: “Wisdom built herself a house” (Prov. 9:1), and everything created by the Wisdom of God is beautiful and perfect. And since the Wisdom of God created the animated chamber of the Word, therefore a perfect temple was created for the perfect God, a bright chamber for the bright King, a most pure and undefiled palace for the most pure and undefiled Bridegroom, an immaculate village for the immaculate Lamb. To this is a faithful witness in heaven, speaking to Her: “You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no spot on you!” (Song.4:7). And Saint Damascus writes: “Everything is the palace of the Spirit, everything is the city of God, a sea of ​​graces, everything is good, everything is close to God” (Homily 1 for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

What substances was this chamber made of? Truly, one of the most precious: for she came, as from a precious stone, from the royal family, from David, who, with a stone put into a sling, prefiguring the stone - Christ, struck Goliath (1 Sam. 17: 39-51); and, as from the fragrant cedar and cypress trees, the Virgin Mary was born from a line of bishops who offered fragrant sacrifices to God. Her father, holy righteous Joachim, was the son of Barlathir, who traced his descent from the son of David Nathan, and her mother, holy righteous Anna, was the daughter of the priest Matthan from the tribe of Aaron; Thus, the Most Pure Virgin was of the royal family on her father’s side, and a bishop’s family on her mother’s side. Oh, from how many precious substances - I mean the most honorable origin - the animated chamber was created for the King of Glory! And just as in Solomon’s Temple, stone and wooden buildings acquired special value from the pure gold with which they were gilded; Thus, in the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the nobility of royal and bishop origin earned even more respect from the chastity of Her holy parents, which is more valuable “than gold: it is more valuable than precious stones; and nothing you desire can compare with it” (Prov. 3:15). For the Blessed Virgin was born of chaste parents, which is above all nobility. About this, Saint Damascus, turning to the holy righteous Fathers of God, says this: “O blessed spouses, Joachim and Anna! Truly by the fruit of your womb you were found blameless, according to the word of the Lord: “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16, 20). You have arranged your life as pleasing to God and as worthy of the One born of you. For, living chastely and righteously, you have grown the treasure of virginity - I mean the Virgin: before the birth of the Virgin, at the birth of the Virgin, after the birth of the Virgin, and always the Virgin, the only one ever virgin in mind, soul, and body. It was fitting that virginity, born of chastity, should be offered in the flesh to the Only Begotten Light Himself. Oh, two of the purest verbal turtledoves, Joachim and Anna! You, having chastely observed the law of nature, were divinely granted supernatural gifts, and gave birth to the world the Virgin Mother of God. You, having lived piously and righteously in human nature, produced a Daughter who is higher than the angels and who now rules over the angels. Oh, most beautiful and sweetest Daughter! Oh, krin, who grew in the midst of thorns from the noblest royal root! The kingdom of the priesthood has been enriched by you.” With these words, Saint Damascene clearly shows from what parents the Mother of God was born, and from what precious substances the chamber of the Heavenly King is built.

Where was this animated chamber located? Truly - on the highest, for the Church gives the following testimony about her: “truly above all, you are a pure Virgin” ; but higher – not by place, but by virtues and the height of God’s gifts. The place where the blessed Virgin was born was a small city in the land of Galilee, called Nazareth, which depended on the large city of Capernaum, and its inhabitants were despised, which is why it was said about Christ: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46). But the Lord, “Who, dwelling on high, bends down to look down upon heaven and earth” (Ps. 113:5-6), deigned that His Most Pure Mother should be born not in Capernaum, which in its pride ascended to heaven, but in humble Nazareth, “for whatever is high among men is an abomination to God” (Luke 16:15), but what is despised and humiliated by them is high and precious with Him. The very name of Nazareth depicts the height of the virtues of the Most Pure Virgin. For just as in His Nativity the Lord, through Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” secretly symbolized that He is the bread that came down from heaven to revive and strengthen people: so in the Nativity of His Most Pure Mother He, through Nazareth, depicts sublime objects; for the name “Nazareth” means a flowering, fenced, crowned and hidden place: and all this clearly represents the Blessed Virgin. She is a color that has vegetated from the barren and old womb of a dry tree, an unfading color, ever-blooming with virginity, a fragrant color that gives birth to the fragrance of the One King, a color that bears fruit - Christ God the Lord, the only fragrant apple. She is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit who came upon Her and overshadowed Her and is the most holy of all saints, as having given birth to “the most holy word of all saints . She is excluded from the number of sinful earthly beings, as pure and immaculate, and not only is She herself alien to sin, but she also leads sinners away from iniquities, just as the Church calls to her: . ” She is crowned with glory and honor: crowned with glory, for she grew from a royal root; crowned with honor because she came from the tribe of the bishop. Crowned with glory because she came from chaste parents; crowned with honor, because she is honored by the annunciation and the ministry of the archangel. Crowned with glory as the Mother of God; for what could be more glorious than to give birth to God? Crowned with honor, like the Ever-Virgin; for what could be more honorable than to remain a virgin after Christmas? Crowned with glory, “the most glorious seraphim ,” as the seraphim who loved God. Crowned with honor, “the most honorable cherub” , as having surpassed the cherubim in wisdom and knowledge of the Divine: “Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good” (Rom. 2:10), says the Apostle. But is there anyone on earth more virtuous than the Most Pure Virgin? She kept all the commandments of the Lord, fulfilled all the will of the Lord, kept all His instructions, hid all His words in Her heart, and showed all acts of mercy to her neighbors. Therefore She is crowned worthily, as one who does all good. It is also a kind of repository; for she preserved the treasure of her virginal chastity so carefully that she did not even want to entrust it to an angel, because when she saw the angel, She was embarrassed by his words and wondered what this greeting meant (Luke 1:29). Nazareth symbolized all this in the Most Pure Virgin with its name. And who will not say how high that chamber of Christ was erected according to the virtues and gifts of God? She is high, for she was given from heaven, although she was born on earth from earthly beings; - from heaven, for, as some of the God-enlightened men say, the Archangel Gabriel, who announced the birth of John to Zechariah, announced to Joachim and Anna about the conception of the Most Holy Theotokos and brought Her blessed name from heaven, saying to the barren mother: “Anna, Anna! You will give birth to a most blessed daughter, and her name will be called Mary.” So She, without a doubt, can be called the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God (Rev. 21:2), the tabernacle of God. This tabernacle of God is lofty, for, having given birth to the King Christ, it exalted itself more than the seraphim. O height, inconceivable for human thoughts!

And what is the beauty of that mental chamber of Christ - about this, listen to the same sweet-tongued John of Damascus, who broadcasts the following about Her: “She was offered to God, the King of all, dressed in the splendor of virtues, as if with a golden robe, adorned with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and Her glory is within Her : for just as for every wife her glory is her husband coming from without, so the glory of the Mother of God is within Her, i.e. the fruit of her womb." And Damascene also says, turning to Her: “Oh, God-gracious Virgin, the holy Church of God, which Solomon (the All-Wise Creator of the world) who created the world spiritually created and dwelt in Her! She is not decorated with gold, not with soulless stones, but, instead of gold, she shines with the Spirit, instead of expensive stones she has valuable beads - Christ. Such is the decoration of that chamber, much more beautiful than that in Solomon's temple, in which the likenesses of cherubim, trees and flowers were depicted. But even in this animated Church, in the Most Pure Virgin, the image of the Cherub is clearly visible; for by her cherubic life She not only equaled the cherubim, but also surpassed them. If the Church is in the habit of calling other saints cherubim, chanting: “Let us call you saints; cherubim, because Christ rested on you ,” then all the more so is the Virgin Mother of God a cherub, for in Her Christ rested His body, and in Her most pure hands God sat as on a throne: the Virgin became the throne of the Cherubim. She has in Her the likeness of fruitful trees, having spiritually become a fruitful olive tree in the house of God and a blossoming date (Ps. 55:10), which is why now it is called a life-giving garden, when the Church sings: “from the barren root, let us grow a life-bearing garden, our Mother, "God is like miracles." All this is said about Her spiritual beauty. But She was not deprived of physical beauty, as many church teachers testify that in all the sunflowers there was not and will not be such a beautiful virgin as the Virgin Mother of God was, having seen Whom, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite would have wanted to call God, if he had not known God, born of Her. For the Divine grace with which She was filled inside also shone on Her bright face. The Heavenly King prepared such a chamber for himself on earth - a chamber beautiful in soul and body, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2), - moreover, a spacious chamber: “Her womb made wider than the heavens ,” and fit into Ney “the inconceivable Christ God .

Royal chambers are usually built large, so that they can accommodate not only the king, but also the many servants who come to him and people coming to him from everywhere. The vast village of the Word, the Most Pure Virgin, is spacious not only for God the Word as the King, but also for us, the flowing servants of God who dwell in Her: He contains God in the womb, and us in His benevolence. The chosen vessel of God, the holy Apostle Paul, moved by love, spoke to his beloved children: “Our heart is enlarged. You are not crowded with us” (2 Cor. 6:11-12). But which of the saints can find such extensive compassion for God as Mary’s for God? The chaste can fit here, and the sinner is not cramped here. The repentant has his place in Her, and for the despairing and unrepentant, She is an unforbidden refuge, just as Noah’s ark served as a refuge not only for clean, but also for unclean animals. In Her benevolent womb, all the grieving, the offended, the hungry, the wandering, the overwhelmed, and the sick are accommodated without crowding: for that womb that gave birth to us the good God cannot but be merciful. The chambers of the kings of the earth are guarded by many armed guards, who do not let in everyone who wants to enter them, but hold them back, carefully investigating where they are coming from and why. And the animated chamber of Christ, although surrounded by cherubim and seraphim and countless faces of angels and all saints, nevertheless, no one prevents anyone from entering the door of Her gracious mercy, if anyone so desired: neither the guards push away, nor the soldiers drive away and they do not investigate why anyone is coming, but everyone enters them without hindrance with prayer and accepts a gift upon a well-needed request.

So, let us resort to the mercy of the One born from a barren womb with the following greeting:

Rejoice, all-immaculate chamber of the King of all! Rejoice, village of God and the Word, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and to You, Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Bride of the Holy Spirit, may there be honor and glory from us mortals forever. Amen.

Notes

Solomon, the Israeli king, the youngest son and successor of the psalmist king David, reigned with great glory from 993 to 953 BC. He strengthened the borders of the state, suppressed internal unrest, and established brisk trade with neighboring states. The age of Solomon was the most brilliant for the sciences and arts. The fame of his wealth and even more of his wisdom spread far beyond the borders of the kingdom of Israel. The name Solomon later became synonymous with the sage. His divinely inspired writings (the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) will forever remain a school of wisdom and virtue for all people. – The end of Solomon’s life was darkened by his fall; but at the very end of his days he learned the vanity of all earthly things.

In biblical history, two persons are known with the name of Hiram, both of whom were closely related to the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem: 1) the king of Tyre, who was on friendly terms with Solomon, who glorified himself with remarkable buildings; he sent Solomon cedars and cypresses, carpenters and craftsmen to build the temple, and 2) the Tire architect, according to whose design the vessels for Solomon's temple were made. Here it is more natural to understand this latter. He mastered the art and ability to produce all kinds of products - from gold, silver, copper and iron, and from stones and wood, and from yarn, and fine linen, and scarlet. See 1 Kings 7:13-40 and 2 Chronicles 2:13-14, 4:11, 16.

Lebanon is a mountain range in the northern reaches of Palestine on the border between Judea and Syria, separating Phenicia from the latter, along the entire length of which it stretches; famous for its beautiful trees, especially cedar, cypress and oak.

Moriah is a mountain near Jerusalem. This mountain represents one of the hills on which Jerusalem is built; lies northeast of Zion.

In this event, St. Fathers: Ephraim the Syrian, Augustine and others see features that are representative of Christ: David killed Goliath with a stone thrown from a sling - “in the image of Christ; Goliath - in the form of the devil: the devil was struck by the word of God and humility, and was finally crushed to the end on Calvary.”

Word of St. John of Damascus for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From the service for the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Canon, Irmos 9.

Capernaum is a city on the northwestern shore of Lake Gennesaret or the Sea of ​​Tiberias, belonging to Galilee, on the border between the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. He lay on a cape, not far from where the Jordan flows into the sea. During the earthly life of the Savior, Capernaum was distinguished by flourishing prosperity and wealth. In the wars with the Romans, Capernaum was completely devastated, and now only a few fishermen's huts and some pitiful ruins remain here.

Bethlehem is a small, insignificant town in the tribe of Judah, not far from Jerusalem, about 2 hours' journey to the south, so named, probably due to the fertility of the land, - the place of the Nativity of Christ.

According to the words of the Savior Himself, who spoke about himself: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

Nazareth, translated from Hebrew, can mean either an offspring, a branch, a branch, a bush, or a fenced, hidden place.

Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, kontakion 13.

Akathist, ikos 5.

From the prayer to the Mother of God “It is worthy to eat.”

Word for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Right there.

Octoechos, martyred in the poem on Friday, ch. 8.

Service for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, 1st stichera on “I cried to the Lord.”

Dionysius the Areopagite - a member of the Areopagus of Athens, converted to Christianity by the ap. Paul (Acts 17:34); was the first bishop of Athens and wrote letters to many individuals and churches. He sealed his service with his martyrdom around 96 during the reign of Domitian. His memory is October 3.

Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, from the songs. “He rejoices in you.”

* * *

One of the Orthodox liturgical hymns rightly asserts that about the Mother of God it is “more convenient for us to remain silent” (it is more decent to remain silent)! This is indeed the case, therefore the chaste narrative of the canonical Gospels notes only some episodes of Her life, and even then only in connection with the Son. Not a word is said about birth, youth (before the betrothal to Joseph), a fairly long life after the Feast of Pentecost (which became for us the Day of the Holy Trinity), and, finally, about the blessed dormition.

Understandable human curiosity, which does not want to put up with the fact that we should not know and talk about everything, finds an outlet in numerous apocryphal texts that are not included in the Bible, do not have dogmatic authority and contain many dubious (to put it mildly) descriptions. Nevertheless, the Church elevates some of them to the rank of Sacred Tradition and records them in its liturgical heritage. One of these monuments – “The Book of the Birth of Mary” – underlies the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the Orthodox calendar, this celebration belongs to the category of the twelfth feasts of the Mother of God and is celebrated on September 8/21. Of course, we do not know the exact year, much less the historical birthday of the Virgin. This happened about two decades before the beginning of the era from the Nativity of Christ in which we now live. But since the birth of the future Mother of the Lord symbolically opens the history of the New, Christian era, it is logical that this particular holiday is placed at the beginning of the church year. It expresses the absolute meaning of the Birthday of the Virgin Mary as a participant in the history of our Salvation.

The content of the holiday itself is the dramatic story of the last years of the life of a childless elderly couple, Joachim and Anna, who belonged to the “messianic family” of the Jewish king David. It ended with the birth of a daughter, whose future no one could have foreseen.

The Messianic expectations of the Jews, which reached their apogee during the Roman occupation (from 63 BC), were expressed for the descendants of the dynasty of King David in the hope of becoming the parents of the Messiah-Liberator. The rest hoped for the participation of their heirs in His future eternal Kingdom. Therefore, infertility was viewed not as a physical defect, but as God's punishment for obvious or secret sins. He who left no offspring disappeared from the face of the earth and from human memory without a trace.

Tradition tells that Joachim, who once wanted to make a sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple, was publicly pointed out about his unworthiness. A certain temple scribe approached him and said: “You should not participate in the sacrifices offered to God, for God did not bless you and did not give you descendants in Israel!” “Shamed before the people,” the elder withdrew into the desert to his flocks, vowing not to return until he received a sign from Above.

Anna, who remained at home, having learned about the dishonor that had befallen her husband, went out into the yard in tears and confusion and saw a nest of barely fledged birds among the branches of a laurel tree. This visible reproach to her infertility was the last straw that overflowed the cup of suffering of the unfortunate woman. Sobbing, Anna raised her voice to God: “Lord God Almighty, who gave offspring and fertility to every creature, to beasts, and snakes, and fish, and birds, who gave them to rejoice in their young! I bring gratitude to You, for You ordered me alone to be deprived of the mercies of Your goodness, for You know, Lord, the secret of my heart, and I made a vow from the beginning of my path that if You give me a son or daughter, I will dedicate them to You in the Holy Thy temple."

The prayer was heard, and an angel who appeared announced to her the birth of a blessed Daughter. Having thanked God, Anna hurried to Jerusalem to meet Joachim at the Golden Gate, who received the same gospel at the same time as her.

The daughter, who was born soon, was named by the name given to her earlier by an angel - Mariam (Mary), which means “lady” or “princess.” The girl, asked from God, was supposed, according to the vow of her parents, to return to Him in order to be raised in an atmosphere of special ritual purity at the Jerusalem Temple, preparing for her only service in human history. Therefore, at the age of three, Her ceremonial “Introduction into the Temple” took place (this is the theme of the next twelfth feast of the Mother of God).

The unexpected and unspeakable birth of Mary from elderly parents repeats the miracle of the birth of Her distant ancestor Isaac from the elderly Abraham and Sarah and continues the biblical theme of children “asked” from God, who, precisely because of this, have a great future (Joseph the Beautiful, the prophet Samuel, and shortly before the birth of the Savior - John the Baptist). Therefore, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a holiday of universal joy, as is sung about this in the festive troparion ( tone

“Your birth, Virgin Mary, announced joy to the whole Universe: for from You the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, shone. He lifted the curse and gave the blessing; He destroyed death and gave us eternal life."

In the eastern iconography of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the moment of bringing the newborn Mary to the breast of mother Anna, lying on the bed, surrounded by midwives and household members, is most often depicted. The frescoes of Giotto di Bondone (Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, 1304-1306), remarkable in their purity and naivety, illustrate in detail the story of the Nativity of Mary.

Yuri Ruban, Ph.D. ist. Sciences, Ph.D. theology

Literature: The book about the birth of the Blessed Mary and the childhood of the Savior, written in Hebrew by the most blessed Evangelist Matthew and translated into Latin by the blessed Jerome the Presbyter // Apocryphal tales about Jesus, the Holy Family and the Witnesses of Christ. M., 1999; Rashkovsky E. B. “From the heights of the East...”: The twelfth festive cycle in Orthodox worship. M., 1993, pp. 78-81; Skaballanovich M. N. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kyiv, 2004; Ruban Yu. Joy of the entire Universe // “Living Water”. St. Petersburg Church Bulletin. 2007. No. 9.

History of appearance

The authorship of this Orthodox prayer is not known for certain. The Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer, George of Pisidia, and Patriarch Sergius could have been involved in the original Byzantine text.

The Orthodox Encyclopedia says that the verse was written after the defense of the capital of the Byzantine Empire from the siege of 626. According to legend, Patriarch Sergius I of Constantinople walked around the walls of the city, holding an icon of the Mother of God in his hands, after which the city miraculously escaped danger. The victory song is also associated with a legend that tells how a barbarian fleet was defeated by a storm after the robe of the Mother of God was lowered into the sea.

Saturday of the Akathist, the reading of which opens the glorification of the Mother of God, was once the pre-celebration of the Annunciation. Initially, the akathist was read on the day of the Annunciation, and only after the 10th century a separate service was appointed for this.

The prayer to the Mother of God “The Victorious Voivode Elected” in musical presentation was included in the “Circle of Ancient Church Singing” - the first music book published in Russia.

In addition to music and beautiful poetry, this prayer was embodied in one of the variations of the icons of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

This icon depicts the image of the Mother of God in chain mail and a heroic helmet, with the Savior and an Orthodox cross in her hands. The icon is known as “The Mounted Voivode” or “Russian Invincible Victory”. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this image of the Mother of God regarding its compliance with the canon. However, in the early 2000s, the icon became widespread in monarchist circles.

history of the holiday

Joachim, a descendant of King David, lived in Nazareth with his wife Anna. Their family was pious, humble and merciful. They loved God and all people very much. Having lived to a ripe old age, the husband and wife were not granted parental happiness. But even despite their advanced years, they never ceased to pray to Christ for the birth of a long-awaited child in their family. They promised the Almighty that if He gave them a child, they would give him to serve God.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary

On one of the Orthodox holidays, Joachim, as usual, brought a sacrifice to the church as a gift to God. But it so happened that the high priest did not accept her, considering the elder unworthy due to his childlessness. In the deepest sadness, Joachim went into the desert lands and there, with tears in his eyes, he constantly prayed to the Lord for the gift of a baby. His wife Anna, having learned about what had happened in the monastery of God, went to her orchard, sat down under the laurel and began to watch the bird’s nest, in which newborn chicks squeaked loudly. Thinking that even birds have children, but she has no consolation in old age, she raised her tear-filled eyes to the blue sky. And suddenly an Angel appeared before her, announcing that she would soon conceive and give birth to a daughter, through whom the peoples of the whole earth would receive blessing and salvation. At the same moment, the Messenger of the Lord appeared before Joachim and announced that God had heard his prayer request and that Anna would soon be pregnant with a daughter who would give joy to the whole world. The angel told the elder to go to Jerusalem to the Golden Gate and look for his wife there. Surprised and incredibly happy, Joachim hurried to the temple, where he met his wife praying.

The Lord fulfilled the couple’s prayer and after 9 months a daughter was born into the family - the future Mother of the Lord, the Savior of the world. Heaven and earth sang about her birth, and the happy father brought rich gifts and sacrifices to God. Then he arranged a rich feast and all the guests rejoiced, had fun and praised the Almighty.

LiveInternetLiveInternet

KONDAC 1

Chosen from all generations of the Mother of God, heaven and earth, to the Queen, who sanctified the human race by coming to us at Thy all-honorable Nativity, we offer reverent singing to Thy servants, Theotokos. But you, who have come to our consolation and salvation, free us from all troubles, let us call to You:

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

IKOS 1

The Archangel Gabriel was sent quickly to righteous Anna, when she, in the sorrow of her barrenness, cried out to the Lord from the depths of her heart, seeing in her garden a bird's nest, little chicks having, and bringing great joy to her, saying: Your prayer has been heard, and your tears have flowed before God. , and behold, give birth to the most blessed Daughter, about her all the tribes of the earth will be blessed, and her name will be called Mary. Marveling at this joyful promise, we cry out to the Most Blessed:

Rejoice, sprung from the noblest royal root by Joachim; Rejoice, born from the most sacred episcopal family of Anna.

Rejoice, thou who freed our ancestors from mortal aphids; Rejoice, you who have resolved the reproach of Your parents from childlessness.

Rejoice, you who see the Holy Gate to the East, who opened the barren gate with your Nativity; Rejoice, virgin door closed, awaiting the entrance of the Holy Hierarch.

Rejoice, Thy mother's tears have been transformed into joy; Rejoice, for you have taken away reproaches from people.

Rejoice, great consolation to those who gave birth to You; Rejoice, joy to the whole world.

Rejoice, proclamation to fallen Adam; Rejoice, deliverance of the tears of Eve.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 2

Seeing the righteous Anna of the great archangel and hearing his words, worshiped God and said: As the Lord God lives, if I give birth to a Child, I will give Him to serve Him, so that serving and praising His name will be Holy day and night throughout the years of His life. Filled with unspeakable joy, flow to Jerusalem with diligence, and there in the church he will sing to God in gratitude: Alleluia.

ICOS 2

The righteous Joachim had a pure mind before God, but was rejected from people in the temple for the sake of childlessness, and in this sorrow he went into the desert, and there he prayed with tears, saying: I will not put food in my mouth, nor will I return to my house, but my tears May the wilderness be my food and the desert my home until the Lord God of Israel visits me. And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and brought good news that a Daughter would be born to him; at Her Nativity there would be joy for the whole world. Filled with this joy, he went to Jerusalem, and there together with Anna glorified God, saying the Promised One:

Rejoice, cherished by all since ancient times; Rejoice, prophet foretold by all.

Rejoice, chosen by God from the foundation of the world; Rejoice, promised to sinners from the fall of our first parents.

Rejoice, ineffable Council of Eternal care; Rejoice, O blessed image of Divine Foreknowledge.

Rejoice, animated Switch, in whom the Word was written with the finger of God; Rejoice, ever-animal Source, from the Worth the gospel of Christ flowed abundantly.

Rejoice, God-woven Porphyro, in Nyuzha you have clothed yourself with the Eternal Word; Rejoice, fragrant Myrrh, in Negozha, indwell the grace of the Most Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, more shining than any gold, the Chamber of the Wisdom of God, not made by hands; Rejoice, brightest morning of every sunny morning, Dwelling Place of Christ.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 3

The power of the Most High autumn then to the conception of the righteous Anna, who had matured in her days, and that barren one is false, like a fertile field to show, may it vegetate from her for the joy of the whole world, perishing in sorrow, Sweet Village, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, to all who want to reap salvation, and sing praises from the depths of the soul: Alleluia.

ICOS 3

Having, O Most Pure One, Thy parents an immaculate life, having conceived Thee in a good old age, not by carnal indulgence, but by striving in chastity and abstinence, so that at Thy Nativity may not the will of nature be revealed, but the power of God’s grace, conquering the order of nature, and may all know, as prayer, coupled with the sighing of barrenness, vegetated You, the fruit is life-giving to the world. For this reason, in honor of Your immaculate conception, I sing to You:

Rejoice, joy for barren mothers; Rejoice, consolation to childless parents.

Rejoice, thou who has grown dry from the root of Jesse; Rejoice, and from him you brought forth the Flower of Christ.

Rejoice, you who began to overcome the rules of nature even at your conception; Rejoice, you who foreshadowed the preservation of Your virginity at Christmas.

Rejoice, for from here the winds of salvation have blown, the herald; Rejoice, for from here Grace begins to bear fruit.

Rejoice, for through You the barrenness of our nature is overcome; Rejoice, for by You the ancestral oath is resolved.

Rejoice, worldwide joy proclaimed; Rejoice, Beginning of our salvation.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 4

Thy righteous parents, O Most Pure One, were overcome by a storm of sorrows and many sorrows, as if they were barren in their old age, as if they were unworthy to have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. All creation has suffered with them from time immemorial about the barrenness of our nature, having submitted to vanity: for Adam groans, as if the earth were cursed for his sake; Eve also weeps, as if her sorrow and illness have increased; and the whole human race groans with them, having shared in corruption. When, O Mother of God, by Your birth the ancient barrenness and corruption were resolved, all creation cried out to God in gratitude for You: Alleluia.

ICOS 4

The Lord God heard the groans of the righteous Joachim and Anna and gave them, according to the promise of the archangel, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Daughter, the Virgin Mary, the Beginning and Intercessor of our salvation, at Her birth heaven and earth rejoiced, the angels and archangels rejoiced, and the people, having glorified God, hurried to their feet:

Hail Mary, great miracle of all creation; Rejoice, Daughter of David, Mother of the Lord.

Rejoice, One blessed among women; Rejoice, most glorified angel in heaven.

Rejoice, never-ending Dawn, who has shone forth the light of the world; Rejoice, unquenchable Lampado, who enlightened the night of sorrows.

Rejoice, for the vision of Your image by an angel is sweet; Rejoice, for Your appearance to the world brought joy to man.

Rejoice, new Paradise, planted on earth; Rejoice, bright Devil, adorned with the Heavenly King.

Rejoice, Chamber of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, Tabernacle of God with men.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 5

We see Thee, the Most Holy Virgin, the God-bearing star, which rose from Nazareth and enlightened the whole world: small is the city that Thou didst sanctify with Thy Nativity, and we despise it among people, for the sake of all the verbs: can anything good come from Nazareth? Moreover, God chose the weak and humiliated, let the strong one be put to shame, and show from Nazareth Thee to the whole world, the Unfading Flower, the ever-blooming of virginity, the Most Holy Virgin of all saints, who in all of Her life knew not a single sin, and let us all sing with gratitude to God about You: Alleluia.

ICOS 5

When Your parents saw Your wonderful birth, O Most Pure One, they brought great gifts to God, and they were blessed from the priest and from all the people, as if they had received the blessing of God, and created a great institution in their home, rejoicing in spirit and glorifying God. Remembering the angelic promise, I revered Thee as My Lady, and bowed down and hastened to Thee:

Rejoice, thou who was called the Bride of the Holy Spirit before all ages; Rejoice, the Virgin Mother, who appeared in the last times as the Son of God.

Rejoice, Daughter chosen from all generations to God the Father; Rejoice, wondrously illuminated by the dawns of the Life-Giving Trinity.

Rejoice, thou who surpassest all the heavenly powers without reasoning; Rejoice, you who drive away all demonic armies without shame.

Rejoice, all-powerful Intercessor of the entire human race; Rejoice, all-merciful Intercessor to all repentant sinners.

Rejoice, honest women of praise; Rejoice, Glory to the pure virgins.

Rejoice, you who brought good to the whole world from Nazareth; Rejoice, having covered everyone with Your love even to the last of the earth.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 6

The preacher of Your coming into the world, Mother of God, was the righteous Elizabeth. From now on, when I saw You coming to her house, I went out to meet You and cried out with a great voice: Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb. And where do I get this, so that the Mother of my Lord may come to me? Sitsa and we, Thy glorious Nativity, as Thy first visit to our land, celebrate, we greet Thee with this greeting: from where do we receive this, that the Mother of our Lord may come to us. Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb; to Him let us all sing with gratitude: Alleluia.

ICOS 6

The joy of Thy Nativity, O Most Pure One, has arisen, not just to Thy righteous parents, but also to all those near and far, and even to the end of the universe, as God rests on the reasonable Thrones, the Holy Throne has already been prepared for Himself on earth and a new Dawn has appeared, foretelling the Sun of the Truth of Christ coming soon. For this sake, let us sing to You, Pure, Sitsa:

Rejoice, Most Bright Dawn, Great Herald of the Sun of Christ; Rejoice, everlasting ray, never-evening light to the Mother.

Rejoice, you who cleanse people from passions with the fire of Your prayers; Rejoice, the dew of Your grace cools the flame of Gehenna to the weak.

Rejoice, cloud of Divine Light, destroying all darkness; Rejoice, fragrant Censer, offering up the prayers of the faithful to Your Son.

Rejoice, Heavenly Icon, brought from the highest to the earthly; Rejoice, fiery Throne, prepared for the Heavenly King on earth.

Rejoice, you who erected the fallen Tabernacle of David; Rejoice, thou who hast revealed the most exalted heavenly Jerusalem on earth.

Rejoice, Thou who hast prepared the most venerable purple robe from Thy blood for the Lamb of God; Rejoice, Thou who hast wrought the richly woven purple of the Word of God from Thy flesh.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 7

Although the long-suffering Lord revealed the abyss of His love for mankind to the human race that fell in ancient times in paradise, and gave our first ancestor the promise that the seed of the woman would erase the head of the serpent, in the last time fulfill His first promise on You, Most Pure One, choosing You, the One from all generations, to be Your Mother. May Thy Nativity erase the head of the ancient serpent, so for our sake let us sing in gratitude to God: Alleluia.

ICOS 7

Thy new terrible and wonderful sacrament, Mother of God, and a new source of life appeared instead of sensual Eve: so, by obeying the serpent, the beginning of God’s aversion to man and gave birth to sorrow to women. Your Son, O Virgin, condemned Eve’s womb to give birth to fruits in illness, to dwell in Your womb, painlessly, the keys of virginity unharmed in your Nativity. For this reason, for Your sake, the fallen female nature rejoices, having received the freedom of Christ instead of the ancient oath: Following You, wives begin to defeat their enemies, holding on to virginity and crying out to You like this:

Rejoice, adorned with Divine glory; Rejoice, exalted by the purity of virginity.

Rejoice, you who have revived fallen human nature; Rejoice, you who freed women from ancient sorrow.

Rejoice, Thou who astounded Gabriel with the beauty of Thy virginity; Rejoice, whose radiant purity has immeasurably surpassed the angelic councils.

Rejoice, impenetrable door, opening the enclosed Eden; Rejoice, sealed in the Book, containing the unknown secrets of God.

Rejoice, Fragrant Tree of Virginity; Rejoice, Unfading Color of Purity.

Rejoice, you who planted heavenly virginity on earth; Rejoice, you who opened the doors of heaven to the fallen.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 8

Your strange Nativity, from barrenness, seeing no pleasures, but shining from chastity and abstinence, let us withdraw from the vanity of the world, and all unchastity of soul and body, transferring our minds and hearts to heaven. For this reason you came into the world as the Mother of Chastity, so that you would raise the lower to the higher heights, and may you teach everyone to sing to God with pure lips and an undefiled heart: Alleluia.

ICOS 8

You are all good, My neighbor, and there is no vice in You. Arise, come, My Dove, show Your face to Me and make Your voice heard, for Your voice is sweet and Your image is beautiful. You are the only one of Your mother, the chosen one who gave birth to You, as Your Son and Lord, the Most Pure One, said, acknowledging Your barren birth and Your coming into the world. Listening to this Divine voice, we dare to sing to You like this:

Rejoice, Queen, who appeared at the right hand of the King Christ; Rejoice, Lady, clothed and adorned in the gilded robe of virginity.

Rejoice, the Heavenly King desired kindness; Rejoice, for whom you were called neighbor and good among wives.

Rejoice, Rising from the desert like a cloud of smoke, myrrh and frankincense; Rejoice, the Myrrh poured out, the fragrance from the Heavenly Myrrh-Bearer wearing away.

Rejoice, prisoner in Vertograd, no one can escape into this place; Rejoice, sealed treasure, from its depth no one else can drink.

Rejoice, shining like morning to those who sit in darkness; Rejoice, rising like the moon, chosen like the sun.

Rejoice, Source of living water, ever flowing from the Throne of God; Rejoice, Tree of Life, ever-blooming in the middle of Paradise.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 9

Every angelic nature rejoiced with joy, glorifying God, when, after Thy Nativity, the Most Pure One, the great saint, the priests and the chosen people, came to the house of Thy parents, sending up prayers of gratitude. When you bless Thee, lift up your voice, saying: God our father, bless this child and give Her a name, that she may be glorified throughout all generations. And I will call Your name Mary, great and gracious, delightful to people, but filled with fear by the demon, and cry out with joy: Alleluia.

ICOS 9

The prophets of many things, like voiceless fish, are perplexed as to how to sing of Your purity, equal to the angels from the swaddling clothes of infancy, O Most Pure One, who was given to You by the Lord, may the Lord present You, His Mother, as having no filth or vice, or anything of the sort, but may you be holy and blameless. For this reason, Your mother has carefully kept You in immaculate purity, so that the hand of the wicked will not touch the Inspired Icon of God: for sanctify Your bed, and alienate yourself from all filth, and call upon the pure virgin to keep Your peace. And whenever your breasts nourish You, you pray, and with your mother’s milk you are especially nourished with God’s Word. Marveling at such immaculate purity of Yours, we cry out to You:

Rejoice, having known not a single sin since Your infancy; Rejoice, O Most Holy One from Thy Nativity of all saints.

Rejoice, thou milked with prayer more than milk; Rejoice, full of the Word of God more than bread.

Rejoice, heavenly growth planted on earth; Rejoice, heavenly vegetation, raised from Your parents.

Rejoice, pure Dove, for whose purity the whole world is not worthy; Rejoice, undefiled Lamb, whose integrity is revealed to you worthy of the Mother of Christ.

Rejoice, thou who through the mania of the Almighty has risen from barren fruit; Rejoice, having received a Christmas worthy of Your purity.

Rejoice, for from the east of the sun to the west your name is praised; Rejoice, for from all generations you are blessed among women.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 10

To save the world from the charms of the enemy, the Lover of mankind, the Lord, chose Thee from the earthly race, from the small city and from the barren womb into His Mother, predestined from eternity, and preached by the prophets of old, to be the Mediator of our salvation, so that those who are sad and in trouble may receive quick consolation and the solution to worldly barrenness, but let all those wandering in the darkness of sin reveal the Sun of Christ’s righteousness, singing to Him: Alleluia.

ICOS 10

Thou art the wall and refuge of all mankind, O Virgin Mother of God, for those who celebrate Thy Nativity: For Thou art from the small palace of the City of God that exists, and Thou didst begin to be, and from the womb of the non-bearing womb Thou hast accomplished the exodus, and prepared the entrance of the Great Saint: God alone has traversed a strange path through Thee, unburnt Thee save. For this reason, we boldly call You, the One pure and most blessed, who is:

Rejoice, most blessed in heaven; Rejoice, most glorified on earth.

Rejoice, angels of joy and amusement; Rejoice, O consolation and consolation to the earthly.

Rejoice, God-voiced and gentle turtledove; Rejoice, meek and quiet Yunice.

Rejoice, Holy Spirit of the All-Holy Temple; Rejoice, most pure blueprint of heavenly disgrace.

Rejoice, dew of Aermon, who descended upon the mountains of Sinai; Rejoice, alavaster of the valuable World, who has fragrant the earth.

Rejoice, City of God, from the palace of little vegetation; Rejoice, Nazareth hail from the dry roots of growth.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 11

The singing of thanksgiving is sung in spirit by the divine Joachim the wonderful and the divine Anna, who saw on earth the Mother of the Creator, who gave birth to the daughter Mary, and with them we, the Lady, equal in number with the sand of the sea, bring songs to Thee, praising Thy Nativity, glorious from barren wombs, singing with gratitude To God: Alleluia.

IKOS 11

The light-receiving candle, gloriously kindled in the night of the Old Law by Thy Nativity, we see Thee, O Most Holy Virgin: for all, in the darkness of sin and the shadow of death for those who sit, Thou hast shone forth light, joy, grace and the resolution of the ancient oath, for Eve’s sake: from Thee has arisen the Sun Truth, Christ our God, enlighten those who are in darkness, crying out to You in praise:

Rejoice, O Dawn of the never-evening day, who opened the gates of the Kingdom of Christ; Rejoice, Most Serene Dennitsa, who proclaimed salvation to us.

Rejoice, Never-setting Star, bringing the Great Sun into this world; Rejoice, O Most Luminous One, dispelling the ancient darkness of sin.

Rejoice, Life-Giving Source, giving life to everyone; Rejoice, O Lamp, who shed light on us before the Sun.

Rejoice, you who enlightened us with the dawns of grace even in the present darkness; Rejoice, Mother of the Light of the Umnago, who has illuminated the entire universe with grace.

Rejoice, Bride of the radiant Palace, who has covered the whole of heaven with the radiance of Her robe; Rejoice, woman clothed with the Sun, appearing in the world to save those who are perishing.

Rejoice, having the moon under Your feet; Rejoice, thou crowned with twelve stars.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 12

In the grace of the same-named Divine Anna, she rejoices and, boasting, cries out: I am unfruitful, I gave birth to the Mother of God, even for the sake of condemnation of Eve, even the disease was resolved in sorrow. And so, rejoicing, I made a promise that I would bring my daughter who was born to God and be a gift to Him from all the generations of the earth, and by man - for eternal consolation and joy, as I sing to them: Alleluia.

ICOS 12

We sing Your Most Pure Nativity, we honor the unspeakable conception, we glorify Your unspoken birth from barrenness, we worship Your very swaddling clothes, the Bride of the God-Called and the Virgin; together with us they glorify Your coming into the world of angels and archangels, and the souls of the saints of the Council: for common joy arose in heaven and on earth from the righteous Joachim and Anna by Your birth, the Mother of God, who glorifies Him, crying out to You like this:

Rejoice, All-Immaculate, common angel and human Lady according to the Holy Trinity; Rejoice, All-Blessed One, the Comforter common to all in heaven and on earth.

Rejoice, Beauty in the right hand of the Lord, adorning all those in heaven who bless You; Rejoice, O Almighty Consolation, who brings joy to all those on earth who call upon You.

Rejoice, Heaven of heavens, surpassing all angelic powers without comparison; Rejoice, Miracle of miracles, creating all men into the Body of God.

Rejoice, Queen of Queens, who has put a limit to sinful corruption throughout the entire universe; Rejoice, Holy of Holies of the entire Church of Christ, who laid the foundation for our salvation.

Rejoice, Divine Maiden, God's blessing of all times and centuries; Rejoice, God-chosen Youth, grace-filled reconciliation of all peoples and generations.

Rejoice, Pillar of virginity, to all who desire virginity, the kindness of virginity that manifestly sends down; Rejoice, Door of salvation, to all who seek salvation, soon giving a helping hand.

Rejoice, Most Pure One, who made the whole world glad with Your Nativity.

KONDAC 13

Oh, All-Singing Mother, born from barrenness for the salvation of the world, our present one has accepted offerings for Your all-honorable Nativity, do not leave us during our life, deliver us from all adversity and captivity of the enemy, and from spiritual barrenness free all who cry out for You: Alleluia .

This kontakion is read three times, then the 1st ikos “Archangel Gabriel...” and the 1st kontakion “Chosen of all generations...”.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN ON THE Nativity OF THE HOLY VIRGIN

FIRST PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN

Oh, Most Holy Lady, God-chosen Mother of Christ our Savior, asked from God with holy prayers, dedicated to God and beloved by God! Whoever does not please You or who does not sing Your glorious Nativity. Your Christmas was the beginning of the salvation of people, and we, sitting in the darkness of sins, see You, the dwelling of the Impregnable Light. For this reason, the florid tongue cannot sing songs about Thee according to its heritage. Thou art exalted even more than Seraphim, O Most Pure One. Otherwise, accept this present praise from Your unworthy servants and do not reject our prayer. We confess your greatness, we bow down to you in tenderness and boldly ask your child-loving and compassionate Mother, who is quick in intercession: beg your Son and our God to grant us, who have sinned a lot, sincere repentance and a pious life, so that we may be able to do everything pleasing to God and useful to our souls. Let us hate all evil, strengthened by Divine grace in our good will. You are our shameless hope in the hour of death, grant us a Christian death, a comfortable procession through the terrible ordeals of the air and the inheritance of the eternal and ineffable blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that with all the saints we silently confess Your intercession for us and let us glorify the one True God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

SECOND PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN

Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven and earth, we bow down to Your miraculous image, with tenderness: look mercifully on Your servants and through Your omnipotent intercession send down what everyone needs. Save all the faithful children of the Holy Church, convert the unfaithful, guide those who have gone astray to the right path, support old age and weakness of strength, grow the young in the holy faith, guide courage for good, bring sinners to repentance and hear the prayers of all Christians, heal the sick, assuage sorrows, those traveling travel. You weigh, O All-Merciful One, as we are weak, as sinners, as we are embittered and unworthy of God’s forgiveness, otherwise be of help to us, so that by no sin of self-love, temptation and the devil’s seduction we anger God: Thee are the Imams, the Intercessor, Whom the Lord will not reject. If you so desire, you can bestow everything upon us, like a source of grace, who faithfully sing to You and extol Your glorious Nativity. Deliver, O Lady, from sins and misfortunes of all who piously call upon Thy holy name and worship Thy honorable image. You cleanse our tuna with your prayers of iniquity, so we fall down to You and cry again: drive away from us every enemy and adversary, every misfortune and destructive unbelief; Through Your prayers, giving timely rains and abundant fruitfulness to the earth, put Divine fear in our hearts to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, so that we may all live quietly and peacefully for the salvation of our souls, for the good of our neighbors and for the glory of the Lord, for He is the Creator, Provider and Savior All glory, honor and worship are due to us, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PRAYER THIRD TO THE HOLY VIRGIN

Oh, Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin, Lady Theotokos, born from barrenness according to promise and for the sake of purity for the sake of Your soul and body, worthy to be the Matter of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, with Him now residing in heaven and having great boldness towards the Most Holy Trinity, from the Unborn, Like a Queen, you are crowned with the crown of eternal reign. In the same way, we humbly resort to You and ask: intercede for us from the All-Merciful Lord God the forgiveness of all our sins, voluntary and involuntary; salvation, peace, silence and piety are restored to our suffering fatherland, times are peaceful and serene, the sedition of the evil is not involved; to the abundance of the fruits of the earth, the air of goodness, the rains are peaceful and well-timed. And ask us for everything that we need for life and salvation from Thy Son, Christ our God. Most of all, let us make haste to be adorned with good morals and good deeds, so that, as powerfully as possible, we will be imitators of Your holy life, with which You adorned yourself from your youth on earth, pleasing the Lord; For this reason you appeared, the most honest Cherub and the most glorious Seraphim. To her, Most Holy Lady, be our quick Helper in everything and the wise Teacher of salvation, so that by following You and being helped by You, we may be considered worthy of being the heir to the existence of the Heavenly Kingdom, through the sufferings of Your Intercessory Son, and fulfillers of His promised holy commandments. For You are, Lady, our only hope and hope according to God, and we commit our whole life to You, hoping for Your intercession and intercession that we will not be put to shame at the hour of our departure from this life, and at the Last Judgment of Your Son, Christ our God at His right hand to be worthy of standing, and there to rejoice forever with all those who have pleased Him from time immemorial, and to silently glorify, praise, thank and bless Him with the Father and the Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

TROPARION, TONE 4

Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe: from Thee has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, given blessing, and having abolished death, given us eternal life.

KONDAC, VOICE 4

Joachim and Anna were reproached by childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal aphids, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity. Then Thy people also celebrate, having been freed from the guilt of sins, always calling upon Thy: the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life gives birth to barren fruits.

GREATNESS

We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy parents, and glorify Your birth all-gloriously.

Text of prayer with accents

To the chosen Voivode, victorious, for having got rid of the evil ones, let us write thanks to You, Your servants, to the Mother of God: but as You have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, and let us call You: Rejoice Bride of No Bride Naya.

Translation:

Having been delivered from troubles, we, Your unworthy servants, Mother of God, sing a victorious and grateful song to You, the Supreme Military Leader. You, who have invincible power, free us from all troubles, so that we cry to You: Rejoice, Bride, who has not entered into marriage!

Description of the image

Holy Mother Anna is located on the left side of the icon. Her face is illuminated with great joy and happiness. In ancient iconography, the righteous woman is depicted half-sitting on a high bed and her image is depicted larger than the others. Women with gifts stand in front of her, and next to the woman in labor there is a midwife and maids washing a newborn baby in the font. Often in images the Virgin Mary is depicted reclining in an infant’s cradle. But despite the fact that Mary is the main character of the icon, her image is not located at Christmas, indicating to humanity that, despite the importance and significance in any situation, one should remain a modest and humble servant of God.

Nativity of Our Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

In the images painted in later times, Joachim is depicted next to Anna and a little far away there is a table with rich dishes, birds flutter and the blue waves of the reservoir shimmer.

About other Mother of God holidays:

• Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Annunciation
• Cover