Among the icons most honored by our people,there is one - the Shuisk-Smolensk icon of the Mother of God. About her go our story. But first of all - a few words about how miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary, so revered by us for many centuries, came to Russia.
The history of the first image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The first icon depicting the Blessed Virgin was painted during her life by the holy Evangelist Luke. It was called "Protestant", which means "Guide".
Написана икона была в городе Антиохии, и, having traveled a long way through Jerusalem, Constantinople and Smolensk, she came to Moscow. After some time the shrine again returned to Smolensk, and the Muscovites left two copies of it.
In the tradition of Orthodox iconography providedseveral canons of writing the image of the Virgin. The one in question was called Smolensk. Currently, there are many lists from it. One of them is the Shuisk-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
Finding a miraculous image
Много бедствий знала Российская земля.Among other punishments of God, there were terrible epidemics that claimed thousands of lives. One of them happened in the city of Shuya. Visited him in 1654 mora ulcer. Residents of the city were completely helpless in front of this scourge, because medical care was not yet. Every day dozens of dead were taken to the cemetery, and the priests did not have time to read them.
Intercession could only be requested fromLord God, and his Most Pure Mother. It was with this goal that it was decided to offer up prayers in front of a new, just-written way of it. Fortunately, a skillful master - icon painter Gerasim Ikonnikov was found. The icon by Odigitria Smolenskaya was used as a sample by the artist. The legend 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 still in the workshopGerasim. Suddenly the facial features of the Virgin Mary changed themselves, and she took on a different look. Following that, when the already finished icon was brought into the Resurrection Church, everyone felt an inexplicable aroma. Seeing this happy omen, the townspeople fell to their knees and began to pray earnestly. And the Shuisk-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God saved the city. The epidemic began to decline, and soon ceased altogether. A year later, grateful residents of the city put a chapel in memory of this event.
Wonders of the icon
In 1666, a special episcopal commissiongave the icon a miraculous status. This happened after more than a hundred people received healing from her for a year and a half, and all cases were officially registered. Since that time, it received its current name. The date of the holiday was appointed on November 15 - the day the city was rid of a plague.
In those early years, cities were built mainly fromtree. It often happened that fire destroyed entire areas in them. Several major fires survived and Shuya. Each time the damage was inflicted on the Resurrection Church, where it was permanently located, and each time the icon miraculously remained unharmed. In 1848, the Shuisk Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God once again saved the city from an epidemic. This time, Shuya was visited by cholera.
The fate of the icon in subsequent years
Throughout its history, the miraculous imagehe saw many crowned heads and members of the royal house. His fame was so great that, visiting the city, they considered it their duty to visit the Resurrection Church and pray in it. When the difficult times for the rebellion came to the church, people loyal to Orthodoxy retained the icon. Some of them paid with their lives. There is a known case when the parishioners of the church put up resistance to the authorities, who confiscated church values and encroached on the precious salary of the icon. Some of them were shot, others were sent to prison.
Nowadays, annually on November 15, the day of the celebration of the holy icon, a procession takes place in the city, in which residents of Shui and pilgrims from other cities take part.
