Icon of the Mother of God of Valaam. About the Valaam icon of the Most Holy Theotokos I prayed to the Mother of God of Valaam to give children

In Orthodoxy, there are a huge number of images of the Mother of God - alone or with the Infant Christ. Some of them are more popular and “old”: for example, Vladimirskaya, known since the 5th century. Others are less known, but no less revered. The latter includes the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God. Today you can venerate her in the monastery of the same name in Finland.

Description of the icon

The Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the Valaam Monastery in October 1878. She is a revered Orthodox icon, which is also prayed to in the Archdiocese of Finland. It was written by Hieromonk Alypiy in the world of Konstantinov, who trained as an artist . He took several images as a basis:

The Valaam icon depicts the Mother of God in full growth, in red and blue clothes and with bare feet. She holds a baby in her arms, completely turned towards the viewer. Christ blesses the believers with his right hand and holds a blue orb in his left. The background of the icon is golden; the Mother of God stands on a small white cloud. Later, a piece of the robe of the Mother of God was inserted into the lower part of the image. It is worth noting that this is the only image in icon painting in which the Mother of God is depicted barefoot.

First miracle

The story of the discovery of the icon and the first miracle are described in the book “The Legend of the Finding of the Valaam Image of the Mother of God.” This happened thanks to the pious peasant woman Natalya Andreeva, who for many years, since 1878, when the icon was painted, suffered from pain in her legs. One day a mysterious voice commanded her to go to the monastery in Valaam and pray for recovery. Being devout, Natalya began to get ready, and in the summer of 1896 she was ready to go.

The night before her departure, she dreamed of a woman in red clothes. She was surrounded by radiance and was holding a baby in her arms. The woman wished the peasant woman a happy journey and promised that she would find her on Valaam.

However, having arrived on the island, Natalya never found the woman, although she visited all the monasteries. Just before leaving, she went to pray at the Assumption Church and saw a mysterious stranger: an icon hanging on a column. But the peasant woman did not have time to pray or even touch her: the whistle of the steamship on which she was to sail had already sounded. But, upon arriving home, Natalya realized that the pain had subsided and decided to return.

She managed to return only a few years later. Entering the Assumption Church, Natalya saw that the icon had been removed. She asked all the people, but no one knew where she had been taken. Someone suggested that the image was transported to the St. Petersburg chapel on Vasilyevsky Island, but it was not there either.

The next year Natalya returned again. She prayed for a long time before the relics of Saints Sergius and Herman for the discovery of the Mother of God of Valaam, and that same night she had a dream. In a dream, Natalya wandered around the abolished, closed Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and asked the Mother of God to open it for her. The mysterious voice again answered her that the Mother of God was here and would soon be found. Natalya even saw where she should look: in the pantry, among the outdated church utensils.

The next morning, Natalya ordered a prayer service in front of the newly found icon, after which her pain completely disappeared.

Further fate

After the miraculous discovery of the image, pilgrims began to flock to him, including seriously ill people. Many were healed, and miraculous signs appeared to others. In 1917, when the Smolensk monastery was founded, it was planned to consecrate it in honor of the Valaam Mother of God, but the icon at that time did not yet have official church glorification.

Today, the icon of the Mother of God of Valaam is one of the most revered, but remains among the locally revered. It is located in the New Valaam Monastery.

The days of veneration are:

1. July 14 is the day of acquisition;
2. August 20 is a day of veneration in the Finnish Orthodox Church.

Many turn to the Valaam Mother of God. What does this icon help with:

The Valaam Mother of God is considered the main intercessor of people before the Lord, and therefore you can ask her for anything. The only rule: the request should not harm anyone.

There are no special rules, but Here are some tips to follow:

In the New Valaam Monastery, in addition to simple prayer, it is worth ordering a prayer service, and also touching a piece of the Virgin Mary’s robe placed in the icon.

In Russia, lists of icons are located in the courtyards of the Valaam Monastery:

1. In the Moscow courtyard in the Church of St. Sergius and Herman in Moscow. Address: 2nd Tverskaya - Yamskaya street, 52;
2. In the St. Petersburg courtyard in the Kazan Church. Address: Nevsky Prospekt, 1/29.

Valaam and New Valaam monasteries

The history of the Valaam Monastery began a very long time ago. According to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called walked north, preaching Christianity, reached Lake Neva and erected a stone cross on the Valaam Mountains. Later, in the 10th century, two monks founded a monastery and brotherhood on one of the islands. For a long time, Valaam bore the unofficial name of Northern Athos.

Under Peter I, the territory on which the monastery was built was annexed to the Russian Empire, and the Valaam Monastery was restored. At the beginning of the next century, it became part of the Principality of Finland, and after the October Revolution - part of Finland.

During World War II, the monastery found itself in a combat zone and closed. The monks left him, taking with them the original icon. They moved to a monastery in Heinävesi, where they founded New Valaam in the Papinniemi estate.

The Valaam Monastery soon reopened, but the icon remained in the New Valaam Monastery, which was included in the Finnish Orthodox Church. Today the latter is an object of pilgrimage and a place for tourists to visit.. It opens:

1. Cultural center and conference hall;
2. Monastic library and archive;
3. Public School;
4. Center for Restoration of Paintings and Icons;
5. Hotels for visitors;
6. Production of table wine.

Unfortunately, the official website of the monastery is entirely in Finnish, and therefore pilgrims from Russia will have to turn to “intermediaries”. The monastery has an agreement with the Radonezh pilgrimage service, which regularly organizes trips there.

The Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, located in the New Valaam Monastery in Finland, is one of the most revered local Orthodox icons. Our Lady of Valaam is considered the patroness of soldiers and victims of the faith, but she also protects and heals all believers.

What is the story of the acquisition of the icon?

The discovery of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most miraculous late discoveries of Orthodox Christian shrines that happened quite recently, if we count times by historical standards. Valaam Island is a part of the land, beautiful in its austere beauty, like the entire Solovetsky archipelago to which it belongs. The archipelago is known in the history of the 20th century for both its holy and bitter earthly history - the tragically famous Solovki were located here. Valaam is now also called Northern Athos. Holy Mount Athos in the Promised Land is the earthly refuge of the Mother of God. Valaam owes its second name, Northern Athos, not only to the fact that, like the Holy Mountain, it is almost completely surrounded by water - there is a small isthmus, but it is practically impassable, and therefore Valaam is still considered an island, not only because it is also completely populated by hermits living in monasteries, cells and hermitages. This is an amazing miraculous place of the appearance to the world of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, which has become one of the most revered images, which are also among the Valaam shrines, but already glorified earlier in other parts of the Christian world - the Annunciation, the Tenderness, the Life-Giving Source, the Burning Bush, the Sovereign, the Sign, the Kazan , Smolensk, Tikhvin icons of the Mother of God.

The discovery of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God happened at the end of the 19th century, and its history is amazing.

Natalya Andreevna Andreeva, a peasant from the Tver province, caught a severe cold in 1878 and received rheumatic disease of the joints of the hands and feet. The disease progressed quickly, the patient had difficulty walking even with a stick, not to mention the fact that she could not perform normal actions with her hands. Since she was already living in an almshouse at that time, and had very limited funds, she, for obvious reasons, could not follow the doctors’ recommendations to “go to the sea.”

Natalya Andreevna suffered greatly and prayed to God and the Most Pure One to help her. Some inner feeling told her that she needed to go to Valaam for healing. She bought a ticket, but the long journey, and even with her illness, seemed difficult for her to overcome; on the evening before departure, hesitations overwhelmed her especially strongly.

That same night she had either a dream or a vision - Andreeva never understood - in which a beautiful tall woman appeared in a crimson robe and with a child in a tunic in her arms. A wonderful light and wonderful warmth emanated from both, and the sick woman thought that maybe this was the Most Holy Theotokos Herself? And she asked out loud - doesn’t She live on Valaam? And the One who came answered that, yes, She lives there, that the Lord is on the way of the departing one, and She too, and that there, on Valaam, the sick woman will meet Her.

In the morning, the pilgrim no longer doubted that the Queen of Heaven Herself had appeared to her. This thought strengthened the patient, and Andreeva, without any doubt, went to Valaam...

The history of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God is inextricably linked with the names of the Venerable Sergius and Herman of Valaam wonderworkers, the shrine with whose relics was located on the holy island. On a July day in 1887, on the feast of the discovery of the relics of Saints Sergius and Herman, Natalya Andreevna came to Valaam and offered fervent prayers for healing in front of the shrine. Her arrival coincided with another significant event - the laying of the foundation stone for the Transfiguration Church, which was attended by members of the royal family.

Just before departure, Natalya Andreevna went to the Assumption Church. Imagine her amazement, bordering on the shock of her whole soul, when she, looking at the left aisle of the church, saw in a gilded frame the image from which the Mother of God was looking at her, the way She appeared to Andreeva on the eve of her departure to Valaam, to inspire barely a pilgrim who did not succumb to cowardice. And she held the Baby exactly as it was in that dream. But then the whistle of the ship on which Natalya Andreevna was supposed to return sounded, and, without having time to serve a prayer service or even simply venerate the image, as expected, she could only hastily light a candle and hurried to the pier.

However, changes for the better occurred in her health - having returned to St. Petersburg to her almshouse, the pilgrim could sometimes even walk without a stick, which could not but surprise those who knew her, although the relief was not complete, the disease did not completely leave her. She already believed that this would not be her last visit to Valaam to that amazing icon, which she wanted to thank, like St. Sergius and Herman, for the beginning of her miraculous healing.

The second time she came to Valaam only in 1896, but that wondrous icon was no longer in the Assumption Church. And for the third time, in 1897, Andreeva came to Northern Athos - at the same time as always - for the feast of St. Sergius and Herman and, again not finding the icon, with tears she began to pray to the holy wonderworkers for its acquisition.

That same night she again had an amazing dream, which she told the sacristan Father Paphnutius about near the shrine with the relics of the miracle workers. She dreamed that at night she was walking along the aisle of the St. Nicholas Church, abolished after the construction of the temple to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, left for the sacristy, and asking Mother to appear to her again, and a quiet Voice answered that the prayer would soon find Her. Natalya Andreevna was frightened, but did not stop praying. Then suddenly a gray-haired old man appeared before her and asked what she was crying and grieving about. She replied that she was looking for the Queen of Heaven, to which the old man replied that she should not cry, because she would soon find that icon. And in response to the words that, supposedly, the sacristan said that he looked for it and did not find it, the old man said that it was not true, it was here, the sacristan simply forgot where the icon was and was looking poorly. Then they approached some locked door, the stranger pushed it, the door opened, and the elder said - here it is! And Natalya saw Her icon, which was wrapped in matting and canvas and lay in the far dusty corner among other church utensils.

Three days later, during which Natalya Andreevna was preparing for communion, she had another dream. She dreamed that she was standing in the cathedral, the only lay person, only with her at the shrine with the relics of Saints Sergius and Herman were two monks - Fathers Seraphim and Nicholas. Then the doors open, and the sacristan, Father Paphnutius, and another young monk in short gray clothes carry that same icon. Andreeva, in amazement and joy, screamed that it was She and fell in front of the icon on the floor, hoping that the image would be carried on her, and she would be completely healed. But Father Paphnutius said that in order to heal the sick woman, one must prepare for a prayer service with the blessing of water...

At that moment she woke up, went to communion in the morning, and then saw people running to the church, talking about the wondrous discovery of the lost icon of the Mother of God.

This is how the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was found through the dreams of the prayer book Natalia. That’s how the image was found - wrapped in canvas and matting among old images and utensils in the sacristy, which makes us think - whether the elder who indicated in that dream the location of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was St. Nicholas himself. And what’s even more surprising is that Father Paphnutius carried the image out of the church both in a dream and in reality, and a young monk in gray short work clothes helped him.

Natalya Andreevna's joy was great - to the point of inspired tears. It is not without reason that they say that an excess of sorrow makes one laugh, an excess of joy makes one cry. After the prayer service with the blessing of water, she drank holy water and felt stronger, and, returning to her cell, she anointed all her sore joints with oil taken from the lamp in front of the icon, and for the first time in many years she fell asleep peacefully, without feeling the pains and aches that had become familiar.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, she completely got rid of the cane, and by the next Easter she was already completely healthy. The Valaam monks recorded this story from her words and called it “The Tale of the Finding of the Image of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “Local Valaam.”

History of the creation of the icon

They say that for those who believe in God, there are no coincidences. In 1878, when Natalya Andreevna Andreeva had a severe cold and fell ill, which later served as the reason for the discovery and glorification of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, hieromonk-icon painter Alypiy, in the world his name was Alexei Konstantinov, painted this beautiful icon. When he took monastic vows, and his talent as a painter was already known, the monastic name Alypy was given to him in memory of the icon painter Alypy of Kiev-Pechersk, thus defining his service in the monastery. Together with other icon painters, he created many icons and frescoes in the temples and churches of Northern Athos. As a result of their work, a new “Valaam” style was formed in icon painting, the existence of which, however, is disputed by some art historians, but this is their right.

One way or another, the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God does not resemble any of the previously glorified icons of the Mother of God. According to typology, it is more often attributed to the Byzantine image of “Nicopeia” - “Victorious”. In the scarlet maforia 1 - the color of royalty, covering the blue himation 2, on one hand, which is under the maphoria, She holds the Baby, with the other, open, in the arm, she supports Him in front. The Lord Himself is in a white himation, His right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, His left holds an orb with a cross. The Queen of Heaven is not wearing shoes, under Her bare feet there is a cloud and all of Her, as if emerging from a golden warm haze, sunny and soothing.

Likewise, on the icon of the “Kuznetsov letter” by Yuri Kuznetsov, the unique color palette of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God shows us the joy of the inevitable victory of spirituality, faith, love, victory over all enemies - inside us and outside, both for us and for the entire Russian State...

What a miracle happened

Of course, the discovery of the icon of the Valaam Mother of God through the story of the ill Natalya Andreeva from the beginning to the present time is one continuous miracle. From the very beginning, the chain of coincidences is amazing, to the point that the icon was painted by the icon painter Alypius in the same year when Andreeva suffered her illness.

The fact that the sick pilgrim prayed to Her, who visited the pilgrim on the night of her departure for Valam in exactly the guise in which Natalya Andreevna then saw Her in the Assumption Church, although she had never seen this icon before, is also a miracle. She prayed to Her for healing and prayed for the return of Her image from the shrine with the holy relics of St. Sergius and Herman. The deep connection of this Archetype with the saints is unconditional and confirmed by another wondrous event. This is told by a miraculous vision that appeared to Father Boris - in the schema of Nikolai.

At one time, the inhabitants of Valaam were tempted - there were rumors that their relics were not in the shrine of St. Sergius and Herman. The island, they say, is big, they could be in another place. So he sat in the choir and thought while the kathismas were read in the church at the All-Night Vigil. Then he looked at the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, which hung right in front of him, and saw on both sides of Her Most Pure Image the Saints Sergius and Herman! In robes and schemata, on which the Trisagion was written - “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!”, both miracle workers looked at the praying brethren with Divine radiance in their eyes. They were thin-faced, blue-eyed, and had scrolls in their hands. Father Boris looked away in amazement for a moment, and when he looked at the icon again, the venerable wonderworkers had already left.

So it became clear that all the rumors were just a tempting test of faith, that miracle workers were with Her, and that it was not without reason that through the prayer of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God and the Venerables Sergius and Herman, Andreeva received healing. And after a tearful prayer at the shrine with their relics to see that Most Pure Image of Her again, Natalya Andreevna had a vision of the discovery of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, and the discovery itself happened on the day of the communion of the prayer book - three days after the feast of the discovery of the relics of Saints Sergius and Herman.

The fact that the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was and remains the intercessor of the Russian army is told by three visions that, during a service in the temple, visited the elder of the Valaam Monastery, Hieroschemamonk Michael, practically our contemporary - he passed away in 1962. He had visions before the start of the Great Patriotic War.

IN first vision the elder saw the Mother of God in the Valaam image, John the Baptist, Nicholas the Wonderworker and other saints who tearfully prayed before Him so that He would not abandon Rus' in the impending disaster. The Lord answered that in Russia such is the abomination of spiritual desolation, spiritual decline, and so many other vices that these iniquities exceed the measure of even God’s Great Patience. But the Mother of God and all the saints continued to pray to Him with tears, and the Lord said that He would not leave Russia.

Time passed, and soon the old man was second vision, similar to the previous one: Mother Intercessor in the Valaam image and Saint John the Baptist again stand before His throne and pray with tears for the salvation of Russia, and He again answered that He would not leave our Fatherland.

And in third vision Already the Mother of God alone, in the same image of Valaam, prays to Her Son at His Throne for the salvation of Russia and with tears begs Him to remember how she knelt before His earthly Crucifixion. And now Mother Intercessor was again ready to kneel before her Son, but the Savior stopped Her and said that He knows how much She loves Russia, and therefore for the sake of Her Motherly tears He will not leave our country.

These revelations are a miracle of miracles, which once again confirm the special intercession of the Most Pure One, Her patronage of our country, and again testify that Valaam is another Her abode, another Athos, on the territory of Russia, which, however, left the borders for some time our country. This exodus of Her Proto-Image in the face of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God from the borders of what was then Russia is also a miracle of high spiritual significance.

After the Russian-Finnish war in 1940, Valaam went to Finland, and the monks had to accept Finnish citizenship. The history of New Valaam is long and deserves a separate story, so we will only briefly note: the departure of Northern Athos from the territory of post-revolutionary Russia can be considered as a sign that in that state where there was cruel persecution of the true faith and its servants and the rarest sacrilege towards churches and churches, not only as places of worship, but also as monuments of culture and art, had no place as Her Abode.

Now the Prototype of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God is located in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which is on New Valaam. It hangs under the left choir and the image is still famous for its miraculous events. The rector of New Valaam, Archimandrite Sergius, told how a boy, the son of the Greek priest Fr., received healing through the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God. Elijah, at his request to the brethren to pray in front of Her Valaam image for the healing of his son. The healing has occurred, and the grateful priest is now sending incense for the miraculous, amazing icon, prayer before which from a pure heart and with pure thoughts will perform many more miracles according to our faith.

Meaning of the icon

The fact that the discovery of the icon of the Mother of God of such miraculous power happened right here on Valaam is a sign of the Queen of Heaven’s special affection for this place. The words She said in a vision to Natalya Andreeva that She lives there, and Andreeva will see Her on Valaam are the revelation of the Mother of God about Her presence. And just as Holy Mount Athos is the place of the presence of the Mother of God in the land of Jerusalem, so mountainous, difficult to pass in places Valaam became Her refuge in the Russian land and received the name Northern Athos, and the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God itself is called “locally revered.”

Also, for Valaam and for all of Russia, the discovery of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God has another unique meaning - this is the appearance to us of Her intercession before the Lord for Rus'. Even during the First World War, the Valaam elders had visions that they documented. In one of them, the Most Pure One, such as in the Valaam icon of the Mother of God, appeared weeping before God and praying to Him to save the Russian land from the enemy and grant our people victory.

In those years, the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was in the Smolensk monastery, consecrated in honor of the Smolensk Mother of God, since the icon had not yet been officially glorified by the Church. The monks lived in the monastery, who were commanded to pray for the killed Russian soldiers in the First World War, during the turmoil of the beginning of the last century. Then - for those killed in the civil war, and then - for all those killed for their faith.

And if we pray before the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God for the acquisition of love and faith and for the healing of souls and bodies, then, loving our Fatherland, no matter what it may become in these strange, difficult days for our spirituality, we can and should pray for Russia today . It will grow into the one in which our children’s children will live.

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1 Maforium is a long veil that envelops a figure from head to toe.
2 Himation is a quadrangular piece worn by ancient Greek women over a chiton.

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  Valaam monastery)

  To the Most Holy Lady, Lady Theotokos, our country's Intercessor, the monastery of Valaam, beauty and glory. Looking at Your most pure face, revealed in the miraculous icon, we pray to You: protect this monastery from all evil, which the venerable Sergius and Herman founded, protect and preserve peace among the brethren, protect its builders, benefactors and beautifiers with Your Protection. O Our All-Honorable Mother, Mother Superior of all Orthodox monasteries and monastic life, Patroness, remain constant from this monastery, Your present heritage, and cover us with Your omnipotent prayers and protect us, who labor here, from all troubles and needs, help us to preserve the statutes of the venerable fathers unshakably, deliver from the falls of sin, grant us the spirit of contrition and humility, instruct us in fulfilling monastic vows and all the commandments of God. Accept our humble prayer, warm us with the breath of Thy love and never depart from us, so that faith in us sinners may not become scarce, and may we be worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, in which we will glorify You, our All-Singing Mother, and glorify Your Son and our God with His beginningless Father and His Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

  OTHER PRAYER

  O Most Holy and Most Blessed Lady Theotokos, Queen of heaven and earth, Patroness of the monastery of Valaam! We fall down and bow to You before Your miraculous icon, and as You mercifully looked upon the prayer of Your sick servant and granted her healing, so now accept our fervent prayer offered to You. Save and preserve, O All-Merciful One, our Fatherland and all the Orthodox people living in it and running to You with love, from the invasion of foreigners, from famine and pestilence, and from all evil; direct our paths, may truth and peace, joy and love shine in the lands of Russia, preserve the Orthodox faith in it until the end of time. Look with Your merciful eye at the monastery of Valaam and accomplish in the Lord the salvation of all who labor in it in faith and hope. Pray to Thy Son and our God, may He deliver us all from all troubles, sorrows and illnesses, may He instruct us to fulfill His commandments, may He deliver us from eternal torment, and may He grant us through Your intercession to dwell in the heavenly abodes and glorify there the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy One Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

  TROPARION

  Troparion, tone 4:

  Today the monastery of Valaam is brightly decorated, and all the faithful in the lands of Russia are spiritually triumphant, glorifying Your miraculous icon, Lady, to which we now flow with love and say: O Most Pure Virgin Theotokos, pray to Your Son Christ our God, that He may deliver this monastery and all the cities and towns of our country, from all the slander of the enemy, our souls will be saved by the Merciful.

  Troparion, tone 4:

  Let us now diligently come to the Mother of God as a priest and to Her miraculous icon and cry out to Her: O Most Wonderful Lady Theotokos, show us intercession and help quickly, protect our land with peace, hasten to deliver us from all troubles according to Your great mercy.

  Kontakion, tone 8:

  To the chosen Voivode, our Lady Theotokos, we offer songs of praise, glorifying Her miraculous icon, which appeared on the island of Valaam. You, who have an invincible Power, deliver the Russian country from all troubles and sorrows and make a prayer for all the people singing to You: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.

  http://pravoslavnyi.ru
  http://iconkuznetsov.ru
  

About the Valaam Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The iconography of this image is unusual. It is slightly different from other well-known and glorified icons of the Mother of God in the Church. On the Valaam icon, the Mother of God is depicted full-length on a cloud in a dark blue himation and a bright red maforia, supporting the Divine Infant with her hand hidden under the maforia from below, and with the other, in the arm, in front. Our Lady's feet are open and without shoes. The Infant of God in a white himation, His right hand blesses, in His left there is an orb crowned with a cross.

A similar image of the Mother of God in Byzantium was called Nikopeia (“Victorious”). The name “Valaam” became for this icon not just a designation of the place of its glorification, but an expression of its mysterious connection with the Transfiguration of the Savior Valaam Monastery. Probably its founders, the Venerable Sergius and Herman, during their lives on the island prayed before a similar image of the Mother of God. Moreover, they were Greeks by origin, and the iconography of Valaam Nikopeia is also of Byzantine origin.

On the other hand, the Mother of God in royal red, like purple, appears on the icon as the Heavenly Lady. The icon expresses the full dignity of the Mother of God as the Queen of heaven and earth. The Mother of God is seen in the icon like a pillar of fire, in the middle of which, as on a throne, sits the Eternal Child-Almighty. The icon amazes with its combination of royal grandeur and gentle silence.

The appearance of the Valaam image is extremely deep in its spiritual meaning, for with it the Mother of God Herself witnessed Her special Protection to the island on Ladoga, its spiritual dignity as Northern Athos (the name “Northern Athos” became the second spiritual name of Valaam). Therefore, the icon shows the image of hesychast prayer, monastic mental activity. The Mother of God appears on the icon as the Great Mother, Abbess of all monastics, Abbess of Valaam.

The story of the discovery of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God is both typical and unusual in its own way, but quite instructive. The “Tale of the Finding of the Image of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “Local Valaam””, recorded by monks, tells about her.

One pious woman (peasant N.A. Andreeva from St. Petersburg) caught a bad cold in 1878 and developed acute rheumatism in her hands and feet. The disease caused terrible suffering, no treatment helped. Doctors advised to go to warm waters, but there was no money for this, and when she was already on the verge of despair, some inner voice told her: “Go to Valaam, you will recover!” She bought a ticket with her last money, but on the eve of the trip she was overcome by strong doubts. And then at night Natalia Andreevna had a vision:

A tall Woman in a robe of crimson velvet with a Child in her arms approached her bed; She was all surrounded by some wonderful light. “The thought flashed through my mind: is this really the Mother of God!” said N.A. “But I didn’t dare to call Her that out loud. I wanted to touch Her, but She retreated and said: “Don’t cry, the Savior is on the way and I am on the way.” way to you! You will see Me on Valaam,” and disappeared.”

Strengthened by the miraculous vision of the Mother of God, the sick Natalya set off on a holy pilgrimage the next day with a joyful soul. This was in 1887 on the feast of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam. However, the first visit to Valaam only strengthened hope, but did not bring complete deliverance. The suffering woman was honored to recognize her Visitor in the Assumption Church in the icon on the left column. But at that very moment a whistle sounded on the steamer ready to sail.

Natalya Andreevna barely had time to light the candle, but upon returning to St. Petersburg, she felt significant relief. Then she promised to come again soon and give thanks to God and His Most Pure Mother of God before the revealed icon. However, her second visit in 1896 was unsuccessful: she did not find the icon in place. But the third time, on the feast of St. Sergius and Herman in 1897, the healing was complete.

Before this, Natalya Andreevna fervently prayed with tears in front of the relics of the Valaam miracle workers for the discovery of the icon of the Mother of God. And she had two more blessed dreams: in the first, the old man in the kamilavka (apparently, the Monk Sergius of Valaam) said to her: “Wait, you will find the Queen of Heaven!”; in the second, already preparing for Communion, she clearly saw how the found icon was brought into the cathedral.

And after the early liturgy, the picture she saw came true in all its details: according to Andreeva’s instructions, the image was actually found in the storeroom in the corner, wrapped in canvas. Where did the sick woman get her strength: barely able to walk, she, along with everyone else, almost ran to the cathedral, where the icon was already standing on the table. "Is this the icon?" - asked Father Paphnutius. "This is the one!" - she exclaimed in excitement.

“I warmly thanked the Lord for His unspeakable mercy!” says the witness of the miracle. “They poured holy water into a bottle for me. As soon as I drank the holy water, I immediately felt that my strength was returning to me. Taking oil from the lamp, I returned to my room and anointed arms and legs; the pain and aches subsided, and for the first time in so many years I fell asleep peacefully. After finding it, they found out that this icon was in 1878 (the same year when N.A. got a severe cold, which ultimately led to the glorification Mother of God) was written by Father Alypiy, a Valaam iconographer. Andreeva, having learned about this, found the monk and bowed low to him.

Let's talk about him (especially since they sometimes write that the author of Valaam is unknown).

When he was tonsured a monk, he was named after the Monk Alypius, an icon painter of the Kiev Pechersk, which was a prophecy about his main work in the monastery. Hieromonk Fr. Alypius decorated many manuscripts, painted many icons, creating a special “Valaam style”, close to Athonite writing of the 19th century. The inscription on the tombstone in the old cemetery read: “Hieromonk Alypius, died on August 17, 1901, 50 years old. A skillful icon painter and a zealous worker. Holy fathers and brethren, do not forget me when you pray.”

Then, through this icon, the Mother of God revealed evidence of the relics of the Valaam wonderworkers themselves. The fact is that some thought and said that the relics of St. Sergius and Herman are not under the shrine, which seems to be there only for their remembrance. One day, the famous elder Fr. succumbed to this tempting thought. Boris, in schema Nikolay. That's what he says.

“During the all-night vigil, when the kathismas were being read, I sat in the choir on the first bench and thought that the island was large and where the grave was unknown. Suddenly I was touched in my heart; tears appeared in my eyes. I looked at the Mother of God of Valaam, the image that hung on a column opposite the cross. Near this icon I saw the monks Sergius and Herman; they stood at the feet of the Mother of God, one on the right, the other on the left. They were dressed in robes and schemas.

They looked at the brethren, and my tears flowed with joy and my soul was yearning for heaven... I looked again at the icon of the Valaam Mother of God, but the Monks Sergius and Herman were no longer there, they had disappeared. After that, I firmly believed that they were laid here, where the shrine is, and that during the service they were present with us and stood at the feet of the Mother of God, praying and looking at us.

Both the inhabitants and pilgrims of the Transfiguration Monastery unanimously declare how great the significance of the icon of the Valaam Mother of God is for all of Russia. This is one of three icons of the Mother of God, revealed during the reign of the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, along with the Port Arthur and Sovereign icons (the Valaam icon was revealed shortly after the enthronement of the martyr Tsar).

The circumstances of their acquisition are strikingly similar: before glorification, they were in oblivion and outward humiliation. If we consider that the image of the Mother of God “Nicopea” was the palladium of the imperial house in Byzantium, then the spiritual connection between the Valaam and Sovereign icons of the Mother of God becomes obvious. By the providence of God, between the appearances of these icons, the reign of the Russian autocrat Nicholas II took place.

After the revolution, the icon shared with the brethren the sorrow of leaving the monastery. Until 1940, it remained on Valaam, which after 1917 became part of Finland, but after Ladoga was annexed to the Soviet Union, together with the Valaam icons, it went to Finland, where the Valaamites, led by Abbot Khariton, founded a monastery, which they called “New Valaam,” the main shrine of which became the Valaam image of the Mother of God. Now the revealed icon is in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the New Valaam Monastery in Finland as its main shrine.

On the old Valaam there remains a list of this icon, which was previously located in St. Petersburg at the Valaam courtyard. In 2000, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' blessed the construction of the first church in honor of the revered and miraculous icon of the Valaam Mother of God, and in the place where it was found. At the same time, he established the celebration of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God on the first Sunday after the day of remembrance of Saints Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonderworkers.

Tradition

The story of the discovery of the Valaam image of the Most Holy Theotokos is in many ways reminiscent of the legend of the Sovereign Icon. In the summer of 1896, one pious woman, Natalya Andreevna Andreeva, who came from peasant women in the Tver province and suffered from severe leg disease, came to the Valaam Monastery. In the Assumption Church, she turned to the monks with a question about where the icon of the Mother of God, which previously hung in this temple on a column on the left side, is located, on which the Queen of Heaven is depicted in full height with the Child in her arms. Even the sacristan, Fr., could not answer this question. Paphnutius, who decided that the icon was most likely sent to St. Petersburg to the Valaam chapel. For two weeks of her stay on the island, the sick woman continued to search for the image of the Mother of God, walked around all the churches of the monastery, but without finding it, she returned to St. Petersburg. There was no icon in the Valaam chapel either.

Back in 1878, Natalya Andreevna caught a bad cold, and the resulting illness caused her terrible suffering that lasted about ten years. In 1887, some inner voice told Natalya: “Go to Valaam, you will get well!” At night, on the eve of the trip, the patient had a vision of a Woman in a robe of crimson velvet with a Baby in her arms, surrounded by a wonderful radiance, who encouraged her with the words: “Don’t cry, the Savior and I am on the way to you!” Natalya Andreevna asked: “Mother, how beautiful and good you are! Do you live on Valaam?” “Yes, I live there,” was the answer, “you will see Me on Valaam.” Strengthened by the miraculous vision of the Mother of God, the sick Natalya set off on a holy pilgrimage the next day with a joyful soul. Natalya Andreevna's first visit coincided with the feast of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam. Just before leaving, she went into the Assumption Church and recognized the same Woman in the icon on the left column of the temple who had appeared to her in a dream on the eve of her departure from Kexgolm (Priozersk). At the very moment when Natalya Andreevna saw the icon of the Mother of God, a whistle sounded on the departing ship, and she did not even manage to venerate the high-hanging image, much less serve a prayer service. Returning to St. Petersburg, the patient felt significant relief in her legs, so that she was able to walk without a stick.

On her third visit to the holy island in 1897, Natalya Andreevna fervently prayed with tears before the relics of the Valaam wonderworkers for the discovery of the icon of the Mother of God, and on the first night she had a blessed dream, which she told after the prayer service at the shrine of the monks to the serving Fr. Paphnutia. Natalya Andreevna dreamed that she was walking inside the monastery near the abolished Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a prayer to the Queen of Heaven to see Her, and suddenly hears a voice: “I’m here, here, you’ll find her soon!” At the same time, an old man in a blue kamilavka with a gray beard (Rev. Sergius of Valaam) approaches her and opens the church door with the words: “Here she is!” Then the woman saw the inside of the church and in the corner, between church utensils and old images, a canvas half wrapped in matting, an image of the Mother of God, in which she immediately recognized the icon she was looking for.

For three days after this, Natalya Andreevna prepared for Holy Communion and on the eve of this day she had another blessed dream that the icon had been found by Fr. Paphnutius. Having received communion at the early liturgy, Natalya Andreevna saw after the service that people were running from the hotel to the church. It turned out that they had found a long-forgotten icon of the Mother of God and brought it to the lower cathedral. “Is this an icon?” - Father Paphnutius asked the sick woman. “This is the one!” - Natalya Andreevna answered in excitement. Image of Fr. Paphnutius, as indicated in the dream, actually found in the storeroom located in the abolished church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Natalya Andreevna immediately asked Fr. Paphnutia to serve a prayer service before the miraculously found icon of the Mother of God, in front of which an unquenchable lamp was lit. After a prayer service before the image that appeared, the sick woman received complete bodily healing.

Everything that happened to Natalya Andreevna was recorded in detail by the Valaam monks, who compiled a story called “The Legend of the Finding of the Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called “Local Valaam”. After its discovery, it was also found out that this icon was painted by the Valaam monk-painter Fr. Alipy in 1878, that is, in the same year when Natalya Andreevna got a severe cold, which served to glorify the image.

On Valaam, veneration of the icon was immediately established, in front of which prayers were often served, healings took place, and signs were performed. In the lower part of the icon, Abbot Gabriel placed a piece of the Robe of the Mother of God. When the Smolensk monastery was founded, it was initially intended to consecrate it in honor of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, but since the icon had not yet been officially glorified, this was considered premature.

Another miraculous vision from the icon of the Valaam Mother of God was to the famous Valaam elder Fr. Boris (in schema - Nikolai). The elder succumbed to the doubts of many of the monks that the relics of the saint were really under the shrine. Sergius and Herman. And during the all-night vigil, when the elder was thinking this way to himself, he had a touching vision of the saint. Sergius and Herman, who stood at the feet of the Mother of God depicted on the icon on the right and left sides. “They looked at the brethren,” the elder said, “and my tears flowed with joy and my soul was yearning for heaven... I looked again at the icon of the Valaam Mother of God, but St. Sergius and Herman were no longer there, they disappeared. After that, I firmly believed that they were laid here, where the shrine is, and that during the service they are present with us and stand at the feet of the Mother of God, praying and looking at us.”

The fate of the Valaam icon after the revolution is similar to the history of the Konevsky icon. Until 1940, it remained on Valaam, which after 1917 became part of Finland, but after Ladoga was annexed to the Soviet Union, the icon was taken by Valaam monks to Finland, where the Valaamites, led by Abbot Khariton, founded a monastery, which they called “New Valaam.” The main shrine of this monastery to this day remains the Valaam image of the Mother of God, which resides in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the monastery.

At the end of the 20th century, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II established the celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God “Valaam” on the first Sunday after the day of remembrance of the holy monks Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonderworkers, and after the day of remembrance of the holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul.

Iconography

The image of the Mother of God in royal red, as if purple, maforia, first of all, expresses the fullness of the dignity of the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven and earth. The Mother of God is seen in the icon as a pillar of fire, in the middle of which, as on a throne, sits the Eternal Child - the Almighty. The image organically combines royal grandeur and meek silence.

The spiritual meaning of the Valaam icon is the prayerful contemplation of the Mother of God of the sacrament of the incarnation of God the Word through Her. The Mother of God looks with slightly lowered eyes, plunging her intelligent gaze into her heart, mysteriously contemplating the Glory of the Son of God seated in her arms. The icon also appears as an image of hesychast prayer and monastic mental activity. The Mother of God appears on the icon as the Great Mother Abbess of all monastics, the Abbess of Valaam.

Lists with icons

Troparion, tone 4

Troparion, tone 4

Kontakion, tone 3

Church traditions have preserved many cases when one or another icon, possessing miraculous power, appeared to believers in a dream or vision, indicating where to find it. In this way - through a sick peasant woman - the icon of the Valaam Mother of God was found, and - later - the no less revered “Sovereign” icon.

Church historians see the features of both in direct connection with certain events. Thus, in particular, the appearance of the Valaam shrine is linked with the imminent accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas II after this event. The discovery of the “Sovereign” icon coincided with the last day of his reign. Both images seemed to accompany the path of the last king.

Story

The author of the image is the Valaam hieromonk Alipiy (Konstantinov). Before leaving for the monastery, he studied to be an artist, and here, after tonsure, he was given this name - this was the name of the famous icon painter from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

The legend about the discovery and glorification of this image is described in detail in a church written monument, which is called: “The Legend of the Finding of the Image...” It is here that the first miracle that happened to the peasant woman Natalya Andreevna Andreeva, who suffered from pain in her legs for many years as a result of a severe cold, is described. . One day a mysterious voice spoke to her, commanding her to go to Valaam, to a monastery, which would help her recover.

The pious peasant woman got ready to go on the road. And on the night before leaving, in a dream she was visited by a vision: surrounded by a shining halo, a Woman in a red robe, holding a Baby in her arms. She spoke words of encouragement to Andreeva, and when she asked whether she lived on Valaam, she confirmed: yes, it is there, and soon you will see me.

The pilgrim arrived on the island just on the holiday, but the beautiful stranger from Natalya’s vision was nowhere to be found. Already getting ready to head back, she went to pray on the road to Uspenskaya and saw an image attached to a column: it was the Woman from the dream vision...

But then the calling whistle of the ship on which Andreeva was to sail sounded over the island, and she did not even have time to reach the holy icon to venerate it, let alone serve a prayer service with it. However, upon returning home, the woman felt that the pain in her legs had become noticeably weaker, and later she was able to move around without support.

A few years later, Natalya Andreeva visited the monastery again. In the familiar church the icon was not in its original place, and no matter who the upset woman asked where she had gone, no one could answer. The sacristan, Father Paphnutius, suggested that perhaps she was transported to St. Petersburg, to the monastery chapel on Vasilyevsky Island.

Natalya Andreeva stayed in the monastery for half a month in the hope of still finding what she wanted, she visited all the monastery churches, but her search was unsuccessful. Returning to St. Petersburg and following the assumption of Fr. Paphnutia, she went to Vasilievsky: she was also disappointed in the chapel.

A year later, the pilgrim again reached Valaam. The woman’s fervent prayers before the relics of the holy monks Sergius and Herman to find the treasured icon did not go unanswered: she again had a blessed dream.

In the dream, Andreeva seemed to be wandering around the closed monastery church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was abolished, and constantly prayed to the Queen of Heaven to reveal where the servant of God Natalya should look for the icon that had once been revealed to her.

And the mysterious voice again announced that she was here and would soon be found. In a dream, the woman saw where the holy image was located - in the closet of an abandoned church, and then again - that Fr. Paphnutius. It turned out that it was there that he discovered the icon, half wrapped in matting and standing among outdated liturgical equipment and dilapidated images.

Needless to say, Natalya I immediately recognized who I had seen on a church column many years ago and whom I had been looking for for so long to meet? She asked the priest to serve a prayer service with the blessing of water in front of the found icon, and soon after that she completely got rid of the disease.

An interesting point: the year the icon was painted is 1878 - it was in that year that Natalya Andreevna fell ill, thanks to whose healing the miraculous image was subsequently glorified.

A few words about the fate of the Valaam icon

After the miraculous discovery and no less miraculous healing of the sick Natalya, the miraculous image began to be especially revered on Valaam. Special services were held before him. Through prayers to him, seriously ill people were healed; he showed various signs.

When the Smolensk monastery was founded, it was supposed to be consecrated in honor of this icon of the Mother of God. However, they considered that this act was premature, since at that time the image had not yet officially received church glorification.

After the October Revolution, Lake Ladoga was transferred to Finland by treaty, and the icon remained on Valaam until 1940, when the monastery fell into the fighting zone during the Soviet-Finnish military campaign. The monks left the monastery, taking as many shrines as possible. Among them was the original Valaam icon. In the Finnish town of Heinävesi, a monastery was founded by the surviving monks, which was named New Valaam.

For many years, the Russian Orthodox Church has been negotiating with the Finnish Orthodox Church, with the goal of returning a precious relic to its historical homeland.

How does she look?

The icon painter depicted the Queen of Heaven in full height. She stands on a golden cloud. Her left hand, supporting the Divine Infant from below, is hidden by a veil, and her open right hand embraces Him from the front. Her vestment consists of a dark blue tunic and a scarlet veil (maforia), covering from head to toe, but it does not hide the naked feet of the Most Pure Virgin.

The right hand of the Child Jesus is raised in a gesture of blessing, and in the left He holds the symbol of monarchical power - the power, the top of which is crowned with a cross.

In ancient Byzantium, an image of the Virgin Mary similar to this one was called “Nicopeia” - “Victorious”, “Victorious”, and it served as a holy amulet of the imperial court, the so-called palladium.

The image of the Valaam Mother of God differs from other Mother of God icons in a unique detail - precisely in that The Blessed Virgin is depicted barefoot.

Meaning and photo

The news is that took the Russian land under its special protection, came precisely from Valaam, which bears the spiritual name of Northern Athos.

This is a sign that the Mother of God has chosen it as a place of her special presence. That is why The Valaam icon is among the most revered, although locally revered.

The discovery of the miraculous icon here indicates another unique significance - not only for the island, but for the entire country: it shows that the Mother of God stands before the Creator for the entire Russian land. This is even stated in documentary records about the visions that visited the Valaam elders during the First World War.

One of them tells that the Most Holy Theotokos, exactly in the form as She appears in the icon, tearfully prayed to the Lord to save the country from the adversary and grant victory to the people of the Russian land.

The monks of the Smolensk monastery, where this image was found at that time, prayed before it for the soldiers who died in World War I, and then in the Civil War, and even later for those who suffered for their faith in the time of repression, in the decades of total loss of spirituality, for the return of which one should pray in front of this icon even now - for the happiness of future generations.

Celebration day

Exactly 20 years ago, in 1997, at the request of Hegumen Pankratiy to glorify the locally revered icon, as well as in honor of its centennial miraculous appearance, then Patriarch Alexy II set the date for its celebration.

For several years it was celebrated on the first Sunday following July 11 according to the new style, when the memory of the Monks Herman and Sergius, as well as St. Apostles Peter and Paul, whose feast day falls on July 12. And since 2004, the date of celebration has been set the 14 th of July- the icon, according to legend, was found on this day.

What are they praying for?

From the history of the phenomenon and the further “biography” of the Valaam icon, it is known that the first miracles were associated with the healing of the sick, often considered hopeless. Therefore, it is quite logical that people turn to her with a prayer to relieve illnesses and grant health.

The mercies shown through sincere prayers are countless. The monastery contains books that describe such cases, and these records were certified by the sufferers themselves, witnesses and eyewitnesses, with their signatures.

Holy icons in general and the Mother of God in particular are not limited to some “narrow specialization”- before this one, you need to ask for this and that, and before this one, for that. Health, of course, and healing from illnesses is the most basic problem, but not the only one.

In the same way, you can turn to the Valaam Icon, remembering that the Mother of God is our intercessor, prayer book and intercessor before the Heavenly Father, and ask that peace and harmony reign in families, to help enlighten children and guide them on the righteous and true path. Women expecting a child also turn to Her in prayer for a successful release from their pregnancy.

It is known that many physical ailments often arise from mental illnesses. The soul, tormented by passions, despondency and sorrows, cannot “provide” health to the body. And passions arise if this very restless soul lacks faith and firmness, patience and humility. It is worth turning to the Mother of God with a prayer to deliver from sorrows and passions, to bestow humility.

This icon is revered as the patroness of warriors, who suffered as martyrs for the faith, and as a defender of the Orthodox faith in our lands.

The icon and its revered lists: locations

As already mentioned, the original of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God preserved in the New Valaam monastery, in Finland. It can be seen in the Transfiguration Cathedral, behind the choir on the left side.

In his native monastery, on Valaam, there is a list of icons reproduced in 1900 by local monks and which is one of the main monastic shrines. This list had a long way to go here. For many years, the revered copy was “registered” in the monastery chapel of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg, then moved to the church at the Smolensk cemetery, where many healings took place from it.

In the early 1990s, the icon first moved to the monastery courtyard in St. Petersburg; on the day dedicated to the memory of St. Sergius and Herman of Valaam, she was transported to the monastery, and then returned to the courtyard again. And finally, in 1996, Alexy II gave the high patriarchal blessing to transfer the image of the Mother of God to Her native monastery, which happened on July 10.

At the Moscow courtyard of the Valaam Monastery(in the Church of St. Sergius and Herman) there is a list donated to the monastery by the Finnish Orthodox society “Valaam”.

The Kazan church of the monastery courtyard in St. Petersburg owns another copy of the miraculous icon. It is located between the St. Nicholas chapel (right) and the main altar. This list of icons is supplemented with images of St. German and Sergius.

Prayer

O Most Holy and Most Blessed Lady Theotokos, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Patroness of the monastery of Valaam! We fall down and worship You before Your miraculous icon, and as You looked mercifully upon Your sick servant and granted her healing, so now accept our fervent prayer offered to You. Save and preserve, O All-Merciful One, our Fatherland and all the Orthodox people who live in it and who resort to You with love, from the invasion of foreigners, from famine and pestilence, and from all evil, direct our paths, so that truth and peace may shine in the lands of Russia, joy and love, preserve the true faith in it until the end of time. Look with Your merciful eye at the monastery of Valaam and accomplish in the Lord the salvation of all who struggle in it in faith and hope. Pray to Your Son and our God, may He deliver us all from all troubles, sorrows and illnesses, may He instruct us to fulfill His commandments, may He deliver us from eternal torment, and may He grant us through Your intercession to dwell in the heavenly abodes and glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.