Icon of the mother of God sign. The sign of the virgin

Troparion, voice 4th

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Sedalen, voice 8

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory, and now:
Kontakion, voice 4th

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Canon before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Sign"

Troparion, voice 4th

As an invincible wall and a source of miracles that have acquired Thy Rabbi, the Most Pure Theotokos, we are overthrowing the resistance militias. We also pray to Thee: peace to Thy city, grant great mercy to our souls.

Irmos: By the wave of the sea Hidden anciently the persecutor of the tormentor - under the earth hid the saved children; but we, like a young woman, drink to the Lord, gloriously be glorified.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

May the multitude of Novagrada rejoice in Divine joy today, seeing a warm Intercessor, granting a strange victory to the opposite, and may sing Divine songs.

Glory: Like the ladder above, we see Thy icon today, Virgin All-Immaculate, we have surrendered ourselves to resistance in sight, to ultimate blindness, but we, looking at it faithfully, are getting rid of troubles.

And now: In Christmas, do not accept the aphids, the corruption of all of us, Virgo, change, saddening sorrow with mother’s use, God-rejoiced.

Irmos: By Thee, Christ, the whole Heaven is affirmed, the Word of God and power, they confess the ineffable glory and the omnipotent hands of Thy creation;

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Like beasts, rushing to your flock, Most Pure One, but you crush those jaws and these are weak until the end of the show.

Glory: the Common Shepherd, the Lord of Christ having given birth, the Virgin, unskilful of marriage, To the one praying real anger to deliver us and the opposite of the situation, the Lady.

And now: Merciful, Merciful, having given birth to the Savior, see the anger and sighing of Thy people, hasten, O Most Pure One, and harbor us.

Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory, and now:

Sedalen, voice 8

Even more anciently, the prophets preaching, the Heavenly Door, the Burning Bush, the Many-Light Candlestick, the Golden Censer, the Handle and the Rod gloriously now appears to the wonderful saint, commands daring people and shows a wondrous victory. The same grateful to Thee cry out: Virgin Mother of God, pray to Christ God of sins forgiveness to us; The imams hope for you, Thy servant.

Irmos: Surprising Your mind from me, having heard the glorious command of Your gaze, strengthened by the love of Your descent, You are not rejected for my poverty.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Honoring Thy city, Most Pure, and glorifying in duty, protect from the godless, Pure, foreigner, You are more, Most Pure, wealth is inalienable, cover and glory.

Glory: Imperceptible, like old Jericho, destroy Thy city, Most Pure Mother of the Word, surrendering themselves to the ultimate destruction by the power of The Incarnate, Lady.

And now: Look, Pure, save the singing Thy, wanting to be consumed by those who resist, save the one who has found the rebuke, the Mother of God.

Irmos: We are bound by the union of love, apostles, Christ who reigns over all to himself, cleanse his feet red, proclaiming the good news to all the world.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Warm intercessor to Thee who come running and hopeless, see the bitterness of Thy people and seek help, Most Pure One.

Glory: He who gave birth to the Divine Fire, the Virgin, the opposite, the Most Pure, with Your prayer they hit with fire, like the Mother of the Creator, the All-Singing.

And now: Pure God Bride, bewildered people, bless with Your mothers' prayers and even ruin our opposite situations with Your prayers.

Irmos: Yat was quick, but not kept in the persech of the whales. Jonah: Your image of carrying, the Sufferer and the burial given, as if from the palace, from the beast from the outside. You invite the Custodians: those who keep vain and false, this mercy has been left to nature.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Deliver the invasion of Thy servant, Most Pure One, and do not betray Thy inheritance to perish to the end, O All-Splendid One, but by the power of Thy Born Opposite cast down.

Glory: Thou shalt not despise those who have sinned much, but let us accept the prayer of Thy Mother for us, Generous, may they not boast of resistance - where is their God? - verbally, but let everyone understand that you, the Deliverer, art with us.

And now: Now the time has come for help, now the use of demand, Pure. Pray to Thy Son and God, that he may take advantage of those who have sinned and deliver the impending wrath.

Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory, and now:
Kontakion, voice 4th

An honorable sign of Thy people celebrates Thy people, the Mother of God, who have given a wondrous victory to resisting Thy hail. Even so, we cry to You by faith: Rejoice, Virgin, praise for Christians.

Allow the darkness of my sins lying in my mind, and enlighten me with Your light, Virgo, as if I can bring you praise, Praise the Father, and the Holy Spirit of autumn, the Son and the Word of God, having possessed and imperishable from your most pure side past, with people get better. Even so, we, sinners and unworthy of Thy servant, are now completing the sacred triumph of the sign, which was Thy honorable icon, I have given Thou a glorious victory against Thy hail, and, from all the miracles that have been fulfilled, instead of fragrant aromas, it is only possible for us, earthly, to bring You praiseworthy , verb: Rejoice, Mother of God, the joy of Angels and men; Rejoice, strong hope and protection of Thy hail; Rejoice, for we cast down those opposed by Thy power; Rejoice, intelligent Sun Mati, faithful enlightener, unfaithful darker; Rejoice, Virgin, praise Christians.

Irmos: An unspeakable miracle: in the cave the Redeemer rescuing the venerable youths from the flames in the Tomb is dead, breathless is relied upon for the salvation of us singing: God Deliverer, blessed be art.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

Truly, an honest treasure to Thy city, Thy icon, Most Pure, is given, and even by sight, we marvel at miracles and Thy Son, crying out: God Deliverer, blessed be you.

Glory: As sometimes the Ninevites of repentance for the sake of you spared, the Word of God, the preaching of Jonah the prophet, and here and there showed you in the image of Thy Most Pure Mother, Christ, crying: God Deliverer, blessed be you.

And now: Temple of Thy God, Lady, leading, in the holy temple we raise our hands to prayer: see our bitterness and give us help.

Irmos: Be terrified, fear, Heaven, and let the foundations of the earth move: behold, it is imputed to the dead in the Highest Alive and in the Coffin it will be strangely accepted. Bless him, youths, priests, sing, people, exalt for all eternity.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

The Father's First Word, the Most Pure Virgin, gave birth to you incorruptibly and nourished you from the breast. Pray to the Mother of God, from the situation of the enemy to save the singing Thee and exalting for ever.

Glory: To His Providence on the Throne, let us surpass Isaiah, this in the valleys, Virgin, you have contained, and you have given birth incorruptibly. Beg him to be saved by your servant who sings: children, bless the priesthood, sing and exalt Him forever.

And now: One who is good, the most good Word, pray diligently to the real wrath of Thy servant to be delivered, by undoubted faith to Thy Son who sing: children, bless, to the priesthood, sing and exalt Him forever.

Irmos: Wanderings of the Lord and Immortal Meals in the Heavenly place of high minds, faithfulness, come, we will enjoy, having ascended the Word, having learned from the Word, We magnify Him.

Holy Mother of God, save us.

With a merciful eye from above, look upon the city and Thy people, Most Pure One, other help is not imams, only for You, All-Immaculate, but for You, Mother of God, we ceaselessly magnify.

Glory: One, who gave birth to the incarnate Word, the All-chanting Virgin, pour out the ever-flowing source of healings by faith to those flowing to Your temple, Most Pure One.

And now: Behold, Thy servant, cry Ty, Mother of God: Thy usual mercies to the city and Thy people mercifully show us, change the opposing circumstances of us, and we ceaselessly magnify Thee.

December 10(November 27 old style) Church recalls Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos in Veliky Novgorod during the siege by his Suzdal army. Icons of the Virgin "The Sign" appeared in Russia in the XI-XII centuries and are one of the most revered icons of the Mother of God. They began to call it that after the miraculous sign from the Novgorod icon, which happened in 1170.

The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. history of the holiday

In the XII century, the conflict between Novgorod and the Suzdal prince escalated Andrey Bogolyubsky... This is how the chronicle says about it:

The Dvinyans did not want to give tribute to Novgorod, but surrendered to the Grand Duke Andrei Yuryevich, who was then dominant in Suzdal. The Novgorodians sent a detachment to the Dvina to demand a legal tribute. Then hearing Andrei, the ambassador to them was their regiment, which the Novgorodians defeated on Lake Bela.

Allies of Andrey Bogolyubsky, according to the chronicle, were 72 princes: Smolensk, Ryazan, Murom, Polotsk, Pereyaslavl and others. The sick Andrei put his son, Mstislav, at the head of the troops. In February 1170, the Suzdal people with their allies approached Novgorod, plundering and destroying villages, capturing the inhabitants. Peace negotiations were unsuccessful, and the siege began. The people of Suzdal were so sure of victory that they divided the streets of Novgorod for plunder in advance.

Novgorod was defended by the mayor Yakun (Iyakov) and the young prince Roman Mstislavich. Novgorodians, seeing countless enemies, could only hope for God's help. Day and night, in all churches, residents of the city offered up prayers to the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos, asking for help and intercession. Archbishop John prayed incessantly for several days and on the third night he heard God's command to take the icon of the Mother of God, which was in the church on Ilyinsky Street, and carry it to the city walls.

In the morning, the clergy and the people set out on a procession to the indicated temple. Archbishop John took the icon of the Mother of God, carried it to the city walls and placed it opposite the attackers, but the Suzdal people not only did not soften, but intensified the attack. Clouds of arrows flew at the Novgorodians, and one arrow hit the face of the Mother of God. Suddenly the icon turned away from the enemy, and the people of Novgorod saw tears flowing from the eyes of the Mother of God! At the same moment, the Suzdal people were seized with horror, they began to amaze each other in darkness. Novgorodians inspired a sign from the icon of the Virgin, left the city and defeated the enemies. Many were taken prisoner, and those who had escaped perished from cold, hunger and disease in the Novgorod lands ruined by them.

After the miraculous deliverance of Novgorod from a numerous enemy, Archbishop John established. Mysteriously, the holiday was postponed from February 25, the day of the victory of the Novgorodians over the Suzdal people, to November 27. According to one version, this happened because February 25 falls on the days of Great Lent. According to another, the date of November 27 was chosen because that day was the name day of Yakun (Iyakov) - the Novgorod mayor, the defender of the city.

The miraculous icon was returned to the Transfiguration Church on Ilyina Street, where it was located before. In 1356, the Cathedral of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos was built for her. In Soviet times, the icon was kept in the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. In the 1980s, experts carried out its restoration and found traces of arrowheads on the board, one of the wounds is located above the left eye of the Virgin. The image has been redesigned many times. In 1527, Metropolitan Macarius restored it and decorated it with a salary. At present, only a few grains of paint remain from the image of the 12th century and the figure of the Apostle Peter and Martyr Natalia on the back (the icon is two-sided). Specialists date the face of the Virgin to the 16th century. Currently, the icon is in the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral.

Divine service. Troparion and kontakion to the holiday

Liturgical texts of the holiday Signs of the Most Holy Theotokos so they say about the events of 1170:

The arrow of those who shot the foolishness, Thy image, the Most Pure One, the arrow of God, the arrow of those bruises, not only of the heart, but also of the soul. And the source of your honest icon is that you are inconsolable and lead you to cry. For us, we people, Thy joy, have created the icon of Thy Most Pure Mother of the Word. For her sake, save our soul

(Those who foolishly shot at Your image, Most Pure One, You wounded with God's arrow, not only their hearts, but also their souls. And Your icon, which we honor, became for them a source of inconsolable crying. For us, Your people, Your icon created great joy , Blessed Mother of the Word of God (Christ). For her sake save our souls).

Library of the Russian Faith

Troparion, voice 4:

Like an invincible wall and a source of miracles, having acquired Thy Rabbi, the Most Pure Theotokos, we overthrow the resistance militias. In the same way, we pray to Thee: grant peace to Thy city, and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion, voice 4:

An honorable sign of Thy image, celebrating Thy people, the Mother of God, Thou hast granted them a wondrous victory against those who resist Thy hail, we cry out by faith: Rejoicing the Virgin with Christian praise.

Icons of the Virgin "The Sign"

Icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos refers to the icon-painting type "Oranta" (from lat. orans- praying). Such icons existed in the IV-VI centuries in Rome and Byzantium, and in Russia they appeared in the XI-XII centuries.

The Icon of the Mother of God, called "The Sign", depicts the Most Holy Theotokos with raised hands in prayer; on her chest, against the background of a round shield (or sphere), is the blessing Infant.

It is interesting that later, in the 15th century, an icon about this icon arose. It is called " Miracle from the Icon of the Sign (battle between Novgorod and Suzdal)". In the upper part, Novgorodians are depicted walking in the procession with the image of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the middle are the negotiations for peace and the battle that followed; many arrows fly into the icon of the Virgin, which is on the city wall. The lower part depicts the Novgorod army led by the holy princes Boris and Gleb, the great martyr George and the Old Testament leader of the Jewish people Isus Navvin (wearing a helmet). Over the heads of the Suzdal warriors, who are turning to flight, is an angel with a sword.

Temples in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos in Russia

In 1625, in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Church of the Archangel Michael Monastery in Yuryev-Polsky was consecrated. The temple occupies the southern side of the monastery courtyard and has a layout and structure typical of 17th century buildings of this type. It is a simple, low temple with an extensive refectory.

In honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, a church was consecrated in Moscow, in Medvedkovo. In the fall of 1612, in the village of Medvedkovo, devastated during the Time of Troubles, a military prayer was served before the decisive battle with the Poles for Moscow under the leadership of Dimitri Mikhailovich Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin. In memory of this event, in 1620, at the expense of Pozharsky, the first wooden tent-roofed church was erected and a memorial bell was cast for it in honor of the liberation of Moscow. In the years 1634-1635. in memory of the untimely deceased beloved son Fyodor Pozharsky ordered to replace the wooden church with the existing stone tent-roofed temple, one of the last examples of this style, since soon after Nikon's church reform this type of religious buildings was banned as "not corresponding to the rank."

In Moscow, on Znamenka, there was a church in the name of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The first mention of the temple dates back to the beginning of the 17th century, during the interrogation of the followers of False Dmitry. It is also known that one of the bells of the church had the inscription "by the alms of parish people", which appeared in 1600. The Znamenskaya Church was located at the corner of Znamenka Street and Bolshoi Znamenskiy Lane (Znamenka, vl. 17), which were named after this church. The temple became stone in 1646, later rebuilt in 1657, and the bell tower itself was erected ten years later. In 1929, the church was closed, and two years later it was completely destroyed.

In honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, the throne of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Volokolamsk (1535), the Church of St. Nicholas in Kolomna (about 1530), the Church of St. Nicholas in Pskov (1500) and St. Nicholas Church with. Upper Bridge of the Pskov region (1450).

Old Believer churches in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos

Originally locally revered, Novgorod feast of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos by the 16th century it becomes all-Russian. He is highly revered by the Old Believers.

In 1720 it was consecrated in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church operated until 1937, and in December 1941 it found itself in the center of the battles for the liberation of Kaluga from the occupation, but, thank God, it survived. In Soviet times, the temple was used as a warehouse for textile products. In March 1989, the Kaluga Regional Executive Committee satisfied the persistent petitions of the Old Believer community to provide it with a more spacious prayer building. On March 2, 1995, the church was consecrated by His Grace Alimpius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. It was decided to leave the main temple of the Znamensky, in honor of the Sign from the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Veliky Novgorod. The side-altar was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas.

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the name of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Church of the Russian Orthodox Church was consecrated.

The Znamensky Church of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate operates. The brick Old Believer prayer house was handed over to the Old Believer community in 1892, after 1905 it was rebuilt. It was closed in 1931. In 1993, the RPC was returned and renovated.

In the Bryansk region, there is the Znamensky Church of the RDC, built in 1870. A typical Russian-style temple of this time is an emphatically massive domed building with a cruciform volumetric composition and a tiered bell tower. The church building has a pentahedral apse and a cylindrical light drum with a large onion-shaped dome. A high three-tiered bell tower adjoins the rectangular refectory from the west; above the center of its wide lower tier, the four and eight of the bells rise.

It was consecrated in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wooden church was founded on May 9, 1882 and consecrated in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on November 1, 1883. In 1887-1889, a spacious stone vestibule with a bell tower was added to the church. In the late 1920s, the temple was closed, the wooden part of the temple was dismantled. Until 1961, the warehouse of the Neva artel was located in the church building. Services began in the same year. The building in 1961 was transferred to the Orthodox Old Believer community of the Bespopovites of the Pomor Consent. The preserved buildings were repaired and the destroyed church was partially restored, which was rededicated by the community in Znamenskaya. Since 1961, services have been resumed in the church.

Another one was consecrated in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church was built in 1906-1907. the Old Believer community of the Pomeranian Consent.

Days of celebration:
March 16 - the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" Zlatoustovskaya
March 21 - Kursk-Root Icon of the Virgin "The Sign"
June 8, 2018 (rolling date) - the icon of the Mother of God "Sign" Kursk-Root
September 21 - Kursk-Root Icon of the Virgin "The Sign"
December 10 - the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" (common day)

WHAT THE SIGN IS PRAYER BEFORE THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

The icon of the Mother of God, called "The Sign", depicts the Most Holy Theotokos, sitting and prayerfully raising Her hands; on her chest, against the background of a round shield (or sphere), is the blessing Divine Infant.
We pray, of course, not to a specific icon, but to the Mother of God, and it does not matter through which image of Her. The very history of the icon "Sign" suggests that before this image you need to pray for various illnesses, ailments, wars, with accusations of libel and other calamities.
And, although the Mother of God is prayed in such or similar cases through Her Icon of the Sign, we must not forget that peace comes first of all in our hearts, and then this is already manifested in the external: in the family, in the house, in the state.
The Mother of God is our prayer book and intercessor for us, sinful people, before Her Son. Any prayers before any of Her images can help in deliverance and cleansing us from sins. It is about this, first of all, that one should pray to Her bright image.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any particular area. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF THE SIGN OF NOVGOROD

The Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, which took place in Novgorod the Great in 1170, and after this event, the Novgorod icon received the Russian name "Sign".

That year, the son of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky of Suzdal, at the head of the united army, approached the walls of Veliky Novgorod, the townspeople had to rely only on God's help and they prayed to the Lord day and night.
On the third night, Archbishop John of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice, which told him to take the image of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Novgorod Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street and carry it to the city wall.
The icon was carried under fire from the besiegers, and one arrow pierced the icon-painting face of the Virgin. Tears flowed from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face to the city. After such a Divine sign, inexplicable horror suddenly attacked the enemies, they began to beat each other, and the Novgorodians, encouraged by the Lord, fearlessly rushed into battle and won.

In remembrance of such a miracle of the Queen of Heaven, Archbishop John established a feast in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is still celebrated by the entire Russian Church. The Athos hieromonk Pachomius Logofet, who was present at the celebration of the icon in Russia, wrote two canons for this holiday. On some Novgorod icons of the Sign, in addition to the Mother of God with the Eternal Child, the miraculous events of 1170 are also depicted. The miraculous icon for 186 years after the appearance of the sign was in the same Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street. In 1356, the Church of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos was built for her in Novgorod, which became the cathedral of the Znamensky Monastery.

Numerous copies of the Icon of the Sign are known throughout Russia. Many of them shone with miracles in local temples and were named after the place of the miracles.

ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF THE SIGN OF ZLATOUSTOVSKAYA

In 1848, cholera raged in Moscow, and the sixty-year-old merchant Herodion Vorobyov fell ill with this disease. Once in a dream he dreamed that he was in the Zlatoust monastery near the porch, and that a monk and a novice were preparing to consecrate something. Then he saw the image of the "Sign" of the Mother of God on the wall and went to venerate it. On the icon, the Divine Infant smiled, and the Mother of God, having pronounced the name of Herodion, gave him from Her hands a crystal vessel to be handed over to the novice.
On February 17, he went to the Zlatoust Monastery for Vespers, where he saw the icon "The Sign" of the Mother of God over the arch of the porch of the Trinity Church. Herodion recognized in her the very one he saw in his dream. At the request of the healed, this icon on March 16 (according to the new style) was removed from the arch and transferred to the Trinity Church. Before the icon, a prayer service was performed with blessing of water and the reading of the Akathist to the Mother of God. Then the image was placed on a lectern in the chapel of St. Innocent of Irkutsk.
A grateful merchant adorned the image with a precious robe, and one woman, who received healing from the icon, made a list of it and put it in the same Trinity Church where the original miraculous icon was located, which was transferred in 1865 to the cathedral monastery church in the name of St. John Chrysostom.
In the monastery chronicle in 1848 alone, eight miraculous healings from this icon are described.

The Zlatoust icon is written on a linden board and is 53 cm high and 44 cm wide. On the sides of the Mother of God are images of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and John, Archbishop of Novgorod.
Prayer chants are performed daily in the Zlatoust Monastery in front of the Icon of the Sign of the Mother of God: after the early liturgy in the Trinity Church, and after the late liturgy in the Cathedral Church of Zlatoust. Every Friday in this monastery, in front of the miraculous icon, the Akathist of the Mother of God is also read.

ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF THE SIGN OF KURSK-ROOT

In the 13th century, during the Tatar invasion, when the entire Russian state was attacked by Khan Batu, the city of Kursk was devastated and desolate. Once, in the vicinity of the city, a hunter noticed an unusual thing lying on the ground. When he lifted it up, he saw that it was an icon similar to the Novgorod icon "Sign". Simultaneously with the appearance of this icon, the first miracle took place - at the place where the icon was lying, a source of clean water with force began to flow. This happened on September 21 (new style) 1295. Not daring to leave the icon in the forest, this hunter built a small wooden chapel on the site of the finding, where he left the newly-appeared image of the Mother of God.
Soon the residents of the nearby town of Rylsk learned about this and began to visit the place of apparition to worship the new shrine.
Then this image was transferred to Rylsk and placed in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon did not stay there for long, miraculously it disappeared and returned to the place of its appearance. Residents of Rylsk repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon inexplicably returned to its original place. Then everyone understood that the Mother of God favored the place where Her image appeared.

Every year on Friday, the ninth week after Easter, the icon "Sign" was solemnly transferred with a procession from the Kursk Znamensky Cathedral to the place of its appearance in the Root Hermitage, where it remained until September 12 (according to the old style), and then again solemnly returned to Kursk. This procession was established in 1618 to commemorate the transfer of the icon from Moscow to Kursk and to commemorate its original appearance.

The special help of the Mother of God through this icon is associated with important events in the history of Russia: the liberation war of the Russian people during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion of 1612 and the Patriotic War of 1812.
The miraculous icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" of Kursk-Root was last on Russian soil on September 14, 1920 in the Crimea, in the army that fought against the Bolsheviks. Having left Russia in 1920, the holy icon became the "Hodegetria" (Guidebook) of the Russian Diaspora, staying with all the first hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Now she is in one of the temples of the New Root Desert near New York (USA). The Kursk Znamensky Cathedral contains a list of the miraculous image.

In Russian Orthodoxy, there are several icons of the Mother of God "Sign":
"Sign" Vladimirskaya; Verkhnetagilskaya "Sign" (1753); The Sign of Seraphim-Ponetaevskaya (1879); "The Sign" Korchemnaya (XVIII); "The Sign" Abalatskaya (1637); Znamenie Zlatoustovskaya (1848); "Sign" Moscow; "The Sign" Solovetskaya; Sign Vologda; The Sign of Tsarskoye Selo (1879); "Sign" Kursk-Korennaya (1295); "Sign" Novgorodskaya (XII).

THE MAJORITY OF THE MOTHER OF GOD IN FRONT OF HER ICON THE SIGN OF KURSK-ROOT

We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and we honor Thy honest image, and I also showed the most glorious sign.

VIDEO

In 1170, Veliky Novgorod was threatened by the Suzdal people along with the military detachments of other Russian princes. Residents of the city with tears began to ask the Lord for intercession. On the third night of universal prayer, Archbishop Elijah of Novgorod heard a heavenly voice commanding him to bring the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Transfiguration Church to the city wall. When the icon was solemnly transferred, the conquerors fired many arrows at the participants in the procession. One of them pierced the icon directly into the face of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tears flowed from the eyes of the Mother of God, and the icon miraculously turned its face to the city. This led the enemies to horror and confusion, they began to fight among themselves. Then the Novgorodians fearlessly entered into battle with their predecessors and defeated them.

In memory of this miraculous intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, revealed to the Novgorodians, the Church established a holiday on November 27 (December 10 in the civil style). Praying the canon of this holiday below, let us hope for the help of the Most Pure Lady when we are attacked by enemies.

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Reading order according to the charter
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Troparion, voice 4th

I go to an invincible wall and a source of miracles, having acquired Thy Rabbi, the Most Pure Theotokos, we will overthrow the resistance militias. In the same way, we pray to Thee, grant peace to Thy city, and great mercy to our souls. (Twice).

Glory, and now (we repeat the troparion).

CANON, voice 6th

Song 1. Irmos

In the deer sea hiding the ancient of the persecutor of the tormentor, under the earth hiding the saved children. But we, like a young lady of the Lord, are singing, gloriously be glorified.

Singing song: Holy Mother of God, hear the prayer of your servant who pray to you (bow).

Yes, he rejoices in joy, the divine multitude of Nova Grad is today, seeing a warm Intercessor, granting a strange victory to the resistance, and may she sing with divine songs.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. To the ladder above, I see Thy icon, All-blameless Virgin. Even more resistant to seeing, to ultimate blindness, you surrendered. We are looking at her faithfully, we get rid of troubles.

And now. Do not accept aphids in birth, Virgo change the corruption of all of us. Sorrows screaming Mother's rejoicing God-delighted.

Catavasia: Save Your servants from troubles, Virgin Mary, as if we are running to You according to Bose, as if to the inviolable wall and intercession (bow). Lord have mercy (bow three times).

Canto 3. Irmos

For both Christ, the whole heaven is affirmed, the word of God and power, they confess unspeakable glory;

Solo. I rushed to the beasts of Thy Most Pure One: but Thou shalt crush those jaws, and these are weak until the end of the show.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. O common shepherd, the Lord of Christ gave birth to a virgin unmarried. To him we pray for real anger to deliver us, and the opposite of the situation, the Lady.

And now. Mercifully merciful birth of the Savior, see the anger and sighing of Thy people, hasten the Most Pure harmony. Confusion.

Glory, and now. Sedalen, voice 8. I AM But in ancient times, the prophets preached the heavenly door, the burning bush, the candlestick of the many luminous, the golden censer, the handle and the rod, gloriously now appears to the saintly saint, commands the people to dare, and shows a wondrous victory. The same grateful cry with That cry: Virgin Mother of God, pray to Christ God, grant us the forgiveness of sins. Thee are the imams, the hope of Thy Rabbi.

Canto 4. Irmos

I am amazed at Thy reason from me, I have heard the glorious command of Thy watch: strengthened by the love of Thy descent. You do not reject my poverty.

Solo. For those who purify Thee, the Most Pure City, and praise for a long time, protect the Pure foreigner from the godless. For that Thou art the Most Pure Wealth, cover and glory.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. Thinking like ancient Jericho to destroy Thy city, most pure Mother of the Word, they themselves surrendered to ultimate destruction, by the power of You incarnate, the Lady.

And now. Prizri Pure, save the singing Ty, wanting to be consumed by those who resist. Deliver the Mother of God with the same rebuke that has been found. Confusion.

Canto 5. Irmos

With the union of love we associate the apostles, who prevailed over all to Christ, wash your feet red, preaching the gospel to all the world.

Solo. Warm Intercessor to You who come running, and hopeless hope, see the bitterness of Your people, and give help to the Most Pure One.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. And the Fire giving birth to the divine Virgin, the opposite of the Most Pure Prayer by Thy fire hit, like the Mother of the Creator of the All-Singing.

And now. A true God-bride, perplexed people gorge, with motherly prayers. And hedgehog against us resisting the situation, soon ruin Ty's prayers. Confusion.

Canto 6. Irmos

I was quick, but not struck in the whale of Jonah's whales. Your image of carrying, suffering, and given to burial. As if you went from the palace from the beast, but if you invite the Custodians, who keep vain and lie, your mercies have left nature.

Solo. And spare the pagan invasion Thy most pure city, and do not betray Thy heritage to perish to the end. But by the power of those who have been born against you, cast down those who are opposed.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. Do not despise my sinful Tee, but accept the prayer of Thy Mother for us. Generous, may they not boast of resistance, where God is their verb, but let everyone understand that Thou art the Deliverer with us.

And now. Now the time has come for help, now for the application of the Pure need, for Thy Son and God. As for him, he may spare those who have sinned, and deliver the underlying anger. Confusion.

Glory, and now. Kontakion, voice 4th. H There is a sign of Thy image that celebrates Thy people to the Mother of God, and Thou didst grant them a wondrous victory against those who resisted Thy hail, we cry out by faith, rejoicing in the Virgin of Christ's praise.

Ikos. Solve the darkness of my sins, which lies in my mind. And enlighten the Virgin with Your light, as if I can bring you praise. Her Father praised her, and the Holy Spirit of autumn. But the Son and the Word of God have dwelt in, and imperishable from the purest Ty side passed, from the people of the living. By the same we are sinners and unworthy of Thy servant, today we are celebrating a sacred triumph, signs that were Thy honorable icon, by it the glorious victory over those who resist Thy hail is a gift. And from these, the miracles are fulfilled, instead of fragrant aramates, it is only possible for us earthly, we bring you praiseworthy words: rejoicing in the Mother of God, joy in an angel and a man. Rejoicing in the strong hope and protection of Thy hail. Rejoicing, for we are overthrowing those who are opposed by your strength. Rejoicing the intelligent Sun of Mati, enlightening the faithful, darkening the infidels. Rejoicing the Virgin with Christian praise.

Canto 7. Irmos

The ineffable chyudo, who are like in the cave of the rescuing and reverend youths from the flame, in the tomb of the new soulless one relies on the salvation of us singing, God blessed be the Redeemer.

Solo. Truly an honest treasure to Thy city, Thy most pure icon has been given, but we ourselves are amazed by sight of others, and Thy cry to Thy Son, Redeemer God, blessed be thou.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. I mean, sometimes, Ninevites, repentance for the sake of sparing the word of God, the preaching of Jonah the prophet. Likewise here and there, showing in the image of the most pure Ti Mater Christ, crying, God bless you to the Deliverer.

And now. X Ram Thy God Leading Lady, in Thy holy temple, we move the hand of uncleanness to prayer. See our bitterness, and give us help. Confusion.

Canto 8. Irmos

Be afraid and fear heaven, and let the foundations of the earth move. Behold, in the dead is imputed to those in the higher living, in the grave a little dwells. Bless his children, sing to the priesthood, and exalt him forever.

Solo. From the word without origin to the Father, the most pure virgin imperishable gave birth to you, and from the breast fed you. Pray to the Mother of God, from those who resist the situation to save those who sing Thee, and who exalt forever.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. Having foreseen him on the throne, the exalted Isaiah, this in the devil didst thou contain the Virgin and give imperishable birth. Pray to Him that Thy city be saved, I sing, Bless children, sing to the priesthood, and exalt Him forever.

And now. Dina who is Good, pray diligently, pray to Thy city of real anger, I sing to Thy Son with irreplaceable faith, bless children, sing to the priesthood, and exalt Him forever. Confusion.

Canto 9. Irmos

From the tranquility of the Lord, and the immortal meal, on a high place, with high minds of faith, come enjoy the ascended Word, learn from the Word, we magnify Him.

Singing with a bow. M With a merciful eye from above, look upon the city and Thy Most Pure people. Any other help is not imams, only the All-Immaculate Thee, but all the Mother of God we ceaselessly magnify.

Solo. (We repeat the verse).

Glory. E dina, the Birthing Word, the incarnate Virgin, all-chanting. A flowing source, pour out healing, by faith flowing to Your temple, the Most Pure One.

And now. With Thy servants crying Ty Mother of God, Thy usual mercy on the city and people, mercifully showing. We are changing those opposed to the situation, and we are constantly magnifying thee. Confusion.

Dismissal: O Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, an honest and glorious sign that was from Her icon in the great Novaya grad, and for all for the sake of the saints, have mercy and save us, as Good and Humanitarian. A min. Lord have mercy (three times). Initial obeisances.

The most ancient image of the Mother of God "Sign" in Russia is the Novgorod icon, painted in the second quarter - the middle of the XII century. But the name "Sign" begins to associate with it, oddly enough, only at the end of the 15th century, especially clearly - from the 16th century, and is finally consolidated in the 17th. Apparently, they began to celebrate the holiday of the icon on November 27, even before the miracle of the Novgorodians appeared by it, which happened on February 25, 1169 (1170). In the Novgorod First Chronicle, it is reported that the Novgorodians defeated the Suzdal people "by the power of the cross and the Holy Mother of God", that is, any name has not yet been associated with the icon. The chronicler calls the icon simply "the Holy Mother of God", without a specific epithet. The word "sign" then, as usual, was used in the same sense as in V.I. Dahl: “A sign is a sign, sign, omen; stamp, tamga, seal; a natural phenomenon or a miracle for a sign, proof; the foreshadowing of something. "

The etymology of the word "sign" is directly related to the verb "know". Indo-European ĝen - "to know" is identical to ĝen - "to be born, to be born" and comes from this latter. It is the concepts “to be born” and “to know” that make up the meaning of the word “sign”.

Let's consider the symbolic and theological meanings of the iconography of the image. At the same time, let's not forget about the conventions of the language of the icon and the difference between the image and the depicted one. I.K. Yazykova writes: “At the moment of contemplating the icon, the one who is praying seems to open the holy of holies, the inner Mary, in whose depths the God-man is conceived by the Holy Spirit”. Let us emphasize this “as it were”. With this reservation, one of the meanings of the circle in which Emmanuel is depicted should be understood and perceived as symbol revelations. But anyway revelations- Divine sign. And although the most intimate is revealed to us, nevertheless, this is only the first stage of the icon's conversation with us, when a sign is a “foreshadowing of something”. On the second step, the Mother of God, knowing Savior even before Christmas, still in the womb, gives birth- on the icon, as it were, he sends forever - the Divine Infant into the world for the salvation of the human race.

The hands of the Mother of God are raised to the sky, they are open to meet the One who is higher than the whole universe, and at the same time they bless those who are praying. This is a very ancient gesture of prayer: according to Tertullian's testimony, the hands of Christians of his time lifted up and stretched out, "imitating the passion of the Lord." The prayerfully raised hands of the Mother of God also mean intercession for people before God. The inscription on one of the Byzantine seals of the early 13th century reads: "Stretching out Your hands and bringing Your intercession to the whole universe, give me Your cover, O Most Pure One, for what I must accomplish." With his hands raised to heaven, Moses also prayed during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites: “And when Moses raised his hands, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed; but Moses' hands became heavy, and then they took a stone and placed it under it, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hor supported his hands, one on one side and the other on the other. And his hands were lifted up until the sun went down ”(Ex. 17: 11-12). Here, the significance of the entire psychophysical side of prayer is clearly confirmed: it is not enough to pronounce words in the heart, the posture of the person praying and his gestures play an important role. Let us also pay attention to the theme of light and grace that accompanies this gesture. The name "Aaron" is translated as "mountain of light", "Ohr" - "light". And the hands of Moses himself were "raised before the sun went down," that is, the hands supported by the "lights" reached out to the Light and received the grace of God. Likewise, during the liturgy before the throne, the priest stretches out his hands, exclaiming: "Woe we have hearts." Therefore, we can talk about the canonicity of this gesture, which has been used since ancient times in the liturgy, about a kind of connection through this gesture of the Old and New Testaments.

The same is inherent in the iconography of the Theotokos image "The Sign". And here we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New. The Divine Infant in the pictorial relation is conditional, but eternally is born to the world to save him. Therefore, He is often placed in a mandorla, through the circles of which Divine energies seem to emanate into the world (again the theme of light and grace, reflected even in the color of Emmanuel's clothes). Mandorla in this case acts as sign movements - the movements of the Baby and the light. And when, during the siege of Novgorod, the arrow of the Suzdal people hit the icon and the icon turned away from the attackers, the Suzdal people thereby lost their light and grace, and the Novgorodians, on the contrary, received this grace for decisive action and victory over the enemy. Recall that the Greek. ενέργεια is translated as an active force, and a sign, according to V.I. Dalia, there is a sign. But in Greek. the sign - σημειον is a wonderful sign, not an ordinary one. In the Novgorod Festive Menaion (c. The second quarter of the XIV century), this word in relation to the miraculous icon is used precisely in the meaning of “omen”, “miracle”. Another purpose of the mandorla in this case is to emphasize the Christocentrism of the icon: both by concentric circles around the Infant God - “Light came into the world” (John 3:19), and by its high hierarchical status in the system of icon-painting symbols. The outstretched hands of the Divine Infant from the medallion Great Panagia(from the Greek Παναγία - All-Holy) indicate the penetration of eternity into time, and therefore - the abolition of time, which is characteristic of the Orthodox worldview.

So, the first meaning of the "Sign" icon is revelation. At the same time, it also has another meaning: Christians, for their part, recognize The birth and coming into the world of the Savior, know Him and testify of Him as recognized... That is, birth (γέννησις), in fact, takes place in the name of creation (γένεσις), in order to return creation to the Divine plan: so that man becomes a created god by grace. In other words, without separation and confusion, a dual unity of “God and me” arises - the unity about which S.L. Franc. Let us recall that the word “Deity” in theology indicates a property, to nature, and the word “God” refers to a Person. As a supertemporal or timeless act, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: “Behold, the Virgin in her womb will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). In the 15th century, this text of Isaiah is presented not only on the icons of the prophetic order of the iconostasis, as in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, but also serves as the basis for free literary transcriptions, in which the word "sign" is used in relation to prophecy.

The religious experience of prayer communication with the icon allows one to discover in oneself a new state filled with Divine energies. The Greek term ένθεος - letters is suitable for its designation. "Filled with deity." This state is indicated by the words of Christ: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). We are clothed in Christ, and Christ dwells in us. In this case, on the personal level, a real relationship is established between the Archetype and man through the medium of the icon, and on the public level, the icon becomes a national shrine. So the sacred guardian of Veliky Novgorod became the image of the Mother of God "The Sign". This icon was considered in Byzantium and in Russia also the patroness of the Church, which explains the frequent use of its iconography on the seals of monasteries, dioceses and metropolises, in the lunettes above the entrance to the temple, in the conch of the apses. There are grounds for establishing a connection between the image of the Mother of God "The Sign" with the icon of the Annunciation. If in the depths of Mary “the God-man is conceived by the Holy Spirit”, as I.K. Yazykov, then this is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy about Emmanuel: the good news has passed into the stage of its implementation. Therefore, E.S. Smirnova is absolutely right, considering the images on the reverse side of the icon to be images of Joachim and Anna, and not the Apostle Peter and Martyr Natalia, as V.N. Lazarev with followers. The theme of the Incarnation is central for the icon "The Sign" (therefore, this iconography is canonical for the center of the prophetic rank of the iconostasis). Both sides of the famous Novgorod image with increasing content testify precisely to the Incarnation. Otherwise, the theological connection between the obverse and the reverse of this icon is lost, which contradicts the practice of church life. A similar connection was present in the overwhelming majority of portable Orthodox images.

A special rite in honor of the Mother of God, called the Rite of the Ascension of Panagia, is directly related to the icon of the Sign. But we know that Panagia is also called an encolpion - a small image of the Mother of God worn by the bishop on his chest over vestments, and a prosphora from which a particle was removed during the liturgy in memory of the Most Pure One. During the meal, the prosphora was always placed on a special dish - panagiar - with the image of Our Lady of the Sign, often surrounded by prophets. On the Byzantine panagiarias of the 12th – 13th centuries one can see the inscription: “Christ is Bread. The Virgin gives the body to God the Word. " The inscription was applied not only for the sake of decoration; its meaning was to mysteriously combine the rank Panagia and the meaning of holy bread - the body of Christ, received by Him from His Mother. So rank Panagia brings us back to the theme of the Incarnation.

The genealogy of the iconography of the Sign goes back to the depiction of Oranta, which in Russia was also called the "Unbreakable Wall" because "they considered the intercessor of" all cities, suburbs and villages "in the struggle against the eternal enemies - the steppe nomads." Is it correct to assume that Oranta was portrayed as an intercessor, starting with the paintings of the catacombs? In them you can see many images similar in iconography: this is how, for example, the souls of the dead who prayed for the still living Christians were originally depicted.

Oranta was and is a symbol of the Heavenly Church. She became such fully and consciously from the moment when she was identified with the personality of the Mother of God. Already in the catacombs "under the image of a praying wife, the ancient Christians used to sometimes depict none other than the Blessed Virgin Mary", accompanying the frescoes with the inscriptions "Maria" and "Mara". Nevertheless, "in these orants we have not a portrait, individual type of the Mother of God, but a conventional image of Her, accepted for every staid Christian woman." However, in the stamp "Ascension" of the ampoule of Monza (the iconography of the stamps dates back to the 4th-6th centuries), we see Oranta already, undoubtedly, in the person of the Mother of God, we see Her as the personification of the Apostolic Church.

From the 9th century, they began to paint the Most Pure in the apse conch. As I.K. Yazykov, since then “the theme of intercession takes on a broader aspect: the prayer of the Mother of God connects together the Kingdom of Heaven, represented in the upper part of the temple, with the“ world of the valley ”- at Her feet. The Mother of God of Oranta, as it were, reveals herself to meet Christ, Who descends through Her to earth, incarnates in a human form and sanctifies human flesh with His Divine presence, turning it into a temple - hence the Mother of God Oranta is interpreted as the personification of the Christian temple, as well as the entire New Testament Church. "

Serbian iconographers in the XIV century painted a fresco similar to the Novgorod icon "The Sign", where the Mother of God, depicted in full height, is not dressed in her usual tunic, but in a chiton with clavs. Similar examples can be seen in some of Oranta's frescoes in the catacombs. The Mother of God in this case was understood as the Church itself and as a messenger. If earlier the intercession of the Most Pure One meant movement from the lower to the higher, here it is understood as apostolic and directed from the higher to the lower.

Photographers of the image of the Mother of God "Sign" have also been known since the 4th century (the catacombs of St. Agnes in Rome) and, judging by the absence of a halo in the Infant God, were created before the First Ecumenical Council, that is, before the year 325. And in the 5th-6th centuries they were already written on icons and in wall paintings of churches, minted on coins, reproduced on the seals of Byzantine emperors, which speaks of their Constantinople origin. This iconography has been especially widespread since the 11th – 12th centuries and is becoming popular throughout the Orthodox ecumene. Nevertheless, many art historians consider the time when this edition appeared only in the middle of the 11th century, referring to the preserved images of coins (nomism of Empresses Zoe and Theodora, 1042) and to sphragistics (seals of Empress Evdokia Makremvolitissa, wife of Constantine X in 1059-1067. and Roman IV in 1068-1071). Apparently, the confusion here is due to the fuzzy classification of the names of iconographic types, since the tradition of fixing stable names of one type or another of the Theotokos icons took shape only by the time of the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and possibly later - already in the post-Byzantine time.

According to I.K. Linguistic, the iconography of Oranta is a shortened and truncated version of the image of the Mother of God "The Sign". Such an opinion cannot but raise objections. Since the version of Oranta is older than the "Sign", the first cannot be a "shortened version" of the second: you can only truncate what is already there. Here we are not dealing with a reduction in the iconography of an image, but with its construction. Therefore, the "Signs" scheme is also more complex than Oranta's scheme, and not only externally, but also internally. “This is the most theologically rich iconographic type,” IK herself is convinced. Yazykov.

We have already made sure, using the example of Cypriot frescoes, of the undoubted connection between the images of the "Sign" image with the image of Our Lady of Vlahernitis, which only confirms the understanding of the word "sign" as a miracle, because the events of 910, which took place in the Blakherna Church, have been celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church for more than eight hundred years. as a holiday of the Protection of the Mother of God. Apparently, it is natural that the icon is called "The Sign" only in Russia and nowhere else. In other countries, it is known under other names, mainly taken from akathists.

In the art of the Byzantine circle, for this iconography, several terms were used that are often used by art historians: "Platitera" (from " , Intercessor ")," Megali Panagia "(" Μεγάλη Παναγία "-" The Great All-Holy ")". Let's add here "Pantonassa" ("παντο" - "everything" + "νάσσα" from "ναίω" - "to live, to inhabit; to be; to inhabit").

It should be noted and a certain iconographic connection between the image of the Mother of God "Sign" and the icon Our Lady of Nicopeia(Victorious). During the restoration of the Blachernae Church (1030–1031) during the reign of Emperor Roman III Argir, the builders discovered an icon immured in the wall, which was hidden from the iconoclasts, most likely in the 8th century under Emperor Constantine Copronymus. The found image was described by the witness of the events, John Skylitsa. Its text has long been understood as a description of a version identical to that of the Novgorod icon "Sign", however, modern researchers have made a more accurate translation, from which it follows that the Mother of God holds the mandorla with the Divine Infant in Her hands. This is how Nicopeia was found, known since pre-iconoclastic times. A similar Sinai icon of the 7th century has survived to this day. The role of this version, according to academician N.P. Kondakov and V.N. Lazarev, echoes the role that the Novgorod shrine is called to play - the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign".

Note how accurately our ancestors gave the name to the image! The miracle is inextricably linked with this icon. Especially for Novgorodians. Miraculously, they received help from her during the siege of the city by the Suzdal people. In 1356, a fire that broke out in the church died down after a prayer service in front of this icon. In 1611, the Swedes were thrown out of the Cathedral of the Sign, trying to rob it. Relatively recently, many attendees witnessed a heavenly phenomenon: on August 15, 1991, when the icon was handed over from the museum, where it was kept for a long time, to the Novgorod diocese, a rainbow surrounded the golden dome of St. Sophia Cathedral, and then began to rise and dissolve in a clear, cloudless sky.

In conclusion, we recall that the word "miracle" is derived from the verb "chuti" - that is, "hear, feel." God, taking into account human nature, turns to him with the help of signs for the salvation of His people. As long as we “feel” the omnipresence of God and the universal protection of the Mother of God, we can hope for Her intercession and help in sorrows. And through Her image "The Sign" the luminous grace of God will continue to descend upon us.

Yazykova I.K... Theology of icons. P. 189.

In the same place. P. 92.

See the murals at the Temple of Panagia Forbiotissa at Ashina and at the Temple of Panagia at Trikomo mentioned above (notes 13, 14).

“The name“ Vlakhernitissa ”is found both on compositions with the Mother of God Oranta without a medallion with Emmanuel, and on compositions with the Mother of God Oranta and Emmanuel, that is, as on the Novgorod icon. However, the Byzantines themselves applied this name not only to these, but also to other images, for example, to the Mother of God and the Child of the “Tenderness” type, which in terms of iconography most closely resembles our Tolgskaya. Probably, all revered images of Blachernae, with their various iconographic types, could be called "Blachernitissa", including a version of the Novgorod miraculous icon "( Smirnova E.S... Novgorod icon "Our Lady of the Sign". P. 292).

“The Sign of the Mother of God in the Blachernae Church is eschatological. According to prophecy, the Cover is a sign and a miracle of the last times. The meaning of this secret will be revealed when evil wins on earth as if it were a complete and unconditional victory. What kind of revelation it will be, we do not know now ", - writes a modern author ( Rogozyansky Andrey... Cover: theological mystery and historical paradox // http://www.rusk.ru/st.php?idar=103738).

Smirnova E.S... Novgorod icon “Mother of God of the Sign. P. 290.

Cm.: Lazarev V.N.... Russian icon painting // Icons of the XI-XIII centuries. M., 2000.S. 42, 166; and: N.P. Kondakov... Iconography of the Mother of God. Pg., 1915. T. 2. S. 105–123.