Icon of the Holy Cathedral. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory
This day, like other similar days, is called a cathedral because, unlike individual holidays in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, such as Her Conception, Her Nativity, Her Annunciation and numerous holidays in honor of Her miraculous icons, on this day a general ( cathedral) celebration in honor and praise of the Mother of God. This holiday was established to be celebrated immediately after the Nativity of Christ because the Most Holy Virgin is revered primarily as the One from whom God the Son was born and became incarnate - our Savior Jesus Christ.
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
(Russian north, end of the 17th century) 
Icon of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Rostov-Suzdal school, mid-15th century) 
The miraculous icon “Rejoices in You...” was painted in the mid-16th century and was in the Solovetsky Monastery for many centuries. Nowadays it is an exhibit in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The icon is dedicated to the holiday called the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on January 8, the day after the Nativity of Christ. 
"He rejoices in You"
The name of the icon is given from the first words of the hymn dedicated to the Mother of God: “In You she rejoices, O Blessed One...” The Most Holy Mother of God is depicted in the Garden of Eden against the backdrop of a multi-domed temple - a symbol of Heavenly Jerusalem. At the foot of the throne on which the Mother of God sits with the Eternal Child, the author of the hymn is depicted - St. John of Damascus, hymn writer (December 17, New Style), in whose hands is a scroll with the text of the hymn. Below is a host of Orthodox saints praising the Mother of God.
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Rejoices in You 
“Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God” is the most revered image of the Mother of God in Rus'. Byzantium. XII century 
The miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir is the greatest shrine of the Russian land. Three times she showed the miracle of saving Moscow from the Tatar-Mongol defeat. These facts of the miraculous protection of the Russian people from destruction were even included in the works of historians Klyuchevsky and Solovyov. The icon came to us from Byzantium. According to legend, it was written by the Apostle Luke on boards from the table at which the Last Supper took place. The Mother of God herself saw her and said: “May my grace and strength abide with this image.” This icon is very strong and very ancient; now it resides in the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, which is part of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Every Orthodox person must venerate this shrine. Come to Moscow, pray in front of the icon and venerate it.
Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos
"Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, for Thou hast given birth to the Savior of our souls."
Church Slavonic writing 
Icon depicting various types of icons of the Virgin Mary 
Prayer to the Mother of God
O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord Most High, Intercessor and protection of all who resort to You! Look down from Thy holy height upon me, a sinner, falling before Thy most pure image; hear my warm prayer and offer it before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; beg Him to illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, to deliver me from all need, sorrow and illness, to grant me a quiet and peaceful life, physical and mental health, to pacify my suffering heart and heal its wounds, to guide me for good deeds, may my mind be cleansed from vain thoughts, and having taught me to fulfill His commandments, may He deliver me from eternal torment and may He not deprive me of His Heavenly Kingdom. O Most Holy Theotokos! You, O Joy of All Who Sorrow, hear me who mourns; You, called the Satisfaction of Sorrow, assuage my sorrow; You, Kupino the Burning, save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, the Seeker of the Lost, do not allow me to perish in the abyss of my sins. According to Bose, all my hope and hope is in Tyabo. Be an Intercessor for me in temporary life and for eternal life before Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. To you, Most Holy Mother of God, Most Blessed Mary, reverently honor you until the end of my days. Amen.
CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holiday of the Orthodox Church, celebrated the day after the Nativity of Christ.
The second day after Christmas is called the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary, i.e. a meeting that included persons personally close to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph the Betrothed, and also the Lord Jesus Christ.
As part of the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the memory of those who were close to Christ in the flesh is celebrated:
- Saint Joseph the Betrothed;
- King David (ancestor according to the flesh of Jesus Christ);
- Holy Apostle James, brother of the Lord (son from the first marriage of Joseph the Betrothed). Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.
Being an 80-year-old man, Joseph the Betrothed, with the blessing of the high priest, accepted the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure One, his entire ministry was to protect the Mother of God.
“But for many people who did not know the secret of the Incarnation, Joseph was the father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we note that the Mother of God also said, addressing Jesus, who at the age of twelve remained in the Jerusalem temple and was lost to his parents, that the Youth had upset his father - after all, Joseph was like a father to those around him (cf. Luke 2:39-52).
On the first Sunday after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church remembers the king, prophet, psalmist David - a holy man who sinned gravely, but repented so much that with his words people today call on the name of God, remembering the great lines addressed to the Creator: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy” (Ps. 50:1). “The Prophet David was in the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should have been, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the line of David.”
The Apostle James is called the brother of God because he was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man and after the Resurrection of Christ he was elected primate of the Jerusalem Church. Jacob, fulfilling the prescriptions of the Old Law, was the bishop of the New Testament and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ as both the Messiah and the Deliverer of Israel. Jacob's preaching was displeasing to all those who brought Jesus Christ to Calvary, and the holy Apostle James was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple.
On the meaning of the holiday “Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
The birth of the Savior was from the Holy Spirit. This was no ordinary birth. But in the earthly life of the Savior, His family played an important role: His Most Pure Mother, Joseph the Betrothed, His closest relatives - those who surrounded the Infant and Youth Jesus. And therefore, the Church, paying special veneration to everything that the Lord God brought into the world through the incarnation of His Son, simultaneously remembers the earthly life of the Savior, and His loved ones. And it could not be otherwise, because in the Church the Divine and the human, the heavenly and the earthly are united, and in this union one is not diminished by the other.
God wished that human nature, human life, with its joys and sorrows, should be raptured into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, so that this human life would be deified. This was pleasing to the Lord in relation to His beloved Son, and after the incarnation of the Son of God, this God’s plan for the glorification of all creation, for the glorification of human nature, became completely obvious, for in Christ the heavenly and earthly, the Divine and the human are united.
That is why a Christian, striving for heavenly things, striving for eternal salvation, should never pursue the path to salvation by offending his family and friends, abandoning good family relationships and generally disparaging the human principle. Some people think that in the human beginning there is sin. But sin is not in human nature itself, but in the evil human will. And everything that a person does for the glory of God, everything that is the result of his work, is blessed by God. This is a kind of shrine through which we serve God. This is why human creativity: both the highest and the most insignificant - this is all our gift to God, this is the sacrifice that we make to God.
If we have such an understanding of human existence, such an understanding of human nature, such an understanding of human relationships, then this being, this nature and these relationships will be filled with the grace of God - so that, according to the word of the Apostle, the heavenly will be united with the earthly and so that at the head of everything will be God, who fills everything and contains everything with His power.
The Nativity of Christ - the mystery of the Divine Incarnation - teaches us a lot, including the attitude of man towards his earthly life that is pleasing to God. Let us glorify the Lord in our souls and bodies, which are God’s, the apostle calls upon us. And today, emphasizing the family and human relationships of the Savior with those who surrounded Him, calls us all again and again to a pious life, to good relationships with our loved ones and relatives, to building human relationships according to the commandment of God, in order to truly glorify God and in our souls and in our bodies. Amen.
Word of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
Troparion to the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God,
Your honorable cathedral is decorated with many different kindnesses,
Many worldly people bring gifts to You, Lady,
Break our sinful bonds with Your mercy
and save our souls.
Establishment of the feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The establishment of this celebration dates back to the ancient times of the Christian Church. Already Epiphanius of Cyprus († 402), as well as Saint Ambrose of Milan and Blessed Augustine, in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, combined praise of the born God-man with praise of the Virgin who gave birth to Him. An indication of the celebration of the Council of the Most Holy Theotokos on the next day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in Rule 79 of 6 of the Ecumenical Council, held in 691.
VI Ecumenical Council - Rule 79
We confess the divine birth from the Virgin, as if it were seedless, to be painless, and preach this to the whole world, and subject to correction those who do, out of ignorance, something that is not proper. Some people, on the day of the holy birth of Christ our God, are seen preparing bread cookies and passing them on to each other, as if in honor of the diseases of birth of the all-immaculate Virgin Mother: then we determine that the faithful should not do anything of the kind. For this is not an honor to the Virgin, more than the mind and the word, who gave birth in the flesh to the incontainable Word; if its ineffable birth is defined and presented according to the example of an ordinary birth that is characteristic of us. If from now on anyone is found doing such a thing, then the cleric will be deposed, and the layman will be excommunicated.”
The Legend of the Flight of the Most Pure Virgin Mary with the Infant God to Egypt
After the Magi left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, should flee to Egypt and remain there until he was led from there to return, since Herod wants to look for the Baby in order to destroy Him. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother at night and went to Egypt.
But first, before his departure there, he fulfilled in the temple of Solomon everything that was determined by the law of the Lord, for the days of the purification of the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God had already arrived, and in that temple the elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess met our Lord. Then, having fulfilled everything that was specified in the law, Joseph went to Nazareth, to his home. For this is what Saint Luke says: “And when they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth” (Luke 2:39).From this it is clear that they did not immediately go from Bethlehem to Egypt, but first went to the temple of the Lord, then to Nazareth, and finally to Egypt. Saint Theophylact also testifies to this in his interpretation of the Evangelist Matthew, when he writes: “Question: How does the Evangelist Luke say that the Lord retired to Nazareth after 40 days after His birth and after He met the elder Simeon?
And here Saint Matthew says that he came to Nazareth after returning from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist Luke mentions what the Evangelist Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (says Luke) after His birth went to Nazareth. And Matthew speaks about what happened after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how, upon returning from there, he again went to Nazareth. In general, the Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only Luke speaks about the removal of Christ from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and Matthew talks about His return to Nazareth from Egypt." So, upon leaving the temple of the Lord, the holy travelers first went to Nazareth and immediately made orders regarding their home, and then, having taken everything necessary for the journey, hastily, at night (so that the closest neighbors would not know it) set off along the road to Egypt. At the same time, they took with them, for service, Jacob, the eldest son of Joseph, who was later called the brother of the Lord , as can be seen from the church hymn on October 23rd (s.st.), where it is sung like this: “brother appeared, a disciple, and a witness of divine mysteries, ran with him, and was in Egypt with Joseph.” Hence it is clear that Jacob accompanied the holy family on their way to Egypt, serving them during the journey.
And the Lord fled to Egypt partly in order to show that He was a true man incarnate, and not a spirit and a ghost (as St. Ephraim points out in his word on the Transfiguration when he says: “If He had not been flesh, then with By whom did Joseph flee to Egypt?" and partly in order to teach us to flee the anger and rage of man, and not proudly resist them. This is how Chrysostom explains it: “In our flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give place to rage, that is, to flee from human rage. And if the Almighty flees, then we, the proud, learn by this not to expose ourselves to danger.” The purpose of the Lord's flight into Egypt was also to cleanse Egypt from idols and, as Saint Pope Leo says, so that not without this country, in which for the first time the saving sign of the cross and the Passover of the Lord were foreshadowed through the slaughter of the lamb, the sacrament of the most holy sacrifice would be prepared. Also, so that the following prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled: “The Lord will sit on a light cloud, and will come to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence” (Is. 19:1). In this place, under the cloud, Saint Ambrose means the Most Pure Virgin, Who brought the Lord in Her arms to Egypt, and the idols of the Egyptian gods fell. That cloud, the Most Pure Virgin, is light, for She is not burdened with any burden of any sin or carnal lust and knowledge of marriage.
It is also reported that when righteous Joseph, the Most Pure Virgin and the Infant of God were going to Egypt, in one deserted place robbers attacked them and wanted to take away their donkey, on which they carried the little that they needed for the journey, and on which sometimes and went on their own. One of those robbers, seeing the Child of extraordinary beauty and being surprised at such beauty, said:
If God took upon Himself a human body, He would not want to be more beautiful than this Baby.
Having said this, he forbade his comrades, the other robbers, and did not allow them to offend these travelers in any way. Then the Most Pure Mother of God said to that robber:
Know that this Child will reward you generously for protecting Him.
This robber was the same one who later, at the crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross on the right side, and to whom the Lord said: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And the prophetic prediction of the Mother of God was fulfilled that “This Child will reward you.”
When they entered the Egyptian country and were within the borders of Thebaid, they approached the city of Hermopolis. Near the entrance to this city grew a very beautiful tree called "Persea", which the local inhabitants, according to their idolatrous custom, revered as a god, because of its height and majestic beauty, worshiping it and making sacrifices to it, for in that tree lived and the demon revered by them. When the Most Pure Mother of God with the Divine Child approached that tree, it immediately shook violently, for the demon, fearing the coming of Jesus, fled. And the tree bowed its top to the very ground, paying due veneration to its Creator and His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin; in addition, it protected them from the heat of the sun with the shade of its many leafy branches and thus gave the weary holy travelers the opportunity to rest. And in this tilted form that tree remained as an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord to Egypt. After the Lord, His Mother and Joseph rested under this tree, this tree received healing power, for all sorts of diseases were healed from its branches. Then the holy travelers first of all entered that city and the idol temple that was in it, and immediately all the idols fell. Palladius mentions this temple in Lavsaik: “We saw,” he says, “there (in Ermopolis) an idol temple, in which, during the coming of the Savior, all the idols fell prostrate to the ground. Also in one village called “Sirens”, three hundred and sixty-five idols in one temple, while Christ entered there with the Most Pure Matter.
After this, the holy travelers turned a little away from the city of Ermopolis and, looking for a place to stop, entered a village called "Natarea", lying not far from Iliopolis. Joseph, near this village, left the Most Pure Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he himself went to the village for the sake of acquiring necessary. And that fig tree, which sheltered the holy pilgrims under itself, split in two from top to bottom and lowered its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or a tent over their head: and below, at its root, it formed in that cleft a kind of depression, convenient for staying, and there the Most Pure Virgin and Child lay down and rested from the journey. That place is still in great veneration not only among Christians, but also among the Saracens, who to this day (as told by reliable eyewitnesses) light a lamp with oil in a cleft of a tree in honor of the Virgin and Child who rested there.
Joseph and the Most Holy Theotokos wanted to stay in that village and, having found a hut for themselves not far from that tree, they began to live in it. Another miracle also happened by the power of the Divine Infant, for there, near their location and near that wonderful tree, a source of living water suddenly appeared, from which the Most Pure Virgin drew for her needs and in which she arranged a bath for Her Infant. That spring exists to this day, with very cold and healthy water. And what is even more surprising is that in the entire land of Egypt this is the only source of living water, and it is famous in that village. This ends the story about the stay of the Most Pure Mother of God with Christ in Egypt, where they stayed for several years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. Epiphanius says that - two years, and Nicephorus three years, and George Kedrin five years; others, like Ammonius of Alexandria, think that it is seven years. In any case, it is certain that before the death of Herod, like the Gospel, he says: “And he was there until the death of Herod” (Matthew 2:15).
After the murder of the Bethlehem babies and after the accursed Herod died an evil death, the Angel of the Lord again appeared in a dream to Joseph, commanding him to return from the land of Egypt to the land of Israel, “for (he said) those who sought the soul of the baby have died.” Joseph stood up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judea, which was the best and largest part of the land of Israel. Having heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left behind three sons: the first Archelaus, the second Herod Antipas, and the third, the youngest, Philip. All of them, after the death of their father, went to Rome, to Caesar, because of rivalry, since each of them wanted to receive their father’s kingdom. Caesar, without giving any of them royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tetrarchies. He gave Judea to his elder brother Archelaus, Galileo to Herod Antipas, and the Trachonite country to his younger brother Philip; He gave Avilinia to Lysanias, the youngest son of Lysanias the elder, once a friend of Herod, and then killed by him out of envy.
Releasing all of them from Rome, Caesar promised Archelaus royal honor if only he would show good and careful management of his part. But Archelaus was no better than his cruel father, torturing and killing many, for, having come to Jerusalem, he immediately killed three thousand people in vain, and ordered many citizens to be tortured on the day of the holiday, in the middle of the temple, in front of the entire assembly of the Jews. Because of such cruelty, he was, after several years, slandered, deprived of power and exiled to prison. Joseph, on his return, heard that this evil Archelaus was reigning, although without the royal title, and was afraid to go to Judea, having received notification in a dream from that angel who had already appeared to him before, went into the borders of Galilee, into the possession of Herod Antipas, brother of Archelaus, for this Herod ruled the people with greater meekness than his brother; and Joseph settled in the city of Nazareth, in his house, where they had lived before, so that what was predicted about Christ the Lord by the prophets would be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazarite. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov "Lives of the Saints"
On the next day of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church established the celebration of the Council of the Most Holy Theotokos. The name of this festival “cathedral” means the collection of all holidays, celebrations of the Most Holy Theotokos in one day, the gathering of believers on this day to glorify the Heavenly Lady, who gave birth to our Savior. On the first day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church glorifies the Redeemer of the human race himself, who deigned to save the sinful world from the snares of the enemy, and on the second day after the remembrance of this great event, believers are called upon by the Church to honor and worthily please the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of our beloved Lord, who served in the great event of salvation of the race human.
Many holidays have a “cathedral” the next day. These are the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, on the second day after which the righteous Joachim and Anna are honored; after Epiphany, on the second day, a festival was established in honor of John the Baptist, etc.
The establishment of the Cathedral of Our Lady dates back to very ancient times. In the 4th century, some holy fathers, for example, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, the teachings were already said on the day of this celebration.
In ancient monthbooks, the feast of the Synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also called “Gifts of Birth.” They think that this name hides an indication of the gifts brought to the newborn King of the Jews - the Infant Jesus from the Eastern Magi. The feast of the Council of Our Lady is also called the “Flight into Egypt.” Probably, in the ancient Church, the memory of the worship of the Eastern sages and the flight to Egypt was combined with the celebration of the Council of the Mother of God. Therefore, on icons depicting the Nativity of Christ with the adoration of the shepherds and wise men and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, one can often find the inscription “Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.”
Source: Book “E. Villager. Our Lady.
Description of Her earthly life and miraculous icons"
On the meaning of the holiday “Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
The birth of the Savior was from the Holy Spirit. This was no ordinary birth. But in the earthly life of the Savior, His family played an important role: His Most Pure Mother, Joseph the Betrothed, His closest relatives - those who surrounded the Infant and Youth Jesus. And therefore, the Church, paying special veneration to everything that the Lord God brought into the world through the incarnation of His Son, simultaneously remembers the earthly life of the Savior, and His loved ones. And it could not be otherwise, because in the Church the Divine and the human, the heavenly and the earthly are united, and in this union one is not diminished by the other.
God wished that human nature, human life, with its joys and sorrows, should be raptured into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, so that this human life would be deified. This was pleasing to the Lord in relation to His beloved Son, and after the incarnation of the Son of God, this God’s plan for the glorification of all creation, for the glorification of human nature, became completely obvious, for in Christ the heavenly and earthly, the Divine and the human are united.
That is why a Christian, striving for heavenly things, striving for eternal salvation, should never pursue the path to salvation by offending his family and friends, abandoning good family relationships and generally disparaging the human principle. Some people think that the human beginning is sin. But sin is not in human nature itself, but in the evil human will. And everything that a person does for the glory of God, everything that is the result of his work, is blessed by God. This is a kind of shrine through which we serve God. This is why human creativity: both the highest and the most insignificant - this is all our gift to God, this is the sacrifice that we make to God.
If we have such an understanding of human existence, such an understanding of human nature, such an understanding of human relationships, then this being, this nature and these relationships will be filled with the grace of God - so that, according to the word of the Apostle, the heavenly will be united with the earthly and so that at the head of everything will be God, who fills everything and contains everything with His power.
The Nativity of Christ - the mystery of the Divine Incarnation - teaches us a lot, including the attitude of man towards his earthly life that is pleasing to God. Let us glorify the Lord in our souls and bodies, which are God’s, the apostle calls upon us. And today, emphasizing the family and human relationships of the Savior with those who surrounded Him, calls us all again and again to a pious life, to good relationships with our loved ones and relatives, to building human relationships according to the commandment of God, in order to truly glorify God and in our souls and in our bodies. Amen.
Word of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
Divine service
Dear brothers and sisters, today is the second day of the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ. This day is called the day of the Council of the Mother of God, because in ancient times the first Christians on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ gathered in the temple to glorify the One who gave the earth the Savior of the world. She was the author of our salvation, through Her humility, obedience to the will of the Lord, purity, and highest chastity, deserving to become the Mother of Christ, the Son of God.
During the celebration of the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary in divine services, the Church calls on the faithful to glorify the Mother of God: “ Come, let us sing to the Mother of the Savior, who after His birth still remained a Virgin: « Rejoice, City animated by the King and God - Christ, having dwelt in Him, accomplished salvation.” With Gabriel we glorify You, with the shepherds we glorify You, exclaiming: “Mother of God, intercede with Him who became Incarnate from You for our salvation!»» (Matins of the Feast).
The icon usually depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne with the Child of God in her arms. Above, next to and below are angels, wise men bringing gifts, and Old Testament elders.
Troparion of the Theotokos, tone 4:
Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Thy venerable Cathedral is adorned with many different kindnesses, many worldly people bring gifts to Thee, O Lady, break our sinful bonds with Thy mercy and save our souls.
Establishment of the feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We do not have accurate information about the origin of this holiday. It is known that the establishment of a special celebration of the Nativity of Christ immediately entailed the honoring of the Mother who gave birth, already embodied in the sermons of Sts. Epiphany of Cyprus, Ambrose of Milan and Blessed. Augustine (in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ they combined praise for the born God-Man with praise for the Virgin who gave birth to Him). However, the message found on some sites that “the official indication of the celebration of the Council of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in Rule 79 of the VI Ecumenical Council, held in 681,” is somewhat inaccurate.
Firstly, the canonical rules, which are attributed to the VI Ecumenical Council, which actually took place (more precisely, ended) in 681, were not adopted at it (the V and VI Ecumenical Councils were devoted to dogmatic issues and did not issue canons), but at the so-called Trullo Council, convened in 691 (also called the “Fifth-Sixth”), which was considered by its participants as a continuation of the VI Ecumenical Council.
Secondly, in the mentioned rule there is no indication of the celebration of the memory of the entourage of the Blessed Virgin, and even more so, there is no reason to consider this holiday a cathedral institution. The 79th rule indirectly points to the established custom of celebrating the memory of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ, but it concerns not so much the celebration itself as the widespread ritual form, which the fathers of the Council considered to be contrary to church teaching, and exposed the ignorance of the “Orthodox people” who , honoring the Most Pure One by preparing ritual food similar to what was usually prepared in honor of “diseases of birth” (“bread cookies”), showed a lack of understanding of the exclusivity of the mystery of the Incarnation: seedless conception and painless birth, “for this is not an honor to the Virgin, more than the mind and the word, the flesh that gave birth to the inconceivable Word, even if its ineffable birth is defined and represented according to the example of the ordinary birth that is characteristic of us.”
It can be said that with this conciliar order, the celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos, which spontaneously arose in the church environment, was cleansed of alien impurities, sanctified and churched, and then grew into veneration for all of her immediate circle. Celebrating this holiday, it’s as if we find ourselves at a quiet family celebration. Only the family in this case is special and the guests of honor are such that the mere mention of them evokes a joyful, respectful thrill from touching the mystery of the Incarnation, and it was as if the air of those very days smelled when, as it is said in the Christmas kontakion, “The angels with the shepherds praise, the wolves travel with a star."
Archpriest Igor Prekup
VI Ecumenical Council - Rule 79
“We confess the divine birth from the Virgin, as if it were seedless, painless, and preach this to the whole world, to correct those who do, out of ignorance, something that is not proper. Some people, on the day of the holy birth of Christ our God, are seen preparing bread cookies and passing them on to each other, as if in honor of the diseases of birth of the all-immaculate Virgin Mother: then we determine that the faithful should not do anything of the kind. For this is not an honor to the Virgin, more than the mind and the word, who gave birth in the flesh to the incontainable Word; if its ineffable birth is defined and presented according to the example of an ordinary birth that is characteristic of us. If from now on anyone is found to do such a thing, then let the cleric be deposed, and the layman be excommunicated.«.
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a quiet family celebration
The veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos was naturally expressed in the fact that in the annual liturgical circle the day immediately following the feast of the Nativity of Christ was singled out, gathering us in honor of the Mother of God, and also in the fact that on this day not only the memory of the Most Pure One herself is celebrated, but also those who were participants in the events associated with the appearance of the Infant of God into the world. First of all, this is St. Joseph the Betrothed and his son from his first marriage, Jacob, brother of the Lord, first bishop of Jerusalem. This is also the day of remembrance of St. King David, from whose family the Most Pure One came, this is the holiday of all those who rejoiced with her about the birth of the Son of Man - both shepherds and wise men - all gathered around her not only and not so much in a spatial, but in a spiritual sense.
- Saint Joseph the Betrothed;
- King David (ancestor according to the flesh of Jesus Christ);
- Holy Apostle James, brother of the Lord (son from the first marriage of Joseph the Betrothed). Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.
Being an 80-year-old man, Joseph the Betrothed, with the blessing of the high priest, accepted the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure One, his entire ministry was to protect the Mother of God.
“But for many people who did not know the secret of the Incarnation, Joseph was the father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we note that the Mother of God also said, turning to Jesus, who at the age of twelve remained in the Jerusalem temple and was lost to his parents, that the Youth had upset his father – after all, Joseph was like a father to those around him (cf. Luke 2:39-52).
The Church also remembers the king, prophet, psalmist David - a holy man who sinned gravely, but repented so much that with his words people today call on the name of God, remembering the great lines addressed to the Creator: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy” (Ps. .50:1). “The Prophet David was in the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should have been, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the line of David.”
The Apostle James is called the brother of God because he was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man and after the Resurrection of Christ he was elected primate of the Jerusalem Church. Jacob, fulfilling the prescriptions of the Old Law, was the bishop of the New Testament and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ as both the Messiah and the Deliverer of Israel. Jacob's preaching was displeasing to all those who brought Jesus Christ to Calvary, and the holy Apostle James was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple.
The Legend of the Flight of the Most Pure Virgin Mary with the Infant God to Egypt
After the Magi left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, should flee to Egypt and remain there until he was led from there to return, since Herod wants to look for the Baby in order to destroy Him. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother at night and went to Egypt.
But first, before his departure there, he fulfilled in the temple of Solomon everything that was determined by the law of the Lord, for the days of the purification of the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God had already arrived, and in that temple the elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess met our Lord. Then, having fulfilled everything that was specified in the law, Joseph went to Nazareth, to his home. For this is what Saint Luke says: “And when they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth” (Luke 2:39). From here it is clear that they did not immediately go from Bethlehem to Egypt, but first went to temple of the Lord, then to Nazareth and finally to Egypt. Saint Theophylact also testifies to this in his interpretation of the Evangelist Matthew, when he writes: “Question: How does the Evangelist Luke say that the Lord retired to Nazareth after 40 days after His birth and after He met the elder Simeon?
And here Saint Matthew says that he came to Nazareth after returning from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist Luke mentions what the Evangelist Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (says Luke) after His birth went to Nazareth. And Matthew speaks about what happened after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how, upon returning from there, he again went to Nazareth. In general, the Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only Luke speaks about the removal of Christ from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and Matthew talks about His return to Nazareth from Egypt.” So, upon leaving the temple of the Lord, the holy travelers first went to Nazareth and immediately made orders regarding their home, and then, having captured everything they needed for the journey, hastily, at night (so that their closest neighbors would not know this) they set off along the road to Egypt. At the same time, they took with them, for service, Jacob, the eldest son of Joseph, who was later called the brother of the Lord, as can be seen from the church hymn for October 23rd (s.st.), where it is sung like this: “You have appeared as a brother, a disciple, and witness of divine mysteries, ran with him, and was in Egypt with Joseph.” From this it is clear that Jacob also accompanied the holy family on the way to Egypt, serving them during the journey.
And the Lord fled to Egypt partly in order to show that He was a true man incarnate, and not a spirit and a ghost (as St. Ephraim points out in his word on the Transfiguration when he says: “If He had not been flesh, then with By whom did Joseph flee to Egypt?" and partly in order to teach us to flee the anger and rage of man, and not proudly resist them. This is how Chrysostom explains it: “In his flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give place to rage, i.e. run around human rage. And if the Almighty flees, then we, the proud, learn not to expose ourselves to danger.” The purpose of the Lord’s flight into Egypt was also to cleanse Egypt from idols and, as Saint Pope Leo says, so that not without this country, in which for the first time the saving sign of the cross and the Passover of the Lord were foreshadowed through the slaughter of the lamb, the sacrament of the most holy sacrifice would be prepared. Also, so that the following prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled: “The Lord will sit on a light cloud and come to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence” (Is. 19:1). In this place, under the cloud, Saint Ambrose means the Most Pure Virgin, Who brought the Lord in Her arms to Egypt, and the idols of the Egyptian gods fell. That cloud, the Most Pure Virgin, is light, for She is not burdened with any burden of any sin or carnal lust and knowledge of marriage.
It is also reported that when righteous Joseph, the Most Pure Virgin and the Infant of God were going to Egypt, in one deserted place robbers attacked them and wanted to take away their donkey, on which they carried the little that they needed for the journey, and on which sometimes and went on their own. One of those robbers, seeing the Child of extraordinary beauty and being surprised at such beauty, said:
“If God took upon Himself a human body, He would not want to be more beautiful than this Baby.”
Having said this, he forbade his comrades, the other robbers, and did not allow them to offend these travelers in any way. Then the Most Pure Mother of God said to that robber:
- Know that this Child will reward you generously for protecting Him.
This robber was the same one who later, at the crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross on the right side, and to whom the Lord said: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And the prophetic prediction of the Mother of God was fulfilled that “This Child will reward you.”
When they entered the Egyptian country and were within the borders of Thebaid, they approached the city of Hermopolis. Near the entrance to this city grew a very beautiful tree, called "Persea", which the local inhabitants, according to their idolatrous custom, revered as a god, because of its height and majestic beauty, worshiping it and making sacrifices to it, for in that tree lived and the demon revered by them. When the Most Pure Mother of God with the Divine Child approached that tree, it immediately shook violently, for the demon, fearing the coming of Jesus, fled. And the tree bowed its top to the very ground, paying due veneration to its Creator and His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin; in addition, it protected them from the heat of the sun with the shade of its many leafy branches and thus gave the weary holy travelers the opportunity to rest. And in this tilted form that tree remained as an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord to Egypt. After the Lord, His Mother and Joseph rested under this tree, this tree received healing power, for all sorts of diseases were healed from its branches. Then the holy travelers first of all entered that city and the idol temple that was in it, and immediately all the idols fell. Palladius mentions this temple in Lavsaik: “We saw,” he says, “there (in Hermopolis) an idol temple, in which, during the coming of the Savior, all the idols fell prostrate to the ground. Also in one village, called “Sirens,” three hundred and sixty-five idols fell in one temple, while Christ entered there with the Most Pure Matter.
After this, the holy travelers turned a little away from the city of Ermopolis and, looking for a place to stop, entered a village called “Natarea”, lying not far from Iliopolis. Joseph, near this village, left the Most Pure Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he himself went to the village for the sake of acquiring necessary. And that fig tree, which sheltered the holy pilgrims under itself, split in two from top to bottom and lowered its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or a tent over their head: and below, at its root, it formed in that cleft a kind of depression, convenient for staying, and there the Most Pure Virgin and Child lay down and rested from the journey. That place is still in great veneration not only among Christians, but also among the Saracens, who to this day (as told by reliable eyewitnesses) light a lamp with oil in a cleft of a tree in honor of the Virgin and Child who rested there.
Joseph and the Most Holy Theotokos wanted to stay in that village and, having found a hut for themselves not far from that tree, they began to live in it. Another miracle also happened by the power of the Divine Infant, for there, near their location and near that wonderful tree, a source of living water suddenly appeared, from which the Most Pure Virgin drew for her needs and in which she arranged a bath for Her Infant. That spring exists to this day, with very cold and healthy water. And what is even more surprising is that in the entire land of Egypt this is the only source of living water, and it is famous in that village. This ends the story about the stay of the Most Pure Mother of God with Christ in Egypt, where they stayed for several years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. Epiphanius says that - two years, and Nicephorus three years, and George Kedrin five years; others, like Ammonius of Alexandria, think that it is seven years. In any case, it is certain that before the death of Herod, like the Gospel, he says: “And he was there until the death of Herod” (Matthew 2:15).
After the murder of the Bethlehem babies and after the accursed Herod died an evil death, the Angel of the Lord again appeared in a dream to Joseph, commanding him to return from the land of Egypt to the land of Israel, “for (he said) those who sought the soul of the child had died.” Joseph stood up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judea, which was the best and largest part of the land of Israel. Having heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left behind three sons: the first Archelaus, the second Herod Antipas, and the third, the youngest, Philip. All of them, after the death of their father, went to Rome, to Caesar, because of rivalry, since each of them wanted to receive their father’s kingdom. Caesar, without giving any of them royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tetrarchies. He gave Judea to his elder brother Archelaus, Galileo to Herod Antipas, and the Trachonite country to his younger brother Philip; He gave Avilinia to Lysanias, the youngest son of Lysanias the elder, once a friend of Herod, and then killed by him out of envy.
Releasing all of them from Rome, Caesar promised Archelaus royal honor if only he would show good and careful management of his part. But Archelaus was no better than his cruel father, torturing and killing many, for, having come to Jerusalem, he immediately killed three thousand people in vain, and ordered many citizens to be tortured on the day of the holiday, in the middle of the temple, in front of the entire assembly of the Jews. Because of such cruelty, he was, after several years, slandered, deprived of power and exiled to prison. Joseph, on his return, heard that this evil Archelaus was reigning, although without the royal title, and was afraid to go to Judea, having received notification in a dream from that angel who had already appeared to him before, went into the borders of Galilee, into the possession of Herod Antipas, brother of Archelaus, for this Herod ruled the people with greater meekness than his brother; and Joseph settled in the city of Nazareth, in his house, where they had lived before, so that what was predicted about Christ the Lord by the prophets would be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazarite. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov “Lives of the Saints”
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The Orthodox calendar is rich in religious holidays. Significant dates within its framework are established as a sign of honoring God, numerous saints, certain events that played a significant role in the formation and strengthening of the Christian faith, and, of course, the Most Holy Theotokos - the main intercessor and patroness of all humanity. Known to any even slightly religious person are such large, bright holidays glorifying the Virgin Mary as Christmas, the Annunciation, and the Dormition. On the day following Christmas, January 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of these religious dates, which has a more specific character - the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Description of the holiday
January 8 is the day when the entire Orthodox world remembers the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ: the son of God, the Savior of mankind, the Messiah. This earthly righteous woman was chosen by the Creator to give birth to a man in whom the Lord himself and his plan were embodied; a person for whom heaven has prepared an unusual and at the same time inherently great destiny - the atonement of human sins by sacrificing himself.
It was in honor of the destiny of the chosen one, which the Virgin Mary with dignity and not without the help of God brought to life, carried through the years of her earthly existence, and the Christian Church established such an important religious holiday - the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary - on January 8, immediately after the Nativity of Christ. On this day, clergy and believers turn to the Mother of God with solemn chants of praise and speeches of gratitude. Services are held in churches, as they were the day before this holiday, during which a troparion filled with genuine joy certainly sounds: “Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Your venerable Cathedral is decorated with many different kindnesses, gifts are brought to you, O Lady, by many worldly people. Break our sinful bonds with Your mercy and save our souls.”
The Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in accordance with church tradition: to remember, after an important event dedicated to God, the Son of God, or directly connected with him, the person who played the main role in making this event happen. The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not the only holiday celebrated according to such a specific scheme. There is, for example, the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist, celebrated the day after the Epiphany; Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel, established immediately after the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc.
It should be noted that the holiday of January 8 is dedicated not only to the memory of the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ, but also to some persons who were directly related to the Most Pure One during her life on the sinful earth. As part of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the memory of:
- Saint Joseph the Betrothed, so called because, with the blessing of the high priest, he became engaged to the Virgin Mary in order to protect her purity and virginity;
- King David, who was the ancestor of Jesus Christ in the flesh;
- Saint James, son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage, who, together with his father, participated in accompanying the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus during the flight to Egypt.
history of the holiday
The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary has quite ancient origins. The establishment of this religious date occurred when the Christian Church, in fact, was just beginning its formation. The first mention of the feast of the Synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the 4th century. AD They were found in the teachings of Ambrose of Milan, Epiphanes of Cyprus and Augustine the Blessed, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ.
In these “lectures,” the praise of Jesus Christ smoothly alternates with the glorification of the Mother of God who brought him into the world. Officially, the holiday date was established in 681 at the Sixth Ecumenical Council. An indication of this event and the Christian holiday itself are contained in rule 79 of the document relating to this kind of religious conference.
An icon is dedicated to the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as to most Christian dates associated, in one way or another, with the personality of the Virgin Mary. It is a symbolic version of the Nativity of Christ icon. In the center of the composition is the Mother of God with the Baby Jesus in her arms, sitting on a throne. Around her are depicted angels, wise men and shepherds, as well as Church Fathers and Christian hymnographers praising the Most Pure One. The iconography of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is of Serbian origin. It has been known in Rus' since the 14th century.
About the personality of the Virgin Mary
There is no point in telling about the life of the Mother of God, because for this there are other, more meaningful religious holidays dedicated to the Most Pure One. But it is very appropriate to talk about the virtues of the Most Holy Theotokos, which were inherent in this earthly woman chosen by the Creator.
Firstly, the Virgin Mary is the embodiment of complete devotion to God's will to the detriment of her own. When the Archangel Gabriel, at the direction of the Lord, brought the good news to the future Mother of God about her impending immaculate conception of the Son of God, she replied: “Behold the servant of the Lord, be unto Me according to thy word,” thereby expressing absolute humility before the will of the Almighty.
It would seem that what is so difficult about accepting the great dignity and title of the Mother of God, since this is associated with triumph, glory, and not with humiliation? However, the Mother of God suffered an endless number of troubles, sorrows and temptations, therefore meekness in this case turned out to be the crown of human selflessness. Agreeing with the will of God, the Virgin Mary voluntarily took upon her shoulders the entire burden of possible (and actual!) suffering and deprivation: the martyrdom of Jesus alone in atonement for the sins of mankind was worth so much! Moreover, even this terrible event did not shake my humility.
Secondly, the virtue of the future Mother of God consisted in the fact that throughout her earthly life she kept a vow of virginity and purity: both spiritual and physical. Who knows whether the Virgin Mary would have agreed to become the mother of the Child Jesus, sent by God to earth through earthly birth, if the need to break this vow was implied? The Mother of God gave an answer to the Archangel Gabriel only after she learned about the immaculate conception, but not before, being in complete ignorance. The Holy Scripture also testifies to this, where it is said: “For what does She say to him? “What will this happen if I don’t know where my husband is?”
Finally, the third virtue of the Virgin Mary was the courage with which the woman chosen by God endured all the hardships that befell her. In this sense, the Mother of God is the clearest example of this virtue, of course, after Jesus Christ.
Based on the foregoing, on the feast of January 8, the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in prayers offered to the Virgin Mary, one should ask for the granting of just these three important virtues. Indeed, in our world, which is losing more and more grains of light every minute, we so lack precisely humility, spiritual purity of thoughts and courage to bear our cross with dignity.
It is interesting that in pagan Rus', on January 8, the Slavs celebrated the holiday “Woman's porridge”. On this day, midwives were honored, who in the old days helped women in labor and had wise knowledge.
On the same day, believers remember Saint Joseph the Betrothed and King David, from whose tribe were (descended according to the flesh) the Mother of God and Joseph the Betrothed. This is also the day of remembrance of Saint James, the brother of the Lord from the first marriage of Saint Joseph - he, James, later one of the first of the Lord's apostles among the seventy, was with the family during the flight of the Holy Family with the Infant Christ to Egypt from the persecution of King Herod.
The Mother of God became the vessel from which the Savior of mankind was born. She, who gave birth to her Son, the Lamb of God, who began his earthly journey in a den - a cave that served as a stall for livestock, gave Him up to suffer on the cross for all of us who believed in Him. With his precious Crucifixion, He turned the cross of torment and sorrow, a symbol of the most shameful execution among the Jews, into the Life-Giving Tree, and physical death, trampling hell, into the possibility of Resurrection in the flesh, which is available to everyone who trusts Him and follows Him.
The holiday was established in the first centuries of Christianity - Epiphanius of Cyprus, Saint Ambrose of Milan and Blessed Augustine, speaking about the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, in their first sermons and teachings combined praise of the Lord, His Incarnation into man with praises of the Most Pure Blessed Virgin. The final celebration of the day of the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established at the Sixth Ecumenical Council, convened in 691, in its 79th rule.
Some signs and customs associated with the holiday
But, as everywhere else, national cultural roots could not disappear without a trace with the advent of Christianity. They were preserved in the form of rituals, folklore holidays, merging with the Orthodox church cultural tradition, which enriched and spiritually ennobled the folk tradition, giving it a deeper sound: the Honey and Apple Savior, Christmas carols, Maslenitsa, where every day is the beginning of preparation for Lent, Easter, Trinity... All holidays contain a special, our, Russian national spirit. The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, too, in the old days was not only a spiritual holiday, but also a suitable joyful occasion for the preservation of certain customs and rituals.
In the old days, on this day, rural women baked pies and took them with them, going to church to “treat” the Most Pure One, and celebrated a special women’s holiday - “women’s porridge.” The women cooked delicious porridge, took pies, homemade lard, meat for cabbage soup and flour and went to visit the midwives, so that those in the house would have wealth, so that the one who welcomes a newborn into the world would never need anything. It is not difficult to see a symbolic parallel in this, a veiled hint that the Blessed Virgin herself received the newborn Christ-child. In addition, the midwives were given canvases or towels so that the birth she took would be successful and easy. It was a women's affair, therefore neither unmarried girls nor men were allowed to participate in the holiday.
A little about the iconography of the icon dedicated to the holiday and other icons of the Mother of God
The most famous icon of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary comes from Serbia; it has been known in Russian iconography since the 14th century. Art historians consider this image to be a symbolic version of the “Nativity” icon, since its composition and the biblical characters present on it are close to the “Nativity” icon. It is also believed that the icon of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an illustration for the Christmas stichera written by St. John of Damascus, “What shall we bring,” since it accurately conveys the content of the stichera, which sings about all the gifts brought to His cradle: singing praising the Mother of God and the Infant God - from the angels, the star of Bethlehem - from heaven, gifts - from the wise men and amazement - from the shepherds. Here below are depicted those who sang the event of the Nativity, and the Mother of God, and the Fathers of the Church.
We come to Her icons and pray to the Most Pure One before them. But She also speaks to us from the icons. Icon “Softening Evil Hearts” (Semistrelnaya)- Her indication to us of the need for peace and harmony among ourselves, for every discord - tribal, family, any - like a sharp arrow, pierces Her loving heart, because now, after the Incarnation, we - and Her children, are forever quarreling among themselves to the great the sorrows of our common Heavenly Mother.
Much to pray for Kazan Icon of the Mother of God- one of the main icons of Russia, in whatever troubles those praying turn their gaze to the Mother of God, but especially in front of this icon they ask for deliverance from vision problems. In front of her, since she belongs to the Hodegetria-Guide type, as in front of any other icon of this type, for example, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, they pray for help on the upcoming journey.
Before icon “Inexhaustible Chalice” they ask for relief from the disease of drug addiction, alcoholism and smoking, for resolution of housing problems, and in general they ask for prosperity in the house. And before the image of the Virgin Mary "Quick to Hear"- about the successful delivery of pregnancy and the birth of healthy children. They also pray for spiritual insight, especially in moments when a person is at a loss and does not know what to do. The Mother of God is addressed to the Mother of God in front of Her “Quick to Hear” icon in all cases when especially quick and effective help is needed in Her prayer to the Son. Also, the Mother of God, through her icon “Quick to Hear,” gives help in curing various diseases, even cancer.
Has a very powerful healing effect Icon of the Mother of God “Vsetsaritsa”("Pantanassa") She is known throughout the world as a cancer healer. The very name of the icon - “All-Mistress”, “All-Mistress” - speaks of its special, all-encompassing power. Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The All-Tsarina” they pray for healing from fatal diseases, most often from cancer, for deliverance from witchcraft and conspiracies, and parents whose children are addicted to drugs and alcohol turn to the Mother of God in front of Her icon “The All-Tsarina” for help.
According to legend, the first icon of Eleus - the Tenderness - was painted during the earthly life of the Mother of God by the Evangelist Luke, who entered the house of the Most Holy Theotokos. He depicted the Most Pure One on the tabletop at which the Holy Family was eating. One of the most famous and revered variants of Eleusa in Russian traditions is. In sorrows and temptations, they read prayers and akathists before her, praying to the Mother of God for the humility of those at war, for the softening of evil hearts, as well as for the healing of physical and mental illnesses.
In front of any icon of the Mother of God, we can ask for everything, but every iconographic image of Her acquired in the history of its creation or acquisition carries Her commandment to us, which we can especially ask for precisely in front of this image. Therefore, the great many famous icons of the Mother of God are evidence of Her many all-encompassing love and attention to us and readiness for help and intercession.
But, remembering Her maternal feat, let us not forget to thank Her and praise Her for the fact that She gave the world the Eternal God Jesus Christ, thereby opening for us the time of the New Testament, and, as they say, in one of the prayers, through Her Incarnation taken the whole human race for adoption.
Troparion of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, tone 4
Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Thy venerable Cathedral is adorned with many different kindnesses, gifts are brought to Thee, O Lady, by many worldly people, Break our sinful bonds with Thy mercy and save our souls.
Kontakion of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, tone 6
Who was born before the star from the Father without a mother, on earth without a father was incarnated today from You. In the same way, the star preaches the good news to the sorcerer, while the angels and the shepherds sing your indescribable Nativity, O Blessed One.
Prayer - Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos
Theotokos, Virgin, rejoice, blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.