Mother of God history. Immaculate Virgin Mary: life

Veneration of the Virgin Mary

From the earliest times of Christianity, Pres. The Virgin Mary, for her great virtues, God's election and help to those in need, enjoyed veneration and reverence among Christians.

The glory of the Virgin Mary began from the time when the Archangel Gabriel, greeting Her: “Rejoice, Blessed One, the Lord is with You! Blessed are You in wives! " He announced to Her the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, incomprehensible to people. The same greeting with the addition of the words: "Blessed is the fruit of your womb," met the Most Pure Righteous Elizabeth, whom the Holy Spirit revealed that before her was the Mother of God (Luke 1: 28-42).

Reverent veneration of the Most Holy. The Mother of God in the Christian Church is expressed by many holidays, with which the Church celebrates the memories of various events in the life of the Blessed Virgin.

Great ascetics and teachers of the Church composed songs of praise, akathists in honor of the Virgin Mary, uttered inspired words ... With such reverent veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of course, it is comforting and edifying to know how She lived, how she prepared, how she matured to such a height to become a repository incompatible God-Word.

The Old Testament Scriptures, predicting about the incarnation of the Son of God, also predicted about St. Virgin Mary. Thus, the first promise about the Redeemer, given to fallen man, already contained a prophecy about the Most Holy. Virgo in the words of the serpent's condemnation: "I will put enmity between you and between the Woman, and between your seed and between her Seed"(Genesis 3:15). The prophecy of the Virgin Mary is that the future Redeemer is here called the Seed of the Woman, while in all other cases the descendants were called the seed of one of the male ancestors. The Holy Prophet Isaiah clarifies this prophecy, pointing out that the Wife, who has to give birth to the Messiah-Emmanuel, will be a virgin: "The Lord Himself will give you a sign,"- says the prophet to the low-believing descendants of King David, - “ behold, Virgo(Isa. 7:14). And although the word "Virgo" seemed inappropriate to the ancient Jews, in the womb she will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us ” because birth certainly presupposes conjugal intercourse, but nevertheless they did not dare to replace the word "Virgo" with another word, for example, "woman".

The earthly life of the Mother of God on the basis of Holy Scripture and church tradition

The Evangelist Luke, who knew the Holy Virgin Mary closely, wrote down from Her words several important events related to early years Her life. Being a doctor and artist, He, according to legend, painted Her portrait-icon, with which later icon painters made copies.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary... When the time approached for the birth of the Savior of the world, a descendant of King David, Joachim, lived in the Galilean city of Nazareth with his wife Anna. Both of them were pious people and were known for their humility and mercy. They lived to a ripe old age, and had no children. This made them very sad. But, despite their old age, they did not stop asking God to send them a child and make a vow (promise) - if a baby is born to them, to dedicate it to serve God. At that time, not having children was considered God's punishment for sins. Childlessness was especially difficult for Joachim, because according to the prophecies, the Messiah-Christ was to be born in his lineage. For patience and faith, the Lord sent great joy to Joachim and Anna: finally, they had a daughter. She was given the name Mary, which means in Hebrew "Lady, Hope."

Introduction to the Temple. When the Virgin Mary was three years old, Her pious parents prepared to fulfill their vow: they took Her to the Jerusalem temple for dedication to God. Mary remained to live at the temple. There She, along with other girls, studied the Law of God and needlework, prayed and read the Holy Scriptures. At the temple of God, the Most Holy Mary lived for about eleven years and grew up deeply pious, obedient to God in everything, unusually modest and hardworking. Wanting to serve only God, She made a promise not to marry and remain a Virgin forever.

Blessed virgin Mary at Joseph... The aged Joachim and Anna did not live long, and the Virgin Mary was left an orphan. When She was fourteen years old, according to the law, She could not stay any longer at the temple, but she had to get married. The high priest, knowing her promise not to break the law on matrimony, formally betrothed Her to a distant relative, the widowed eighty-year-old Elder Joseph. He pledged to take care of Her and to guard Her virginity. Joseph lived in the city of Nazareth. He also came from the royal family of David, but he was not a rich man and worked as a carpenter. From his first marriage, Joseph had children Judas, Josiah, Simon and Jacob, who in the Gospels are called “brothers” of Jesus. The Blessed Virgin Mary led in the house of Joseph the same modest and secluded life as in the church.

Annunciation. In the sixth month after the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of the prophet John the Baptist, the same Archangel was sent by God to the city of Nazareth to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the joyful news that the Lord had chosen Her to be the Mother of the Savior of the world. The Angel, having appeared, said to Her: “ Rejoice Blessed!(that is, full of grace) - The Lord is with You! Blessed are You among wives. " Mary was embarrassed by the words of the Angel and thought: what does this greeting mean? The Angel continued to say to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. And, behold, you will give birth to a Son and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High, and His Kingdom will have no end. " Maria asked Angel in bewilderment: “How will it be when I don’t know my husband?” The Angel replied to Her that this would be accomplished by the power of the Almighty God: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore, the Holy One being born will be called the Son of God. Behold, your relative, Elizabeth, who had no children until she was very old, will soon give birth to a son; for God will not remain powerless no word ”. Then Mary humbly said: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be according to my word yours ”. And the Archangel Gabriel departed from Her.

Visit of Righteous Elizabeth... The Blessed Virgin Mary, having learned from the Angel that Her relative Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah, would soon have a son, hurried to visit her. Entering the house, She greeted Elizabeth. Hearing this greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and learned that Mary was honored to be the Mother of God. She exclaimed loudly and said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is it so joyful for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? " The Blessed Virgin Mary, in response to Elizabeth's words, glorified God with the words: “My soul magnifies (glorifies) the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, My Savior, because He has looked (paid gracious attention) to the humility of His servant; henceforth, all generations (all peoples of the people) will bless (glorify) Me. Thus the Mighty One has created greatness for me, and His name is holy; and His mercy from generations to generations to those who fear Him. " The Virgin Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, and then returned home to Nazareth.

God also announced to the righteous elder Joseph about the imminent birth of the Savior from the Blessed Virgin Mary. An angel of God, appearing to him in a dream, revealed that Mary would have a Son by the action of the Holy Spirit, as the Lord God announced through the prophet Isaiah (7:14) and commanded to give Him the name “Jesus (Yeshua) in Hebrew means Savior because He will save people from their sins ”.

Further Gospel narratives mention the Most Holy. Virgin Mary in connection with the events in the life of Her Son - our Lord Jesus Christ. So, they talk about Her in connection with the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, then - circumcision, the worship of the Magi, offering a sacrifice to the temple on the 40th day, flight to Egypt, settling in Nazareth, traveling to Jerusalem on the feast of Easter, when He was 12 years and so on. We will not describe these events here. It should be noted, however, that although the Gospel mentions of the Virgin Mary are brief, they give the reader a clear idea of ​​Her great moral height: Her modesty, great faith, patience, courage, obedience to the will of God, love and devotion to His Divine Son. We see why She, according to the word of the Angel, was worthy to “find grace from God”.

The first miracle performed by Jesus Christ at a marriage (wedding) in Cana of Galilee, gives us a vivid image of the Virgin Mary, like Intercessors before His Son for all people in difficult circumstances. Noticing a lack of wine at the wedding feast, the Virgin Mary drew the attention of Her Son to this, and although the Lord answered Her evasively - “What is Me and You, wife? My hour has not yet come ”. She was not embarrassed by this half-refusal, being sure that the Son would not ignore Her request, and said to the ministers: "Whatever He says to you, do it." How evident in this warning of the servants is the compassionate solicitude of the Mother of God that the work begun by Her should be brought to a favorable end! Indeed, Her intercession did not remain without fruit, and Jesus Christ performed His first miracle here, bringing out of the difficult situation of poor people, after which “His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11).

In further narratives, the Gospel depicts the Mother of God for us, being in constant anxiety for Her Son, following His wanderings, coming to Him in various difficult cases, taking care of the arrangement of His home rest and rest, to which, apparently, He never agreed ... Finally, we see Her, standing in indescribable sorrow at the cross of Her Crucified Son, hearing His last words and covenants, entrusting Her with the care of His beloved disciple. Not a single word of reproach or despair leaves Her lips. She surrenders everything to the will of God.

There is also a brief mention of the Virgin Mary in the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles, when on Her and on the Apostles in the day Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues of fire. After that, according to legend, She lived for another 10-20 years. The Apostle John the Theologian, according to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, received Her into his home and with great love, like a native son, took care of Her until Her death. When the Christian faith spread to other countries, many Christians came from distant countries to see and listen to Her. Since then, the Blessed Virgin Mary has become a common Mother and high example to follow.

Dormition... Once, when the Most Holy Mary was praying on the Mount of Olives (near Jerusalem), the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her with a paradise date branch in his hands and told Her that in three days Her earthly life would end, and the Lord would take Her to Himself. The Lord arranged it so that by this time the apostles from different countries gathered in Jerusalem. At the hour of death, an extraordinary light illuminated the room where the Virgin Mary lay. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, surrounded by angels, appeared and received Her most pure soul. The Apostles buried the most pure body of the Mother of God, at Her desire, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the cave where the bodies of Her parents and righteous Joseph were buried. Many miracles took place during the burial. From touching the bed of the Mother of God, the blind received their sight, demons were cast out and every disease was healed.

Three days after the burial of the Mother of God, the apostle arrived in Jerusalem and was late for the burial. Thomas... He was very saddened that he did not say goodbye to the Mother of God and with all his soul he wanted to bow to Her most pure body. When they opened the cave where the Virgin Mary was buried, they did not find Her body in it, but only one burial shroud. The astonished apostles returned to the house. In the evening, while praying, they heard angelic singing. Looking up, the apostles saw the Virgin Mary in the air, surrounded by angels, in the radiance of heavenly glory. She said to the apostles: “ Rejoice! I am with you all the days! "

She fulfills this promise to be the helper and intercessor of Christians to this day, becoming our heavenly Mother. For Her great love and the all-powerful help Christians from ancient times honor Her and turn to her for help, calling her “the zealous intercessor of the Christian race,” “the joy of all who sorrow,” “she does not leave us in her dormition”. Since ancient times, following the example of the prophet Isaiah and the righteous Elizabeth, Christians began to call Her the Mother of the Lord and the Mother of God. This name stems from the fact that She gave flesh to the One who always was and will always be the true God.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is also a great role model for all those who seek to please God. She was the first to decide wholly devote your life to God. She showed that voluntary virginity is higher than family and marriage life... Imitating Her, starting from the first centuries, many Christians began to lead a virgin life in prayer, fasting and divine contemplation. This is how monasticism arose and was established. Unfortunately, the modern heterodox world does not at all appreciate and even ridicules the feat of virginity, forgetting the words of the Lord: “There are eunuchs (virgins) who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven,” adding: “Who can accommodate, yes will accommodate! "(Matthew 19:12).

Summarizing this brief overview of the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it should be said that She, both at the moment of Her greatest glory, when she was chosen to become the Mother of the Savior of the world, and at the time of Her greatest sorrow, when at the foot of the cross, according to the prophecy of righteous Simeon, “ the weapon passed Her soul, ”she showed complete composure. By this, she discovered all the strength and beauty of Her virtues: humility, unshakable faith, patience, courage, hope in God and love for Him! That is why we, the Orthodox, honor Her so highly and try to imitate Her.

Modern miracles and appearances of the Mother of God

From the first days after Her Assumption to this day, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been helping Christians. This is evidenced by Her numerous miracles and phenomena. Here are some of them.

Celebration of COVER The Mother of God is set in remembrance of the vision of St. Andrew of the Mother of God, covering Christians with Her omophorion (with a long veil) in the Blachernae Church during the siege of Constantinople by enemies in the 10th century. At four o'clock in the morning, the blessed one saw the majestic Wife, walking from the royal doors, supported by St. Forerunner and John the Theologian, and many saints preceded her; others followed her, singing hymns and spiritual songs. St. Andrew approached his disciple Epiphanius and asked if he saw the Queen of the world. “I see,” he replied. And when they looked, she, kneeling before the pulpit, prayed for a long time, shedding tears. Then She went up to the throne and prayed for the Orthodox people. At the end of the prayer, She removed the veil from Her head and spread it over all the standing people. The city was saved. St. Andrew was a Slav by birth, and Russians very much honor the Feast of the Intercession, dedicating many churches to it.

Further information in this chapter regarding the apparitions of the Mother of God is drawn mainly from the foreign press. Our Church has not yet expressed its opinion on their opinion, and we provide them here as additional information.

Shortly before the revolution in Russia, on May 13, 1917, the Mother of God appeared to three Portuguese shepherd children in FATIME... After that, She appeared to the children for several months, surrounded by radiance. Believers in numbers from five to eighteen thousand people flocked to Her apparitions from all parts of Portugal. An unforgettable miracle happened when, after a pouring rain, an extraordinary light suddenly shone, and the wet clothes on the people instantly dried up. The Mother of God called people to repentance and prayer and predicted the forthcoming “conversion of Russia” (from godlessness to faith in God).

Starting on April 2, 1968, for more than a year, the Mother of God appeared in the suburbs CAIRO Zeitune above the temple dedicated to Her name. Her apparitions, which usually took place between 12 am and 5 am, attracted large numbers of worshipers. The Mother of God was surrounded by radiance sometimes as bright as the sun, and white doves hovered around. Soon the whole of Egypt learned about the apparitions of the Mother of God, and the government began to take care that the public meetings at the place of Her apparitions were orderly. Local newspapers wrote about these frequent apparitions of the Mother of God. Arabic... Several press conferences were held about the phenomena, at which people shared their impressions and what they heard from Her. She visited the Mother of God and individuals in the vicinity of Cairo, for example, the Coptic Patriarch, who doubted Her appearances to the people. During the apparitions of the Mother of God, many healings also took place, witnessed by local doctors.

The Washington Post on July 5, 1986 reported on new apparitions of the Mother of God over the Church of St. Demians in the working class of Terra Gulakia, north of Cairo. The Virgin Mary held the Infant Christ in Her arms and was accompanied by several saints, among them St. Demiana. As in previous years, the apparitions of the Mother of God were accompanied by numerous healings of incurable diseases, for example, blindness, kidney, heart and others.

Since June 1981, the Mother of God began to appear to people on the mountain in INTERDUGORIE(Yugoslavia). Sometimes up to ten thousand people flocked to Her appearances. People saw Her in an unearthly radiance. Then the appearances to the people stopped, and the Mother of God began to appear regularly to six young people and talk with them. Mezhgirie has become a place of constant pilgrimage for believers from all over the world. Local, Italian and other newspapers wrote and are writing about these phenomena. The Mother of God gradually revealed 10 secrets to the young people, which they should in due time tell the representatives of the church. The Mother of God promised that 3 days after the message of Her last secret She will leave a visible "sign" for unbelievers. Representatives of medicine and other respectable people testify that young people who see the Mother of God are completely normal and their external reactions to visions are natural. Often the Mother of God, crying, spoke to young people about the need to establish peace on earth: “Peace, peace! The earth will not be saved unless peace is established on it. It will come only if people find God. The Lord is life. Those who believe in Him will find life and peace ... People have forgotten prayer and fasting; many Christians have stopped praying. ” It is interesting to note that in Medjugorje, where atheism prevailed before and there were many party members, all residents became believers and left communist party... Many miraculous healings took place in connection with the apparitions of the Mother of God in Mezhdugorje.

On Easter 1985 in the city LVOV during the ministry of Metropolitan John in the cathedral in the name of the Holy Mother of God and in the presence of a large crowd of believers, a cloud suddenly appeared in the gap of the window, shining like a ray of the sun. Gradually, it formed into a human figure and everyone recognized the Mother of God in Her. In a spiritual outburst, people began to pray loudly and cry for help. The people standing outside also saw the image of the Mother of God in the window and tried to enter the church and prayed loudly. The crowd grew larger, and the rumor of a miracle spread with the speed of lightning. All the efforts of the police to disperse the worshipers were in vain. People began to arrive from Kiev, from the Pochaev Lavra, Moscow, Tiflis and other cities. The Lvov authorities asked Moscow to send military personnel and experts in the field of science to help. Scientists began to prove that there can be no miracles for people to disperse. And suddenly the Mother of God spoke: "Pray, repent of your sins, because there is very little time left ..." During the sermon, the Mother of God healed many crippled and sick people. The visions of the Mother of God and healing lasted three and a half weeks, and She still spoke a lot for the salvation of people. People did not disperse either day or night.

Some miraculous icons of the Mother of God

VLADIMIRSKAYA the icon is one of the oldest miraculous icons of the Mother of God. In the middle of the U-th century it was transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople, and in the middle of the XII-th century it was sent by the patriarch to Kiev to the Great. book Yuri Dolgoruky and staged in the Maiden Monastery in Vyshgorod. In 1155 the prince of Vyshgorod Andrey, going north, took with him the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. On the way, prayers were served and miracles were performed. On the banks of the Klyazma, the horses carrying the icons could not move. The prince named this place Bogolyubov, created two stone churches here, in one of which the icon was placed. In 1160, on September 21, the icon was transferred to the Vladimir Church, and from that time it became known as "Vladimirskaya." Since 1395 St. the icon is located in the Moscow Dormition Cathedral on the left side of the royal gates. The icon became famous for many miracles. Before her, Russian tsars were anointed for the kingdom, metropolitans were elected. The celebration of the icon takes place on September 8, as well as on June 3 (according to new art). on the occasion of the deliverance of Moscow from the Crimean Khan in 1521, who was terrified by the vision of a miraculous army near Moscow.

KAZAN icon. In 1579, the nine-year-old girl Matrona, whose parents' house burned down during a fire in Kazan in 1579, saw in a dream the image of the Mother of God and heard a voice commanding to take St. an icon hidden in the ashes of a burnt house. The holy icon was found wrapped in an old cloth under the stove in a burnt house where it was buried, probably even during the Tatar rule in Kazan, when the Orthodox were forced to hide their faith. The holy icon was solemnly transferred to the nearest church of St. Nicholas, and then to the Cathedral of the Annunciation and became famous for the healings of the blind. A copy of this icon was made and sent to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In honor of the appearance of the icon, a special holiday was established on July 21 (New Art.).

Icon SIGNS(Kurskaya Korennaya) was acquired on September 8, 1295 by a hunter on the banks of the Tuskari River in the Kursk region, on the ground at the root of a tree. They built a chapel and erected an icon, which began to manifest itself as miracles. In 1383 Crimean Tatars who devastated the area, cut the icon in two and threw them into different sides... They took into captivity the priest Bogolyub, who served in the chapel. Redeemed by the ambassadors of the Moscow Grand Duke, Bogolyub found the split parts of the icon, folded them, and they miraculously fused together. In 1597 the icon was brought to Moscow at the request of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich. Upon the return of the shrine on the site of the chapel, a monastery was founded, called the Root Hermitage. Since the time of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, the icon has been inserted into a cypress board with the image of the Lord of hosts above, and on the sides - the prophets. With a miraculous vision, the icon saved Kursk from its capture by the Poles in 1612. Grateful residents in the city built the Znamensky Monastery, in which she then stayed annually from September 12 to Friday 9th week after Easter. The rest of the time she was in the Root Desert. On March 7, 1898, the icon remained unharmed during an attempt by intruders to blow it up in the Cathedral of the Znamensky Monastery, although there was general destruction around it. During the revolution, the icon was stolen on April 12, 1918 and miraculously found in a well on August 1. The icon was taken out of Russia in 1920 by bishop. Theophanes of Kursk, and was in Yugoslavia in the Holy Trinity Church in Belgrade. Great help was provided by the shrine during the bombing of Belgrade during the Second World War: bombs never hit the houses visited by the icon, although everything around them was destroyed. Now the icon is in the Cathedral of the Sign of B.M. NY f. From time to time the icon is transported for worship in various churches of the Russian Church Abroad.

Crying Icons. Over the past 100-150 years, several icons of the Mother of God have appeared, shedding tears. This kind of miracle probably indicates the grief of the Mother of God for the people about the disasters impending on the world.

In February 1854, one of the icons of the Mother of God began to shed tears in the Orthodox Church at the Sokol Romanian Monastery. This miracle coincided with Crimean war in Russia. The miracle of shedding tears attracted thousands of pilgrims every day. The miraculous flow of tears happened sometimes every day, and sometimes at intervals of 2 - 3 days.

In March 1960 in Greek Orthodox family Katsunis, who lives in Long Island, New York, began to shed tears on the lithographic icon "Passionate" (or "Roman") of the Mother of God. During the transfer of the icon to the Greek Cathedral of St. Paul during the entire journey, white doves hovered in the air above the icon. From the profuse flow of tears, the paper on which the icon is written was completely wrinkled. Sometimes the tears seemed bloody. Pious pilgrims applied cotton wool to the icon, and the cotton wool filled with moisture. Soon, in the house of another Greek Orthodox family, Kulis, who lives in the same area, the lithographic icon of the Mother of God, Iverskaya, also began to shed tears. These two crying icons attracted a large number of worshipers. A large number of miracles originating from these icons have been noted in the foreign and local press. One of these icons was even subjected to scientific research to identify the source of those tears. Scientists at the University of British Columbia testified to the fact that tears were flowing, but they could not explain it scientifically.

December 6, 1986 the iconostasis icon of the Mother of God in the Albanian Church of St. Nicholas the Pleasant in the city of Chicago began to shed tears. This miracle sometimes attracts 5 thousand people to the temple, who want to see the miraculous icon. This crying icon was painted 23 years ago by the Manhattan artist Konstantin Yussis. A specially assembled commission testified that "there can be no question of any mystification."

WORLDWIDE icon. The Orthodox Spaniard Joseph, living on Athos, saw a copy of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God in the monastery and wished to acquire it. At first he was refused, but then, unexpectedly, the abbot handed him this icon with the words: "Take this icon must go with you!" Joseph brought the icon to Montreal. On November 24, 1982, at 3 am, Joseph's room was filled with a fragrance: drops of wonderfully fragrant myrrh (special oil) appeared on the surface of the icon. Archbishop Vitaly of Canada offered to bring the icon to the cathedral, then other temples began to be visited with the icon. During the chrismation, the glass door of the icon case opens, and each praying person can see how St. myrrh slowly flows from the surface of the icon. Sometimes, during the crowded services of St. miro appears on outside glass and before the eyes of the worshipers in abundant quantities flows down to the floor, and the fragrance fills the entire temple. It is also remarkable that on Holy Week myrrh does not appear on the icon at all, and after Easter it flows again. Many miraculous healings took place from the icon. The smell of St. the world changes from time to time, but it is always extremely pleasant and strong. Whoever doubts about miracles in our time should look at the Myrrh-streaming icon: an obvious and great miracle!

There is no way here to list all the miraculous icons of the Mother of God. After the revolution in Russia, a large number of old icons began to be renewed. Sometimes icons, right in front of the eyes of people, for a short time turned from dark ones to light, as if they had been recently painted. There are thousands of such renewed icons.

Signs and wonders do not work without a reason. There is no doubt that numerous modern miracles and appearances of the Mother of God are aimed at awakening in people faith in God and a sense of repentance. But the world has become deaf to everything spiritual. Turning more and more with his back to God, he, having bitten the bit, rushes swiftly towards his death. At this time of all kinds of disasters, shocks and temptations, we must remember our Heavenly Mother and Intercessor at the throne of God. Holy Mother of God, save us!

The most important holidays in honor of the Mother of God (new style):

Annunciation - April 7th,
Dormition - August 28th,
Christmas Day - September 21st,
Pokrov - October 14th,
Introduction to the Temple - December 4th.

Bishop Alexander Mileant

The Virgin Mary, Holy Mother of God The Queen of Heaven is the earthly mother of Jesus Christ. IN Holy Scriptures there are not many references to Her earthly path and absolutely nothing about what the Mother of Christ felt and thought at the moment of His execution at Calvary. In the Bible, nothing distracts from the main thing - the Word of God. We tried to tell you about why the Mother of God is revered in Christianity and what we know about Her earthly life.

The Virgin Mary. Childhood

According to Tradition, the Virgin Mary was born in one of the suburbs of Jerusalem. Presumably, the house in which She lived until the age of three was in the Old City, at the Lion's Gate. The parents of the Virgin Mary were the righteous Joachim and Anna. They did not have children for a long time, so they made a vow to consecrate the child to God.

On December 4, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the age of three, the Virgin Mary was sent to an orphanage at the Jerusalem Temple, where She grew up and was brought up. At the same time, the Virgin Mary was led into the temple itself. The introduction into the temple was a completely unique event, because at that time a woman could not enter this building. Only the High Priests were allowed there, and not every day, but only once a year, but when he saw the Virgin Mary, the High Priest allowed Her there, obviously foreseeing that in front of him was the future animated Temple of God.

At the temple, the Virgin Mary studied, studied, grew up in a religious environment and led a righteous life. It was there that the Virgin Mary lived before her betrothal to the righteous Joseph. Modern Wall the weeping in Israel is part of the wall that surrounded that temple.

The Virgin Mary. Adolescence

The Virgin Mary dreamed of living at the temple and dedicating herself to God. But they could not leave her at the temple after coming of age (in those days the age of majority reached 12 years old). For that time, this was also an amazing decision, because the decision not to marry in order to devote oneself to the Lord became widespread later. In those days “be fruitful and multiply” was perceived not as a blessing, but rather as a commandment and a necessity. According to the laws of that time, the Virgin Mary had to return to her parents' house or get married. Then Mary was betrothed to the righteous Joseph. Joseph had already reached his venerable years by that time, so marriage was not a marriage in the full sense of the word. Joseph did not know Mary, he became, rather, a guardian and mentors, since after coming of age she had nowhere to go. She was left an orphan.

The Virgin Mary. Good news

The Virgin Mary moved to Nazareth, to her husband's house. In those days it was a remote place, not at all where She used to live. But it was here that an Angel appeared to the Virgin Mary to proclaim the Good News. Righteous Joseph was a carpenter and often left home to work. The angel appeared to the Virgin Mary at this very moment. According to Tradition, Mary went to her relative, the righteous Elizabeth, the future relative of John the Baptist. She spent three months at Elizabeth's house. During this time, it became clear that the Virgin Mary was expecting a child. But Joseph, discovering that the Virgin Mary was not idle, was saddened, thinking that she had sinned and decided to secretly let her go in order to save her from shame and execution. Then an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, in order to reveal to him the Divine nature of conception by a Virgin who did not know a husband. The angel commanded to name the Son of Mary Jesus, which means the Savior, clearly denoting His Heavenly origin. Joseph was so righteous and faithful to God that he did not need additional miracles.

“He is born on earth not to live: for this did not require Him to be born on earth, but to die, to descend into hell itself, to give birth to life from death, from hell to the sons of heaven, from the destruction of the lime of those who are saved. Thus He saves His people from their sins. The Angel did not say to Joseph: she will give birth to you a Son, - says St. John Chrysostom, - but only said: She will give birth to a Son, for Mary gave birth not from Joseph, and not Joseph, but the whole Universe. "

Nativity

Jesus was born in a stable, in a cattle stall. To participate in the census, the Virgin Mary and Joseph, both belonging to the family of David, went to Bethlehem, but there was no room for them in the hotel, just as there was no place for the Son of God in our fallen world. The first manger for Jesus was a cattle feeder. According to the Gospel of Luke, the shepherds were the first to know this message, grazing their flocks near the birthplace of the Savior. They learned great joy from the Angel of the Lord and hastened to worship the Divine Infant.

The angel said to them: "Do not be afraid: behold, I preach great joy to you, he will be all people, as if the Savior is born to you this day, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David"

Magi Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar also saw a star in the East and went to bring gifts to the Savior of the World.

Virgin Mary and the miracle at Cana of Galilee

On the eighth day, the Infant Jesus was circumcised according to the traditions of that time, and on the fortieth day he was brought to the Jerusalem temple. It was there that Simeon the God-Receiver predicted the coming suffering to the Virgin Mary. Further in Scripture, we see references to how at the age of twelve Jesus was lost during a visit to the Jerusalem temple and it turned out that He communicated with the priests who listened to Him. The Virgin Mary was also at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine. He did this at the request of his Mother, mentioning nevertheless that “the time has not yet come”. This was the first miracle performed by Jesus.

On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the Mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the marriage. And as there was a lack of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him: they have no wine. Jesus says to her: what is to me and to you, wife? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants: whatever He says to you, do it.

There were also six stone waterpots, standing according to the custom of the cleansing of the Jews, containing two or three measures. Jesus says to them: Fill the vessels with water. And filled them to the top. And he said to them: Now draw up and take it to the master of the feast. And they carried it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine - and he did not know where this wine came from, only the servants who drew the water knew - then the steward calls the groom and says to him: every man serves good wine first, and when they get drunk, then the worst; and you have saved good wine until now. So Jesus started miracles in Cana of Galilee and showed His glory; and his disciples believed on him.
(John 2: 1-11)

The most tragic moment in the life of the Virgin Mary, which Scripture mentions, was the presence at Calvary, where the Mother of God watched the execution of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the cross, Jesus says to his beloved disciple John: “Behold thy Mother!”. Transferring the care of His earthly Mother to the Apostle John.

All the disciples gathered to say goodbye to the Mother of God before her Dormition. According to Legend, the Virgin Mary participated in the lot when deciding whether where will go preach every one of them. The Virgin Mary did not die in the usual sense of the word. After the Ascension of Jesus, the Virgin Mary remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian. When King Herod began persecuting Christians, the Virgin Mary withdrew with John to Ephesus and lived there in the house of his parents.

The Virgin Mary tirelessly prayed that the Lord would quickly take her to Himself. And then the archangel Gabriel announced Her imminent death. Seeing with the disciples of Christ, She gave Her soul into the hands of the Lord, and immediately there was angelic singing.

The couple, Joachim and Anna, came from a noble family and were righteous before God. Having material wealth, they were not deprived of spiritual wealth. Adorned with all the virtues, they blamelessly kept all the commandments of the law of God. On each holiday, the pious spouses separated two parts from their property - one they gave for church needs, and the other they gave to the poor.

By their righteous life, Joachim and Annathak pleased God that He vouchsafed them to be the parents of the Most Holy Virgin, the pre-chosen Mother of the Lord. From this alone it is already clear that their life was holy, pleasing to God and pure, since they had a Daughter, the Most Holy of all saints, pleasing God more than anyone else, and the Most Honest cherubim.

At that time, there were no people more pleasing to God on earth than Joachim and Anna, because of their immaculate life. Although at that time it was possible to find many living righteously and pleasing God, but these two surpassed everyone with their virtues and appeared before God the most worthy so that the Mother of God was born from them. Such mercy would not have been bestowed upon them by God if they had not really surpassed all in righteousness and holiness.

But as the Lord Himself had to incarnate from the Most Holy and Most Pure Mother, so it was fitting for the Mother of God to descend from holy and pure parents. Just as earthly kings have their porphyry, made not of simple matter, but of gold-woven material, so the Heavenly King wanted to have His Most Pure Mother, in whose flesh, as in royal purple, He had to be clothed, born not of ordinary incontinent parents, as would be made of simple matter, but from the chaste and saints, as if from gold-woven fabric, the prototype of which was the Old Testament tabernacle, which God ordered Moses to make of scarlet and scarlet matter and of fine linen (Ex. 27:16).

This tabernacle represented the Virgin Mary, in whom God had dwelt "from mankind" as it is written: "Behold, the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them" (Rev. 21: 3). The scarlet and scarlet matter and fine linen, of which the tabernacle was made, typified the parents of the Mother of God, who came and was born from chastity and abstinence, as if from scarlet and scarlet clothes, and their perfection in fulfilling all the commandments of the Lord, as if from fine linen.

But these holy spouses, by God's will, long time be childless, so that in the very conception and birth of such a daughter, the power of God's grace, and the honor of the Born and the dignity of parents, may be manifested; for it is impossible for a barren and aged woman to give birth otherwise than by the power of the grace of God: here it is no longer nature that acts, but God, conquering the laws of nature and destroying the bonds of infertility. To be born from infertile and aged parents is a great honor for the one who was born herself, because she is born not from incontinent parents, but from temperate and elderly, such as Joachim and Anna, who lived in marriage for fifty years and had no children.

Finally, through such a birth, the dignity of the parents themselves is revealed, since after a long sterility they gave birth to joy to the whole world, in which they became like the holy patriarch Abraham and his pious wife Sarah, who, according to the promise of God, gave birth to Isaac in old age (Genesis 21: 2). However, without a doubt, we can say that the birth of the Virgin Mary is higher than the birth of Isaac by Abraham and Sarah. How much herself born virgo Mary is higher and more worthy of honor than Isaac, so much more and higher are the dignity of Joachim and Anna than Abraham and Sarah.

They did not immediately achieve this dignity, but only by diligent fasting and prayers, in spiritual sorrow and in heartbreak, they prayed to God for this: and their grief turned into joy, and their dishonor was a harbinger of great honor, and a zealous petition by the leader to receive benefits, and prayer is the best intercessor.

Joachim and Anna grieved for a long time and cried that they had no children. Once, on a great holiday, Joachim brought gifts to the Lord God in the Jerusalem temple; Together with Joachim, all the Israelites offered their gifts as a sacrifice to God. The then high priest Issachar did not want to accept the gifts of Joachim, because he was childless.

"You shouldn't," he said, "to accept gifts from you, because you have no children, and therefore the blessings of God: you probably have some secret sins."

Likewise, one Jew from the tribe of Reuben, who brought his gifts along with others, rebuked Joachim, saying:

- Why do you want to make sacrifices to God before me? don't you know that you are not worthy to bring gifts with us, for you will not leave offspring in Israel?

These reproaches grieved Joachim very much, and in great sorrow he left the temple of God disgraced and humiliated, and the holiday for him turned into sorrow, and the holiday joy was replaced by sorrow. Deeply grieving, he did not return home, but went into the wilderness to the shepherds who tended his flocks, and there he wept over his barrenness and over the reproach and reproaches made to him.

Remembering Abraham, his forefather, to whom God had already given a son at an advanced age, Joachim began earnestly to pray to the Lord that He would grant him the same favor, hear his prayer, have mercy and take away from him the reproach from people, granting him in old age the fruit of his marriage, as Abraham once did.

- May I, - he prayed, - be able to be called the father of the child, and not childless and rejected by God to endure reproaches from people!

Joachim added fasting to this prayer and did not eat bread for forty days.

“I won’t eat,” he said, “and I won’t return to my house; let my tears be my food, and this wilderness my home, until the Lord God of Israel hears and takes away from me the reproach.

Likewise, his wife, being at home and hearing that the high priest did not want to accept their gifts, reproaching them for infertility, and that her husband had gone into the wilderness from great sorrow, wept inconsolable tears.

“Now,” she said, “I’m the most unhappy of all: I’m rejected by God, reproached by people and abandoned by my husband! Why should we cry now: is it about her widowhood, or about her childlessness, about her orphanhood, or about the fact that she did not deserve to be called a mother ?!

She wept so bitterly all those days.

Anna's slave, by the name of Judith, tried to comfort her, but could not: for who can comfort the one whose sorrow is as deep as the sea?

One day Anna sadly went to her garden, sat down under a laurel tree, sighed from the depths of her heart and, raising her eyes full of tears to the sky, saw a bird's nest with little chicks on the tree. This sight caused her even greater grief, and she began to cry with a cry:

- Woe to me childless! I must be the most sinful of all the daughters of Israel to be so humiliated before all women. All bear the fruit of their womb in their hands - all are comforted by their children: I alone am alien to this joy. Woe is me! The gifts of all are accepted in the temple of God, and they are respected for the childbirth: I alone am rejected from the temple of my Lord. Woe is me! Who will I become like? neither to the birds of the air, nor to the beasts of the earth: for they too, O Lord God, bring you their fruit, but I alone am barren. I cannot even compare myself with the earth: for it vegetates and grows seeds and, bearing fruit, blesses You, Heavenly Father: I alone am sterile on earth. Alas for me, Lord, Lord! I am alone, sinful, devoid of offspring. You, Who once gave Sarah in old age the son of Isaac (Genesis 21: 1-8), You, Who opened the womb of Anna, the mother of Your prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20), look now at me and hear my prayers. Lord of hosts! You know the reproach of childlessness: end the sorrow of my heart and open my womb and barren, making me fruitful, so that what I have born may we bring to You as a gift, blessing, singing and praising Your mercy in accordance.

When Anna was crying and sobbing in this way, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and said:

- Anna, Anna! your prayer has been heard, your sighing has passed through the clouds, your tears have appeared before God, and you will conceive and give birth to a blessed daughter; Through Her, all the tribes of the earth will receive blessing and salvation will be granted to the whole world; her name will be Mary.

Hearing the angelic words, Anna bowed to God and said:

- The Lord God lives, if a child is born to me, I will give it to the service of God. May he serve Him and glorify holy name God's day and night throughout his life.

After this, filled with inexpressible joy, Saint Anna quickly went to Jerusalem, in order there with prayer to give thanks to God for His gracious visit.

At the same time, an Angel appeared to Joachim in the wilderness and said:

- Joachim, Joachim! God has heard your prayer and is pleased to grant you His grace: your wife Anna will conceive and give you a daughter, whose birth will be a joy for the whole world. And here is a sign for you that I am preaching the truth to you: go to Jerusalem to the temple of God and there, at the golden gates, you will find your wife Anna, to whom I announced the same.

Joachim, amazed at such an angelic gospel, praising God and thanks to His heart and lips for the great mercy, with joy and gaiety, hastily set off for the Jerusalem temple. There, as the angel announced to him, he found Anna praying to God at the golden gates, and told her about the angelic gospel. She also told him that she had seen and heard an angel who announced the birth of her daughter. Then Joachim and Anna glorified God, who had done them such great mercy and, having worshiped Him in the holy temple, returned to their home.

And Saint Anna conceived on the ninth day of December, and on the eighth of September a daughter was born to her, the most pure and most blessed Virgin Mary, the beginning and intercessor of our salvation, about whose birth both heaven and earth rejoiced. Joachim, on the occasion of Her birth, brought great gifts, sacrifices and burnt offerings to God, and received the blessing of the high priest, priests, Levites and all people for being worthy of the blessing of God. Then he arranged a plentiful meal in his house, and everyone glorified God with joy.

The growing Virgin Mary of her parent was cherished like the apple of an eye, knowing, by the special revelation of God, that She would be the light of the whole world and the renewal of human nature. Therefore, they raised Her with such careful circumspection as befits the One who had to be the Mother of our Savior. They loved Her not only as a daughter, so long awaited, but also honored her as their mistress, remembering the angelic words spoken about Her, and foreseeing in spirit what should happen over Her.

She, filled with Divine grace, mysteriously enriched her parents with the same grace. Just as the sun illuminates the heavenly stars with its rays, giving them particles of its light, so the chosen Mary, like the sun, illuminated Joachim and Anna with the rays of the grace given to her, so that they too were filled with the Spirit of God, and firmly believed in the fulfillment of the angelic words.

When the adolescent Mary was three years old, her parents brought Her with glory into the temple of the Lord, accompanying her with lighted lamps, and dedicated Her to serve God, as they had promised. Several years after the introduction of Mary into the temple, Saint Joachim died, eighty years from birth. Saint Anna, remaining a widow, left Nazareth and came to Jerusalem, where she stayed with her Most Holy Daughter, praying incessantly in the temple of God. Having lived in Jerusalem for two years, she reposed in the Lord, being 79 years old from her birth 2.

Oh, how blessed you are, holy parents, Joachim and Anna, for the sake of your Most Blessed Daughter!

Especially blessed are you for the sake of Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all peoples and tribes of the earth have received blessings! The holy Church justly called you the Godfathers 3, for we know that God was born from your Most Holy Daughter. now standing close to Him in heaven, pray that we may also receive at least some part of your endless joy. Amen.

Troparion, voice 1:

Even in the more legitimate grace of the righteous former, the baby of God-given birth gave birth to us, Joachim and Anna: the same day, too, brightly the same, joyfully celebrating, the divine church honoring your memory, glorifying God, erected a horn of salvation for us in the house of David.

Kontakion, voice 2:

Anna rejoices now, the infertility has resolved the sauce, and nourishes the Most Pure, conveying all the praises, given from her womb by man to the one Mother and the indiscriminate

Tcherezova Galina

the Virgin Mary

Summary of the myth

Mother of God with child
(XVI-XVII centuries, Nessebar school)

the Virgin Mary(8 September 20 BC? - 15 August, 45 AD?) - mother of Jesus Christ, one of the most revered figures in Christianity. In Orthodoxy, Catholicism and other traditional churches, it is customary to call it The virgin.

The parents of the Virgin Mary, the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem, Joachim and Anna, prayed all their lives to God to send them children, and when they reached old age, the Angel of the Lord appeared to them with the news that soon they would have a child about which the whole world would speak. Soon Anna conceived and after 9 months gave birth to a girl who was named Maria. When Mary grew up, she was taken to the Jerusalem temple to serve until she came of age, as was the custom at that time. At the age of 12, Mary made a vow of eternal virginity, and at the age of 18, her parents gave her in marriage to an elderly Jew Joseph, who greatly respected her promise to the Lord. In his home, Mary spun yarn that was used in the temple for the altar. Once, while working, an Angel appeared to the girl and announced that soon she would have a baby, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. Christians remember this event on the feast of the Annunciation. Mary was very surprised because she kept her vow and was not going to break it. Her husband was also saddened and surprised when her pregnancy became noticeable to others, and was about to drive Mary out of the house as an unfaithful wife, but the Archangel Gabriel who appeared to him announced that Mary had conceived from the Holy Spirit and was honest with her husband.

The Nativity of Jesus Christ. Shortly before the birth in Judea, a census was announced, and Joseph and Mary went to the city of Bethlehem, as representatives of the family of David. As people came there from all over the country, all the hotels were occupied and many travelers stayed in stalls. It was there, in the manger (animal feeder), that the baby Jesus was born. There the shepherds and wise men found him, who came to worship the Savior and bring him their gifts. The Magi came from the East, because shortly before that they saw a sign in the sky - new star, which announced the birth of a son of God on earth. The Magi were astrologers, and having calculated this great event for a long time, they were waiting for the appearance of a sign that would tell them about the fulfillment of the prediction. The shepherds who came to Jesus were herding sheep in the vicinity of Bethlehem, and suddenly an Angel of God appeared to them, announcing that a great baby was born in the city of David, who will be called the Savior of the world. And the shepherds, leaving everything, went to Bethlehem, and an angel showed them the way.

On the 40th day, the parents brought Jesus to the Jerusalem temple, on the steps of which they met Simeon the God-Receiver, a famous righteous man, who had once been prophesied by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw Christ. Simeon, bowing to the Savior, bestowed his blessings on him, and Mary predicted future suffering, saying that the weapon would pierce her soul. This is how the "Seven-arrow" icon appeared, on which the Mother of God is depicted with arrows piercing the heart, a symbol of maternal torment and pain for the death of her only son. Orthodox Christians remember the meeting of Simeon and Christ during the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, considering this event a prototype of the meeting of the Savior of the World with humanity, which was personified by the God-Receiver.

Flight of Mary to Egypt. When the Magi, led by a guiding star, came to Bethlehem, they went to King Herod, believing that he might know where to look for a born baby, the future King of the Jews (in Jesus' horoscope, they saw that he would become King of Judah in a symbolic, spiritual sense) ... But Herod took their question literally and was very frightened, asking them to inform him of when they would find Jesus. But the Magi broke their promise, and King Herod, afraid that he would be overthrown from the throne, decided to kill all the babies recently born in Bethlehem. An Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and informed him that a great massacre of infants was coming, so Joseph and his family must urgently leave the city. The next day, the couple went to Egypt, fleeing the monstrous atrocities of Herod, and lived in Egypt until the death of the king. Subsequently, having learned that the son of Herod reigns in Bethlehem, they did not dare to stay in this city and settled in Nazareth.

The further life of the Virgin. The Mother of God is not often mentioned in the Gospel, and all the testimonies about her later life, unfortunately, are very scanty and scattered. Collecting the grains of her biography, it becomes clear that she was always by her son's side, accompanying him on trips and helping him in his preaching work. During the crucifixion, she stood at the cross, and Jesus, dying, asked the Apostle John to take care of her. Mary's life was full of experiences and suffering that only mothers can understand. She was tormented, seeing how the chief priests did not accept her son. Her heart was bleeding when Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified. She fainted from pain as nails were driven into the palm of her only son. She felt His pain as her own, and her loving mother's heart could hardly bear these torments. The Mother of God initially knew what fate awaited Jesus, and therefore there was not a day in her life when the sharp arrows of sorrow would not pierce her soul. The prediction of Simeon the God-Receiver came true. Maria deliberately gave her son to be torn apart, and did she have a choice? How could she resist the will of the Most High? She sacrificed her life to the One who saved the whole world ... The Mother of God was with the myrrh-bearing women who came to the cave to smear the body of Jesus with oil. She did not leave her son after the resurrection and was among the apostles from the moment of the ascension of Christ, at the descent of the Holy Spirit and during the apostolic preaching of Christianity in subsequent years. When Jesus' disciples cast lots for the distribution of lands to spread the teachings of Christ, Georgia fell to Mary. But the Angel of the Lord appeared and ordered her to preach among the pagans on Athos, which is now considered the abode of monasticism and the House of the Virgin.

The Virgin Mary died at the age of 48 in Jerusalem, and the apostles came to her tomb, only the Apostle Thomas did not have time to say goodbye to Mary. At his request, the coffin was opened, but to the surprise of everyone present, it turned out to be empty. According to legend, Jesus descended from heaven after his Mother and took her to the Kingdom of God.

Images and symbols of myth

Madonna and Child (Madonna Litta).
Leonardo da Vinci. 1490 - 1491g

The Mother of God is a prototype of a perfect man, in which all the best in Creation is embodied. She is both heaven and earth, and a staircase that connects heaven and earth. She is a symbol of true Divine Love, which any believer can touch during prayer or visiting holy places.

Jacob's Ladder is considered one of the main symbols of the Virgin Mary (Mary is the connecting link connecting heaven and earth). It is like a ladder that leads humanity to God through the deification of the flesh. The burning bush (a burning, but not burning bush of thorns, from which the Lord himself appeared before Moses on Mount Sinai) is also a sign of the Mother of God, announcing the immaculate conception of Jesus from the Holy Spirit.

Also, the Virgin Mary is called "a pot of manna", because her son is the bread of life, capable of satisfying a person's spiritual hunger.

The tabernacle of the congregation, a marching Jewish temple in which the Ark of the Covenant is kept and sacrifices are offered, is also considered to be the image of the Mother of God as the guardian of all spiritual traditions of Christianity.

Mount Not-handed with a stone that has fallen off of it is an allegory associated with the Mother of God, where the fallen stone is Jesus Christ. In many icons, the Mother of God is depicted on this mountain, surrounded by other symbols.

Communication tools for creating images and symbols

Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"
(last quarter of the 18th century)

The most famous work that tells us about the life of the Virgin Mary is undoubtedly the Bible. Biblical fragments dedicated to the Mother of God are divided into direct references (in the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and Epistles), as well as Old Testament prophecies about the Virgin, who is to become the mother of Christ, and biblical prototypes that symbolically speak of Mary's saving mission.

Since ancient times, the Mother of God has been described by church historians (Nikifor Callista, monk Epiphanius, etc.), depicted by the greatest sculptors and artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael), painted on icons by such masters of icon painting as Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev, the evangelist Luke, Ivan Bezmin and many others. Many icons and statues of the Virgin Mary are surrounded by deep veneration and are considered miraculous. The most famous are the miraculous statues in the Montserrat monastery (Spain), in the Austrian Mariazell and in the Mexican city of Jalisco. Another famous Mexican shrine is the image of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe (Mexico City). In Eastern Europe, among the revered shrines, the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God (Czestochowa, Poland) and the Ostrobram Icon of the Mother of God (Vilnius, Lithuania) stand out. All these cities, along with such places of the appearance of the Virgin as Lourdes and Fatima, serve as objects of mass pilgrimages. The Mother of God is traditionally depicted in certain clothes: purple maforia (bedspread married woman covering the head and shoulders), and a tunic (long dress) of blue color... Maforia is decorated with three stars - on the head and shoulders. In Western European painting, the traditional attribute of Mary is White Lily, a symbol of purity.

In addition to the images, one cannot fail to mention the numerous holidays dedicated to the Mother of God - the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Annunciation, the Dormition and many others, which are celebrated every year by believers around the world, who, thereby, show their love, devotion and deep respect to the Virgin Mary.

The social meaning of the myth

Sistine Madonna. Raphael

IN Orthodox tradition love for Christ is inseparable from love for Mother of God who is the Intercessor of all Christians before the throne of God. On this issue, Orthodox and Catholics disagree with Protestants, who, following the ideas of the Reformation, believe that there can be no mediators between God and man, and reject the Divinity of the Virgin Mary.

The Mother of God is a symbol of the sanctification and glorification of human nature, because she was the first among people to receive the Holy Spirit, who entered her during the Annunciation. Orthodoxy does not agree with Catholicism that the Virgin Mary was also conceived immaculately, this separates her from humanity, to whom she showed by her example how to be a real Christian. She walked with Christ all His way - from birth to Golgotha. And also any Christian can follow the Savior in his daily life, crucifying his sins and passions. In the Mother of God, for the first time, earthly and heavenly wisdom was united, therefore, the mystery of Christianity and its ultimate goal are hidden in her. The Mother of Christ even now sanctifies the world with her Love and Purity, keeps it from troubles and hardships with her veil. Nowhere is the Mother of God so venerated as in Orthodox Church... Many holidays are dedicated to her, and not a single service is complete without a prayer appeal to her.

The main female figure for Orthodox believers is the Virgin Mary, who was honored to become the Mother of the Lord. She led a righteous life and helped people cope with various troubles. After ascension to heaven, believers began to pray to the Mother of God, asking for help in different situations.

Virgin Mary in Orthodoxy

For believers, the Mother of God is the main intercessor before her Son and Lord. She is the woman who gave birth to and raised the Savior. It is believed that nothing is impossible for the Mother of God, and people ask her for salvation for their souls. In Orthodoxy, the Virgin Mary is called the patroness of every person, since she, like a loving mother, worries about her children. More than once the appearance of the Virgin Mary occurred, which was accompanied by miracles. There are many icons, temples and monasteries created in honor of the Mother of God.

Who is the Virgin Mary?

A lot of information is known about the life of the Mother of God, which can be found in the apocrypha and in the memoirs of people who knew her during her earthly life. The following main facts can be distinguished:

1. Until the age of 12, the Holy Virgin Mary was in a specialized school at the Jerusalem Temple. Her parents gave her there, who made a vow that their daughter would devote her life to the Lord.
2. The appearance of the Virgin is described by the church historian Nikifor Callistos. She was of medium height with golden hair and olive-colored eyes. The Virgin Mary's nose is oblong, and her face is round.
3. To feed her family, the Mother of God had to work constantly. It is known that she weaved well and independently created the red tunic that Jesus wore before the crucifixion.
4. The Virgin Mary constantly followed Jesus until the end of his earthly life. After the crucifixion and ascension of Christ, the Mother of God remained to live with John the Theologian. Further life is known in to a greater extent from the apocryphal "Proto-Gospel of Jacob".
5. The death of the Virgin Mary is recorded in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, where the Catholic Church is now located. According to the Apocrypha, the apostles with different corners of the world arrived at their deathbed, but only Thomas lingered, so at his request the tomb was not closed. On the same day, the body of the Virgin disappeared, therefore it is believed that the ascension of the Virgin Mary took place.

Symbols of the Virgin Mary

There are many symbols that are related to the Mother of God:

1. Monogram, composed of two letters "MR", which means Mary Regina - Mary, Queen of Heaven.
2. A common sign of the Virgin Mary is a winged heart, sometimes pierced with a saber and depicted on a shield. This picture is the coat of arms of the Virgin.
3. The name of the Mother of God is associated with a crescent moon, cypress and olive tree. The flower symbolizing the purity of the Virgin is the lily. Since the Virgin Mary is considered the queen of all saints, one of her symbols is called white rose... They represent her with five petals, which is associated with the name Maria.

Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

The sinlessness of the Mother of God did not immediately become a dogma, since the authors of the first Christian texts did not pay attention to this issue. Many do not know how the Virgin Mary became pregnant, so according to legend, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to her, and the virgin birth took place, thanks to which the original sin did not pass onto Jesus Christ. In Orthodoxy, the Immaculate Conception, as a dogma, is not accepted and it is believed that the Mother of God was freed from sin due to contact with Divine grace.

How did the Virgin Mary give birth to Jesus?

There is no way to find details regarding how the birth of the Mother of God took place, but there is information that they were absolutely painless. This is explained by the fact that Christ appeared from the womb of the mother, without opening it and not expanding the paths, that is, the Mother of God the Virgin Mary remained a virgin. It is believed that Jesus was born when his mother was 14-15 years old. There were no midwives next to the Mother of God, she herself took the child in her arms.

Prophecies of the Virgin Mary at Fatima

The most famous phenomenon of the Mother of God is the Miracle at Fatima. She came to three shepherd children and each of her appearances was accompanied by a series of inexplicable incidents, for example, the chaotic movement of the sun across the sky was observed. During the communication, the Mother of God revealed three secrets. The predictions of the Virgin Mary of Fatima were revealed at different times:

1. At the first appearance, the Mother of God showed the children terrible visions of Hell. She said that the first one would end soon World War but if people do not stop sinning and offending God, then he will punish them with various calamities. The sign will be the appearance of a bright light at night, when it will be seen as during the day. According to some reports, before the start of World War II, the northern lights were observed in Europe.
2. The second appearance of the Virgin Mary brought another prophecy and it says that when everything is illuminated by an unknown light at night, it will be a sign that God is going to punish the world. To prevent this from happening, the Mother of God will come to ask for the consecration of Russia, and also for the holding of atoning sacraments on every first Saturday of the month. If people listen to her requests, then there will be peace, and if not, then wars and new cataclysms cannot be avoided. Many believe that this prophecy speaks of the spread of communism, which was accompanied by various clashes.
3. The third prophecy was received in 1917, but the Virgin Mary allowed to open it not earlier than 1960. The Pope, having read the prophecy, refused to disclose it, arguing that it does not concern his time. The text indicates that the Pope will be assassinated and this happened in 1981 in May. The Pope himself admitted that it is believed that the Mother of God protected him from death.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary

There are a huge number of prayer texts addressed to the Mother of God. She helps believers to cope with various problems, so women who want to get pregnant and get married turn to her, ask her for healing and material benefits, pray to her for children, and so on. There are several rules regarding the pronunciation of prayer texts:

1. You can turn to the Mother of God in church and at home, the main thing is to have an icon in front of your eyes. It is recommended to light a candle nearby to make it easier to concentrate.
2. The prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary should be pronounced from a pure heart and with faith in her power. Any doubts are a block to help.
3. You can turn to the Mother of God at any time when your soul desires.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary of Lourdes

In 1992, the Pope established a feast in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. People turn to her for help in order to receive healing from diseases. During her lifetime, the Holy Virgin healed the suffering and after that became the savior of the sick. When she was a child, the Virgin Mary the Most Holy Theotokos began to appear to her and taught her the rules of prayer, called for repentance for sinful people and asked to build a church. She pointed out to the girl where the healing spring was. Bernadette was numbered among the saints only 10 years after her death.

Strong prayer to the Virgin Mary for help

In Christianity, a prayer appeal to the Mother of God is considered the most powerful and effective. They ask her for help in different situations, the main thing is that the request is serious, since it is better not to disturb the Higher powers for trifles. The prayer to the Virgin Mary for help should be repeated daily and even up to several times a day. You can say it out loud and silently. The sacred text, when read regularly, inspires hope and gives strength not to give up in a difficult situation.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for well-being

A person's life is filled with different situations, which are not always positive. Guardian family hearth are women, therefore, women should pray for the well-being of their relatives. The Blessed Virgin Mary will help reconcile people, and another one will protect from quarrels and family destruction. With the help of the prayer presented, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from various negativity from the outside.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for health

There is a huge number of testimonies of believers who confirm that sincere prayerful appeals to the Mother of God helped to heal from various ailments. The prayer to the Holy Virgin Mary can be said in the temple, but it is also recommended to put an image near the patient's bed at home, light a candle and pray. You can say the text on, and then give the person with the disease a drink and wash with it.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for marriage

Many girls who are in search of a soul mate turn to the Most Holy Theotokos to convey petitions to the Lord and help establish their personal lives. She is considered the main patron of all women, helping them in love affairs. To find happiness and love, it is necessary to read the prayer to the Virgin Mary every day until the desired becomes real. Prayer petitions will not only increase the chances of meeting a worthy life partner, but also save the relationship from different problems and help build a happy family.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for children

The Mother of God is the main mother for all believers, since she gave the world a Savior. A huge number of people turn to her for help, asking for their children. The Blessed Virgin Mary will help guide the child on the righteous path, ward off bad company and give inspiration to find himself in this world. Regular prayer to the mother will be a strong protection against diseases and various problems.