Feast of the Annunciation: Holy Fathers about the Mother of God. Holy Fathers about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We present here his story with brief explanations. In the sixth month after Elizabeth's conception, St. John the Baptist Angel Gabriel, or the Archangel, as it is customary to call him, (the name Archangel is the highest angel) was sent by God to the little-known Galilean town of Nazareth to the virgin Mary, betrothed to a husband named Joseph. The reader should pay attention to the fact that the Evangelist Luke does not say: "To the virgin who married," but to "betrothed to her husband" because the Virgin Mary was only formally, from the point of view of the law, considered the wife of Joseph, but was not his wife in reality. An ancient legend explains why this happened. Even before the birth of Mary, Her parents, then childless, Joachim and Anna, made a vow, if they had a child, to dedicate him to the service of God. In their old age, God sent them a daughter, whom they named Mary. When Mary was three years old, her parents sent her to be raised at the Temple in Jerusalem. Living here for ten years in an atmosphere of prayer and contemplation, young Mary so ardently loved God that she, of her own free will, decided to devote herself entirely to Him and made a promise not to marry. When Mary was 14 years old, She could no longer stay at the temple, but had to either return home to her parents or get married. However, Her parents had already died a few years before. The high priest, knowing about her vow of virginity and wanting to help her fulfill her intention, formally betrothed Mary to her elderly relative, known for his righteous life - Joseph. At that time, Joseph was a widower and had a considerable family from his first marriage. He lived in Nazareth, located in the southern part of Galilee, where he worked as a carpenter (). So, the good old man Joseph agreed to take care of his young niece. Both of them were descendants of King David and were waiting for the coming of the Messiah.

But back to the gospel story. Appearing to the Virgin Mary, the Angel Gabriel greeted Her: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”“Blessed” means having received special love and favor from God. The appearance of the Angel and his extraordinary words confused Mary, and She began to think about their meaning. Reassuring Her, the Angel predicts to Mary about the birth of a Son from Her, who will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.

The ancient kingdom of David, in which He Himself nominated kings, which was governed according to the laws of God, and in which all forms of civil life were imbued with the idea ministries God was a picture of the coming Kingdom of God. The main feature of the kingdom of David was not in its civil structure, but in its spiritual ideal - as a society striving to live according to the will of God. After the kingdom of David ceased to exist as a result of the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar six hundred years BC, his ideal continued to inspire the believing Jews, who were waiting for the coming of the Messiah-Savior. These included the Virgin Mary and Her parents, Elder Joseph, the parents of John the Baptist, the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, Elder Simeon the God-bearer, Anna the prophetess, the shepherds of Bethlehem, and many other simple and believing Jews. The prophets foretold that with the coming of the Messiah, the kingdom of David would be restored and transformed into the Messianic Kingdom. Believers from many nations and it abide forever(Look , , , , ).

Saint Mary, wishing to remain a Virgin, asks the Angel in bewilderment: “How will it be (that I will become a Mother), when I don't know my husband? The angel comforts Her, explaining that Her vow will not be broken, as She will give birth to a Son in a supernatural way, without a husband. Here seedless conception will produce the Holy Spirit, by whose action “The power of the Most High will overshadow Her,” that is, the Son of God Himself will descend into Her womb (According to the figurative comparison of the church song, the Holy Spirit, like a mysterious cloud that overshadowed the Old Testament tabernacle, at the moment of conception will descend on the Virgin,,). The Blessed Virgin did not demand evidence from the Angel, but the Angel Gabriel himself, in confirmation of the truth of his words, pointed out to her Elizabeth, who conceived the prophet John the Baptist in extreme old age, by the will of God. After all, nothing is impossible for God. The Virgin Mary, seeing the will of God in all this, humbly answered: “Behold, the servant of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word.”

The voluntary consent of the Virgin Mary to become the Mother of the Messiah was absolutely necessary for the incarnation of the Son of God, because it always protects gift of free will with which He endowed man. Moral freedom is the most valuable property that elevates us above soulless nature and above the animal world. Without it, we would be something like programmed robots, incapable of moral improvement. Being morally free, we can spiritually grow, improve and, thus, become like our Creator (In contrast to God, the devil seeks to deprive a person of the god-like property of freedom; he tries to enslave a person - first morally, and then physically). Thus, after the free consent of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Her, and at that moment the greatest mystery was accomplished, incomprehensible, in fact, even to angels: The incomprehensible, impregnable and eternal Lord descended into the virgin's womb and, without incinerating her, took on human nature from her, consisting of a body and a rational soul. The further development of the Fetus in the virgin womb proceeded according to the natural laws of nature, and the Virgin carried the Infant within herself, until the day of His birth in Bethlehem (By the grace of God, the incomprehensible Miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God is, as it were, repeated at every liturgy, when the Holy Spirit descends on bread and wine lying on the throne, and transforms them into the Body and Blood of Christ. Thus, in the sacrament of Communion, the Lord communes us with His Divine nature).

The meaning of the Annunciation

On the day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, the ancient prediction of Isaiah was fulfilled that the Virgin would receive in her womb and give birth to a Son, who would be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us (). On this day, he moved into the womb of the Virgin and became a man in order to free the world from sin and the power of the devil. The miracle of the conception of the eternal Child cannot be understood; it is the mystery of piety, accessible only to faith (). In the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, he sees “Salvation of our homeland”– i.e. Start our salvation. The Annunciation is the first ray of dawn after a long languid night. On this day, our world brought to God its best fruit, the brightest, the purest that it could only create - the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Lord accepted this gift of mankind and responded to it with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit. In the mysterious meeting of fallen humanity with the most good God, which took place in the pure heart of the Virgin Mary, the first unique triumphant sound of that angelic song is already heard, which, according to the conditions of earthly time, could be completely heard on earth only nine months later: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”() "Glory to God" - the Virgin Mary carried in her heart and - "peace to the earth" for this the Savior promised Her.

In the caution with which the Virgin Mary reacted to the greeting and promise of the Angel Gabriel, the holy fathers of the Church see a sign of a great virtue called “ prudence” (or “reasoning”). They contrast the wise caution of the Virgin Mary, the gullibility of Eve, who rashly obeyed the advice of the devil, who took the form of a snake, and instead of happiness found grief.

The appearance of the Angel to the Virgin Mary is framed by two events: the conception of John the Baptist and the visit of St. Virgin Mary of the Righteous Elizabeth. During this visit, St. John the Baptist, an unborn six-month-old uterine baby, is the first to greet the Most Pure Virgin with his movements in the womb of Elizabeth. At this moment, the righteous Elizabeth is honored with the Holy Spirit and exclaims: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” and then adds - “And whence is it to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me!”(). Here the righteous Elizabeth began her greeting with the same words with which the Archangel Gabriel ended his greeting. From these words of greeting, that wonderful prayer was created, which we hear so often in the temple: “Virgin Virgin! Rejoice, blessed Mary, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women (among women) and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Yako (because) the Savior gave birth to our souls.”

The state of tenderness, holy, heavenly joy, in which the Virgin Mary was on the day of the Annunciation, is captured in the icon of “Tenderness.” On it is the Virgin Mary - without the Child, with her arms crossed on her chest and with the words around the halo: "Hail, Bride of the Bride." In front of this icon, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov prayed on his knees for days and nights, before which he died.

Archangel Gabriel's first word of greeting was - " rejoice.” And the feast of the Annunciation is above all a feast of quiet, heavenly joy! Joy over reconciliation with God and grace returned to earth. At the same time, the Annunciation is a holiday of triumph humility, purity And chastity, a holiday of unshakable faith in the omnipotence of God and the boundless Love of God for a perishing person.

From this feast, “the main point of our salvation,” that spring of “living water” begins, which later turns into a wide river and, finally, into a boundless sea of ​​New Testament miracles, sacraments and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, by which the Lord, “giving the Spirit beyond measure, ” so generously watered those thirsty for the truth! The Annunciation is a celebration of the Marriage of Heaven and Earth, when the blue sky descends to the earth and combines with it. The Annunciation is a "blue" holiday! In the eyes of a believer, everything turns blue on this day, everything becomes cleaner and more transparent. The sky is getting bluer, deeper. The air and waters turn blue, reflecting the cloudless sky; the first flowers are blue - snowdrops and violets; At night, the stars are blue. Human souls also become blue, becoming able to perceive the heavenly music of this wondrous holiday.

The proverb, which claims that even a bird does not make a nest on the Annunciation, allegorically calls us on this day to put aside everyday fuss and direct our thoughts to Heaven, to joyful communion with God. According to an old Russian custom, on this day birds are released into the wild as a sign of the liberation of the human soul from sin.

“I became available for consolation” – (Pushkin writes, releasing the bird) – “why should I grumble at God; when I could give freedom to at least one creature!” Another poet, Tumansky, observing the released bird, writes: “it disappeared, drowning in the radiance of a blue day; and so she sang, flying away, as if praying for me.

feast worship

The Annunciation is celebrated on April 7th (March 25th according to the church calendar). Among ancient Christians, the feast of the Annunciation had different names: “Conception of Christ,” “Annunciation of Christ,” “Beginning of Redemption,” “Annunciation of the Angel of Mary” and only from the 7th century received the final name: “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.” The establishment of this holiday belongs to the deepest antiquity. More St. Athanasius the Great, in the 4th century, called it “the first in a series of feasts,” the beginning of the economy of saving people. In the 5th-6th centuries, in contrast to the Nestorian heresy that humiliated the Virgin Mary, the solemnity of this holiday increased significantly (Nestorius incorrectly taught that the Blessed Virgin gave birth to a simple person, with whom the Deity united after his birth. The name “Theotokos” in relation to the Virgin Mary means that Jesus Christ at the moment of His conception in Her womb of the Virgin was the true Son of God. Therefore, the Virgin Mary carried in Her womb and later gave birth to the God-Man. Both natures - Divine and Human - at the moment of conception united in the person of Christ and since then have not merged in Him and do not change in their essence).

In view of the fact that this holiday sometimes falls in the Lenten period, and sometimes in the Paschal period, its liturgical order is somewhat complicated. If the feast of the Annunciation happens on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of any week of Great Lent, then the All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline. If the Annunciation happens on Sunday or Monday, then the All-Night Vigil is performed in the usual way, that is, it begins with Vespers (See our leaflet on the All-Night Vigil, number 38). When the Annunciation happens on Pascha, there is no polyeleos, but the canon of the Annunciation is combined with the Paschal canon, and after the sixth ode the Gospel is read.

In the stichera (songs of the all-night service) of the feast of the Annunciation, the story of the Annunciation of the Mother of God by the Archangel Gabriel is recalled and attention is drawn to the humility of the Virgin Mary. It is said about the incomprehensibility of the Nativity of the Savior from the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God is compared with a “bush” (a thorn bush that burned in the Sinai desert and did not burn out. Like this bush, the Virgin Mary remained unharmed, having taken God into Herself). Compared to the “ladder” seen by Jacob (a ladder that rested on the ground and reached the sky). It is said that thanks to the birth of the Lord from the Mother of God, heaven is united with the earth, renewed, Eve is freed, and we become partakers of the Divine nature and the “church,” i.e. temple of God. Heaven and earth are invited to triumph and rejoicing, because the Son of God, the throne of the Father, in His goodness dwells in a virgin's womb and takes on human nature. The following proverbs are read at Vespers: (excerpts from the Old Testament books), , , , . At the Vespers and the Liturgy of the Annunciation, the following prayer is sung, called the troparion.

Troparion

The day of our salvation is the main thing, and the hedgehog from the age of the sacrament is the manifestation: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is, and Gabriel is the gospel of grace. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Today is the beginning of our salvation and the fulfillment of a mystery predetermined from eternity: the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin and Gabriel proclaims the good news of grace. Therefore, we will exclaim to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

The canon at the Vespers (the canon is a part of the divine service, compiled according to a certain pattern, see below) speaks of the indulgence of the incarnating Savior to people and points to the greatness of the Blessed Virgin, who accepted God into herself. The prophecies and various indications of the Old Testament about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Wife are also mentioned, it is said about the power of the All-Holy Spirit, who overshadowed the Mother of God with His descent, and the brief but significant words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary are explained.

Before the reading of the Apostle, the following prokeimenon is sung at the liturgy: Bless day by day(daily) the salvation of our God. The Apostle () expresses the idea that in order to save people, it was necessary for the Son of God to take on human flesh. The Gospel () tells of the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The next one is sung at the end of the canon and also at the liturgy instead of the song “It is worthy to eat” (which is why it is called “for (i.e. instead of) worthy”).

Worthy

Evangelize the earth, great joy, praise the heavens of God's glory.

As if to the animate God’s casket, let the hand of the wicked never touch, but those who are faithful to the Mother of God, silently the voice of the Angel singing with joy, let them cry: Rejoice, Gracious, the Lord is with you.

Earth, proclaim great joy; heavens, praise the glory of God.

The hand of the uninitiated (unclean) does not dare to touch You, the Animated Kivot of God. The mouths of the faithful, singing incessantly the greeting of the Angel to the Theotokos, exclaim in joy: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

At the liturgy before communion is sung

involved

The Lord has chosen Zion, and make her a habitation for Yourself.

The Lord chose Zion and desired it as a habitation for Himself.

In established liturgical practice, when the Annunciation coincides with Easter, the light of the Good News feast does not fade even in the dazzling sea of ​​the light of St. Easter and the music of the Archangel's voice are not drowned out by the jubilant sea of ​​sounds of the symphony of the Resurrection of Christ. This is explained by the fact that the nature of the feasts of the Annunciation (“the main thing” - the beginning of salvation) and the feast of the Resurrection of Christ (the final event in the salvation of the world) are the same!

Canon of the Annunciation

The canon for the feast of the Annunciation was written in the 8th century by Saint John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea. The Orthodox, in her liturgical practice, found it necessary to supplement this conversation with a special service explaining it - the canon of the Annunciation, which is an extended dialogue between the Virgin and the heavenly messenger.

Song 1

Irmos: I will open my mouth, and it will be filled with the Spirit; and I will speak the word to the Queen Mother, I will appear brightly triumphant and in joy I will sing of Her miracles ().

David, Thy forefather, Lady, may he sing to Thee, striking the spiritual lyre: Hear, daughter, the joyful voice of an Angel; for he proclaims unspeakable joy to you ().

Angel: In joy I cry out to Thee: incline Thy ear and listen to me, proclaiming the seedless conception of God; for You, the All-Pure One, have found such grace before God, which no other wife has ever been honored with ().

Mother of God: I would like to know the power of your words, Angel. Tell me more clearly: how will what you say come true? How will I conceive - a young virgin? And how can I become the mother of my Creator? ()

Angel: You seem to think that my words are insidious; I rejoice, seeing Your caution. Dare, Mistress, for, when God pleases, the extraordinary is easily accomplished ().

Song 3

Irmos: Mother of God, a living and inexhaustible source! Spiritually affirm Thy singers, who created (this) triumph, and in Thy divine glory honor the crowns of glory.

Mother of God: There was no prince from the tribe of Judah, and the time has come when the aspiration of the peoples will appear - Christ. Explain, then, how can I give birth to Him, being a virgin? (; )

Angel: Do you wish, Virgin, to learn from me the image of Your conception? But he is inexplicable! The Holy Spirit will complete it, overshadowing You with creative power ().

Mother of God: My foremother, having accepted the suggestion of the serpent, is deprived of divine pleasure in paradise. Therefore I too, fearing a fall, am afraid of your strange greeting.

Angel: I, who stand before God, have been sent to proclaim to you the will of God. Why are You, O All-blameless One, afraid of me, when I myself am much more afraid of You? Why are You, Lady, terrified of me when I myself revere You?

Song 4

Irmos: Sitting in glory on the throne of the Divine, the most divine Jesus came on a light cloud, carried by an incorruptible hand, and saved those who called. Glory, Christ, to Your power (; ).

Mother of God: I heard the words of a prophet who in ancient times foretold that a certain sacred Virgin would give birth to Emmanuel. But I wish to know how the nature of mortals can endure union with the Divine? ()

Angel: The bush, engulfed in flames and remaining fireproof, foreshadowed the miraculous sacrament taking place in You, Gracious, glorified by all; for even after birth you, pure, will always remain a virgin ().

Mother of God: Gabriel, the herald of the truth, illuminated by the radiance of God Almighty! Tell me the very truth: how can I give birth in the flesh to an incorporeal Word, keeping My purity intact?

Angel: With fear, like a slave before the mistress, I stand before You, with reverent awe now I look at you, Otrokovitsa. For, like rain on a meadow, the Word of the Father will come down on you, according to His good pleasure ().

Song 5

Irmos: All are amazed at Your divine glory. For You, the Virgin, who did not know marriage, had in the womb of the Most High God and gave birth to a flightless (eternal) Son, granting peace to all who sing of You.

Mother of God: I cannot fully comprehend the meaning of your words, for there have often been miracles performed by Divine power, signs and images of the law. But a virgin without a husband has never given birth ().

Angel: You are surprised, Omnipotent. And truly, the miracle of Your conception is marvelous. For You alone will perceive in the womb of the King of all who will be incarnated, and the sayings and fortune-telling of the prophets and the signs of the law () will represent You.

Mother of God: Incapable of anything and Invisible by anyone, how can he inhabit the womb of the Virgin, which He Himself created? And how will I conceive God the Word, without beginning (the Word is the Son of God. He is without beginning, i.e. has no beginning, like the Father and the Holy Spirit). Father and Spirit? ().

Angel: He Who promised to Your forefather David to raise the Fruit of Your womb to the throne of His kingdom, You, the beauty of Jacob, chose Himself alone in a reasonable village (;).

Song 6

Irmos: Transforming the three-day burial of the Lord, the prophet Jonah, praying inside the whale, exclaimed: Deliver me from corruption, Jesus, King of forces!

Angel: Divine joy has been given to you, Mother of God. To you, the Bride of God, all creation exclaims: Rejoice! For You alone, pure, are predestined to be the Mother of the Son of God ().

Mother of God: Through me now let the condemnation of Eve be blotted out, through me let her debt be repaid; through Me, let this ancient debt return with a profit ().

Angel: God promised, Pure One, to the forefather Abraham that in his seed the nations would be blessed. Now, through You, this promise is being fulfilled (; ).

Song 7

Irmos: The God-wise youths did not serve the creature instead of the Creator, but courageously trampled down the threatening fire, rejoiced, singing: Blessed are You, the most glorified Lord and fathers.

Mother of God: Announcing that the immaterial Light, through great mercy, unites with material flesh, you now proclaim to Me a joyful gospel, a divine sermon: blessed, All-Pure, the fruit of your womb ().

Angel: Rejoice, Mistress of the Virgin, rejoice, all-pure, rejoice, receptacle of God; Rejoice, lamp of Light, restoration of Adam, redemption of Eve, holy mountain, bright sanctuary and chamber of immortality ().

Mother of God: The influx of the all-holy Spirit cleansed my soul, sanctified my body, created Me as a temple accommodating God, a God-adorned tabernacle, an animated sanctuary and a pure Mother of Life ().

Angel: I look at You as a bright candle and a well-appointed chamber. You, the Bride of God, like a golden casket, now accept the Giver of the Law, who deigned to deliver the corruptible human being through You ().

Song 8

Irmos: Hear the maiden, pure virgin. May Gabriel proclaim the original true will of the Almighty. Be ready to accept God, for through You the Uncontainable One began to live with mortals. Therefore, in joy, I exclaim: all the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord (; ).

Every mind of mortals, - answered the Virgin, - is exhausted, trying to comprehend the words that you broadcast to Me. I listen to your words, but in amazement I fear that by deceit, like Eve, you would not separate Me from God. However, I exclaim: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().

Behold, your perplexity has already been resolved, says Gabriel. “For You rightly called this matter incomprehensible with the words of Your mouth. Obey, then, and do not doubt it as a fiction, but believe it as an actual event, for I exclaim in joy: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever.

Such is the law of God for mortals, replies the Immaculate One, that birth comes from mutual love. But I do not know the pleasures of marriage at all: how can you say that I give birth? I'm afraid you're not lying. However, I exclaim: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().

The words that You speak to me, Venerable One, the Angel cries again, refer to the ordinary birth of mortal people. I announce to You that the true one, in an ineffable and incomprehensible way, as He Himself knows, is incarnated from You, therefore, in joy I exclaim: All the creations of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().

You are a broadcaster of the truth to Me,” answered the Virgin. – For you have come as a herald of universal joy; and, since I am cleansed in the soul along with the body, let it be done to Me according to your word. May God dwell in Me, to whom I cry with you: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever.

Song 9

Irmos: The hand of the uninitiated (unclean) may not touch the animated kivot of God (the kivot, or the ark of revelation, was the place where God appeared to Moses;), but the lips of the faithful, singing incessantly the Angel’s appeal to the Mother of God, exclaim in joy: Gracious, the Lord is with you.

Having incomprehensibly conceived God, You, the Lady, transcended the laws of nature: for You, and being corruptible by nature, did not experience in birth what is characteristic of mothers. Therefore, you deserve to hear: Rejoice, gracious one, the Lord is with you ().

Human language cannot explain how You exude milk, Pure Virgin. For You manifest a work that is alien to nature, exceeding the limits of the laws of birth. Therefore, you deserve to hear: Rejoice, gracious one, the Lord is with you ().

The Holy Scriptures mysteriously speak of You, Mother of the Most High. So Jacob in ancient times, having seen the ladder that represented You, said: This is the way of God, therefore you worthily hear: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you ().

The bush and fire foretold the priest Moses a wondrous sign. Seeking his fulfillment in the aftermath of time, he said: I see this in the pure Virgin, to whom, as the Mother of God, let it be said: Rejoice, gracious, the Lord is with you ().

Daniel calls you a mental mountain; Isaiah - Mother of God; Gideon sees You in the form of a rune (sheepskin, wonderfully irrigated).

And so, the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a joyful day for an Orthodox person. It was especially so for our pious ancestors, who fell in love with the Virgin Mary for Her virtues, so akin to the soul of a Russian person: humility, meekness and striving for the ideal. The Russian people dedicated many churches and monasteries to the Most Holy Theotokos and called their fatherland “The House of the Most Holy Theotokos.” The Virgin Mary responded to the love of the Russian people for Her with Her heavenly help and many miraculous icons.

The Feast of the Annunciation reminds us of God's great love for people and that the Son of God became a man in order to make us partakers of His Divine nature. The Feast of the Annunciation calls us to imitate the Most Pure Virgin in Her feat of purity and chastity and strive for Heaven, where angels and saints rejoice in eternal light.

On the day of the Annunciation, we all acquired in the person of the Virgin Mary a warm Intercessor at the throne of God. Let us thank God for His mercy to us and ask the Most Pure Virgin to help us reach the quiet haven of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:

“How different are God and man! But God, having become a man, did not leave the nature of the Divine in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become the Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal womb. What a strange communion of two natures - Divine and human, inextricably united into one hypostasis! The divine nature assimilated the peculiarities of the human, and God became a perfect man; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became perfect God.

Andrei Rublev. Annunciation

In the same way, what an extraordinary combination of virginal purity and maternal womb, which, in a strange way, were combined in one Wife! Virginity gave the Mother the purity that the Mother of God was supposed to have, all pure, all immaculate, beautiful like the sun, chosen like the moon, as the Holy Spirit calls Her (See Songs 6, 9). The womb-bearing gave virginity the blessing that the Virgin was supposed to have, in accordance with how the archangel greeted her: Blessed are you among women (Luke 1:28).

There was born this wonderful union - the God-man; here another conjunction takes place, just as miraculous, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful, and in many ways departing from ordinary nature: the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” declares the undeclared Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, Who was born a man and did not cease to be God, - the Mother, Who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.

Saint Nicholas (Velimirovich):

“Never has any spring water been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Blessed Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity. (“O purity, creating joy to the heart and transforming the soul into heaven! O purity, good acquisition, not defiled by beasts! O purity, dwelling in the souls of the meek and humble and creating these people of God! O purity, in the midst of the soul and body, like a flower, flourishing and filling the whole temple with incense!" St. Ephraim the Syrian. On purity.)

And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. Which knee will not bow before Her, which lips will not cry out: “Rejoice, Blessed One! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honorable Cherubim and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity of Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and forever, at all times and forever and ever. Amen".

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt.
"The Beginning of Salvation" (Word on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos):

“The Sacrament that has taken place on this day astonishes not only human, but also all angelic, lofty minds. They also wonder how God, without beginning, boundless, impregnable, descended to the form of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and without in the least belittling the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such divine wisdom is this sacrament of the annunciation by the Archangel to the Blessed Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly ones, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with trembling before the greatness of the sacrament, as if you were surrounded by the filth of sin; rejoice, but immediately cleanse yourselves with the grace of God from the filth of sin with sincere and living, deep repentance.

Mikhail Nesterov. Annunciation.

Exalt with pure hearts and lips the Mother of God, exalted and exalted above all creatures, angels and men, exalted by God Himself, the Creator of all creatures, and remember that the sacrament of the incarnation and incarnation of the Son of God took place for our salvation from sin, the curse that was rightly pronounced on us in the beginning from God for sins, and from temporal and eternal death. With fear and joy, accept the Lord, who is coming to us to establish on earth, in our hearts and souls the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and hate God-hating sin, malice, impurity, intemperance, pride, hardness of heart, unmercifulness, selfishness , carnality, every unrighteousness. Christ came down to earth to lead us to heaven.”

« The Council of the Eternal, opening to You, Otrokovitsa, Gabriel appeared... ”sings the Holy Church at the beginning of the festive service of the great feast of the Annunciation.

Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph (he already had two daughters and four sons), who was also a descendant of King David, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity.

The Holy Fathers of the Church - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John of Damascus - point out that under the guise of matrimony, the Lord protected the Blessed Virgin Mary from the malice of the enemy of the human race, the devil, hiding from him in such a way that She is the Most Blessed Virgin, prophesied by Isaiah. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.

Once the Blessed Virgin Mary was reading the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, stopped at the place where it was said " behold, a virgin shall receive and give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”(which means God is with us) (Is. 7:14) and pondered the greatness of the One who would be worthy to be the Mother of God. With all her heart, Holy Mary wanted to see the Chosen One of God, and in deep humility she desired to be Her last servant.

And then an angel appears to her and greets her: Rejoice, Blessed One. The Lord is with you: blessed are you among women". These words became the first "good news" for mankind after its fall.

But when she saw him, she was troubled by his words, and pondered what this greeting meant.

And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father; and shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom shall have no end. - Mary said to the Angel: how will it be when I do not know my husband? The angel said to her in response: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God ... Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And an angel departed from her"(Luke 1, 28-38).

It is believed that it was at this moment that the sacrament of the incarnation of the Son of God took place.

If the righteous Sarah received the news of the birth of Isaac from her with confusion, and the righteous Zechariah, with a similar foreshadowing of the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, demanded a sign from the angel, then how much higher is the Most Holy Virgin Mary when the annunciation of the birth of Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, from Her , supernatural, incomprehensible, Divine, accepts without confusion, without distrust.

It is terrible even to think what could have happened if there had not been found on earth the Most Worthy to receive the highest Gift of God:

According to the interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyons, the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve. Mary becomes the "new Eve". The text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella (9th century) says that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave, with which Gabriel addressed the “new Eve”. In other words, to name Eve meant to mention Mary. Jerome deduced a concise formula: " death through Eve, life through Mary". Augustine wrote: through a woman - death, and through a woman - life».

The mystical conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, humanity brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, answered him with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit. About how, in what way the Son of God enters into the womb of the Most Holy Virgin, he knows, according to the words of St. only God Himself, and one should not argue about the nature of that which is inscrutable and incomprehensible”.

The Orthodox Church firmly believes that Mary remained the Virgin even after the birth of the firstborn Jesus, according to prophecy (pr. Ezek.44,2). " And the Lord said to me, This gate will be shut, it will not be opened, and no man will enter through it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered through it, and they will be shut.". Three stars are depicted on the icons of the Mother of God - on the shoulders and on the head cover of the Blessed Virgin. They symbolize the virginity preserved by Her before Christmas, at Christmas and after Christmas.

According to St. Theophan the Recluse, the Annunciation is closely connected with the establishment of the sacrament of the Body and Blood. " We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ, the same ones that were received in incarnation from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. Thus, in the incarnation that took place at the hour of the annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to memory by all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on mother's milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which are from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eating like this, we drink essentially milk from Her breasts.».

The date of the feast of the Annunciation is connected with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months away from December 25. It is believed that on the same day, March 25, the Creation of the world took place - thus, humanity was given a second chance.

St. John Chrysostom called the Annunciation "the root of the feasts", the beginning of all others. Among the ancient Christians, it bore various names: “Conception of Christ”, “Annunciation of Christ”, “Beginning of Redemption”, “Annunciation of the Angel of Mary”, and only in the 7th century it was forever given the name “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos”. During the 5th-8th centuries, due to heresies that humiliated the Face of the Mother of God, the holiday was especially exalted in the Church. In the 8th century, St. John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea, composed the feast canons, which are now sung by the Church.

According to the charter, on this day, despite Great Lent, a full liturgy should be celebrated, even if the Annunciation happens on Good Friday (on this day, the liturgy is excluded). In its grandeur, the feast of the Annunciation is not canceled even if it falls on Easter. It very rarely happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter and the holiday seems to be doubled. Then Easter is called Kyriopaskhoy. Such a coincidence was in 1817, 1828, 1912, 1991. The next Kyriopaskha will be in 2075.

The events of the Annunciation were described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke. There are also apocryphal texts, but they do not change the general history of the Annunciation, but add a number of details to it. In the Apocrypha - the so-called "Proto-Gospel of James" and the "Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew" ("The Book of the Birth of Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior") tells of two appearances of an Angel. First, Gabriel appeared to the Virgin at the well, and only then in the house of Joseph, where she spun a purple veil for the Jerusalem temple by lot. These apocryphal traditions significantly influenced the iconography of the holiday.

The plot of the Annunciation has long been popular in religious painting. His iconography began to take shape very early. Its main attributes are: lily- a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary; spinning wheel, spindle (with red yarn) - the image of the flesh of Christ; book the prophet Isaiah, which is read by Mary; paradise branch in the hand of the archangel Gabriel; the olive branch is a symbol of the reconciliation of God and creation; well- a symbol of the purity of Mary. The first images appeared already in the II century in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. They were finally formed in the Middle Ages, finding the most complete embodiment in the works of the 15th century.

In the Western European painting of the proto-Renaissance, it is especially worth noting the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Simone Martini; from the Renaissance works - paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, and from the northern works - Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden. In the next era, several memorable paintings were painted by El Greco. Starting from the Baroque era, as happened with other plots, many liberties and digressions penetrate the interpretation of the plot.

In the icon-painting tradition, it is customary for one wing of the archangel to remain stretched behind his back, and the other to be raised as a sign of greeting. This symbolic movement has entered the Orthodox liturgical system and is performed by the deacon during the pronunciation of litanies. He raises with his right hand an orarion - an image of the uplifting of the Archangel's wing as a sign of greeting and respect. The Annunciation is translated from Greek as good news. Traditionally, in the Orthodox Church, the icon of the Annunciation is placed on the Royal Doors, surrounded by four evangelists. Thus, all the symbolism of the Royal Doors turns out to be connected with the gospel: “... through the Annunciation, the Word became the flesh that we can taste in Communion. And we can take part in this Eternal Meal only because we are called by the apostles-evangelizers. The gates are an additional symbol of the Mother of God (an image from the Old Testament prophecy of Ezekiel about the “enclosed” doors facing the east, through which the Lord enters).

The earliest "Annunciation" in Russian art (1040s) is a mosaic on two pillars in the Kiev Hagia Sophia.

Annunciation, mosaics on two pillars of St. Sophia of Kyiv, c. 1040

The oldest depiction of a scene in Russian art. In the hands of the Mother of God is a red yarn that came from apocryphal stories.

Among the Russian icons on this subject, it is worth noting the Ustyug Annunciation, painted in the 12th century in Veliky Novgorod, the icons of Rublev and Daniil Cherny, as well as the fresco of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The works of Borovikovsky belong to a later time.

Annunciation Ustyug. 30-40s 12th century

The miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously especially revered in the Moscow Kremlin. Tradition says that in the reign of Ivan the Terrible, she miraculously appeared written on the wall of the Kremlin tower. Her appearance was associated with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos for her release of some innocently condemned prisoner who was kept in the tower. Having learned about the "self-painted" icon, Tsar Ivan the Terrible released the prisoner. Soon a wooden chapel was built near the miraculous icon, then a stone church, and the tower was called Blagoveshchenskaya.

One of the most famous temples dedicated to this holiday is Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin, founded as a home temple of the royal family at the Kremlin Palace. And the protopresbyter of the Annunciation Cathedral until the very 20th century was the confessor of the most august persons. In March 1584, Ivan the Terrible saw a cruciform comet from the porch of the Cathedral of the Annunciation. “Here is the sign of my death,” he said, and a few days later he was gone.

Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin

On this day, according to an ancient Russian tradition, after the Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Patriarch, the clergy and children release birds into the wild. This custom was revived in 1995 and is now performed in many temples.

According to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, this tradition, full of deep meaning, “symbolizing that the birds are no longer in a cage, but in freedom, reminds us that in our free will there is a search for the Kingdom of God.”

This tradition of the feast of the Annunciation was very fond of St. Patriarch Tikhon, on this holiday, he ended his confessional journey, letting his soul go to God.

The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “ Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls».

In the Catholic tradition, it corresponds to the Ave Maria prayer - one of the most beautiful and famous chants in the world. Many pieces of music have been written on the text of the prayer. Among the authors of the music are Palestrina, Gounod (based on the Bach prelude), Dvorak, Verdi, Mascagni, Caccini, Liszt, Saint-Saens.

Franz Schubert's Ellen's Third Song is often inaccurately referred to as Schubert's Ave Maria, although the lyrics to which this music is actually taken from the German translation of Walter Scott's poem about the Celtic Lady of the Lake (Lady of the Lake, 1810) include only the first two words of the prayer. Subsequently, Ave Maria began to be sung entirely to the music of this song by Schubert, although the composer did not have this in mind.

In Rus', the feast of the Annunciation has always been treated with reverence. The Orthodox did not work on this day and strictly observed this rule. It was said that on this day "the girl does not weave braids, and the bird does not nest." The day of the Annunciation was considered the day of mercy. People visited prisoners in prisons, gave alms. For the poor, dinners were arranged in the royal chambers, during which the Sovereign himself presented the poor with generous alms.

Svetlana Finogenova

Troparion of the feast, ch. 4
The day of our salvation is the main thing, and the hedgehog from the age of mystery is a manifestation; The Son of God The Son of the Virgin happens, and Gabriel proclaims the good news. The same and we cry with him to the Theotokos: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!

Kontakion of the feast, ch. 8
The chosen Voivode is victorious, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we sing to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ty: rejoice, Bride Unbetrothed.

In the St. Petersburg studio of our TV channel - a conversation about the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos with a 4th year undergraduate student of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, secretary of the editorial board of the scientific journal of the Theological Academy "Christian Reading" Hieromonk Kirill (Porubaev).

Let's start the conversation by reminding our viewers of an event that happened just over two thousand years ago and why all Christians today are filled with great joy.

Yes, you are absolutly right. Today we remember a very important event - the Annunciation. This is an important church holiday, because it was on this day that the Archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin, who lived in Nazareth, and announced to Her that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be born through Her, Who would save the human race from sin. Today (March 25 according to the old style, and April 7 according to the new one) we celebrate the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can turn to the gospel narrative to briefly tell about this event.

Only one evangelist, Luke, narrates about the Annunciation. In the first chapter, he tells that the Archangel Gabriel unexpectedly appears to the girl Mary, who lived in Nazareth and betrothed to the elder Joseph (we emphasize: She was betrothed; the Holy Scripture does not call Her the wife of Joseph), unexpectedly for Her, the Archangel Gabriel appears and greets Her with these words: “Rejoice Gracious One, blessed are You among women." Scripture says that Mary was very surprised and tried to understand what the presence of an extraordinary messenger means. But the Angel calms Her, saying: “Do not be afraid, You have found grace from the Lord, and through You the Messiah will come to earth, You will give birth to a Son and call His name Jesus.” She answers with surprise: “How can I give birth to a Son if I am not married?” To which the angel says to her: "The Holy Spirit will find you, and you will give birth to a Son." Further, the Blessed Virgin Mary pronounces words that are a model for all of us, since they emphasize Her inner state, thanks to which this gospel became possible: it will be with me as you told me, because I am obedient to the Lord and I believe that the Lord sends you to me with such good news.

Another important aspect of this event needs to be highlighted: why, in fact, is this news good for us? After all, we are so joyfully celebrating the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos today! Let us turn to the creation of man, and then his fall into sin. You probably know that Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted a woman, and then through Eve and Adam, our first parents, sin entered the world. People were guilty of this sin because they trusted the serpent, who told them that the Lord allegedly deceives them and is afraid that they will become like the gods. Eve, and then Adam, believed Satan and departed from the Lord. There was a separation between man and God.

Of course, the serpent deceived the first people. This became clear immediately after they made an act of pride, they thought that without God they could be strong. It is an act of distrust in which they separated themselves from the Lord. The liturgical texts of the feast of the Annunciation emphasize that at first sin entered the world through a woman. We firmly believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve and therefore we, one way or another, bear the consequences of this separation. We know that the Lord expelled Adam and Eve from paradise so that they could not, living in paradise forever and at the same time rooting in evil, become what the fallen angels became (we always depict demons in a very unpleasant form, black, with horns) . The Lord saves a person from the fate of eternal being in sin, expelling him from paradise. On the other hand, man is inaccessible to eternal bliss, for which he was created and from which he voluntarily renounced. The first woman committed a sin, and the Lord arranges in such a way that through the Virgin Mary comes the One who will save a person from separation, from sin. This is the main reason for our joy, because we know that Christ, born of the Virgin, will suffer on the Cross and rise again. By doing so, He will show that we too will be resurrected, and will open the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven, which were previously closed. This is the main joy, because it is at this moment (and not at the Nativity of Christ) that Jesus Christ incarnates in the womb of the Most Holy Theotokos. It is at this moment that the salvation of the human race comes. Our joy is especially appropriate on the eve of Easter. Now we are going through Great Lent, waiting for the Resurrection of Christ, and at the same time we rejoice that the Lord has become incarnate. That is why today's holiday is so important for us.

That is, we can talk about the special status of this holiday among the rest, and even the troparion emphasizes this: “The day of our salvation is the main thing ...”

Yes, these first words of the troparion can be translated as follows: today is the beginning of our salvation, its most important moment. It all starts with him. One more very interesting point can be noted: it turns out that the date of March 25 according to the old style, or April 7 according to the new one, is quite ancient. Oddly enough, almost all Orthodox Churches celebrate the Annunciation on this very day. And for good reason. According to the faith of the ancient Christians, it was today that the most important events in the history of the entire human race took place. Among them, first of all, the Atonement - the crucifixion of the Savior, and later the crucifixion is replaced by the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Ancient Christians believed that Christ was resurrected on March 25th. Also, many Christians believed that it was on this day that Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac. They believed that on this central day for all human history, the Lord Jesus Christ incarnated. We see how important it was for the first Christians to combine these events. The greatest event of the Lord's incarnation could not have happened on any other day than March 25th.

- Tell us about the Old Testament prophecies about the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin.

Starting to talk about the feast of the Annunciation, I already involuntarily touched on the Old Testament, since in general the entire history of the human race leads to the Incarnation of the Lord, His crucifixion and Resurrection. The Lord, expelling Adam and Eve from paradise, utters a prophecy and says to Eve (namely, to her): “I will put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent. The seed of the woman will strike the serpent in the head (that is, the head), and the serpent will strike the seed of the woman in the heel (that is, the heel).” Thus, the Lord indicates that in the distant future, after many millennia (although the exact dates are not named), there will be a wife who will have a seed ... Such words are incomprehensible at that moment, but any of you can open the first chapters of the Book of Genesis and read them. The Lord says that this seed (pointing to Jesus Christ) will slay the devil, since the serpent is the image of Satan, through whom sin came into the world. Already then, a short time after the creation of man, the Lord gives a promise: I will cast you out, but the seed of the woman will come and grant you salvation. This is the very first Old Testament prophecy of the Lord that the Messiah will come - and not just come, but be born from a wife. At the same time, the phrase “the seed of a woman” shows that He will be born without a husband, without an earthly father. Now we know that He will be born of the Heavenly Father.

The peculiarity of the Old Testament is that when we read it without looking back at the New Testament, many things are incomprehensible to us. Even the phrase "I will put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent" is incomprehensible if we are not familiar with the New Testament. However, after reading it and knowing future events, we understand what it was pointing to. Thus, as the holy fathers say, the New Testament (or, in other words, the Lord Jesus Christ) is hidden in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

Probably, we need to pay attention to the second, no less important fragment of the Old Testament. Let's turn to Isaiah the 7th chapter, the 14th verse. This is a very famous verse. The prophet Isaiah, addressing the Jewish king, says: Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name: Immanuel. We Christians understand this phrase precisely as an indication that the Virgin (the word used in the text indicates that this is a girl, not a woman) will be born the One who will save the human race. It must be said that not only in the 7th chapter, but also in the 9th and 11th chapters of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, it is said what and Whom this Messiah will be. I advise everyone to open the Holy Scripture and read it, it is not difficult at all, it will take a few minutes, but you will discover amazing texts for yourself. Truly extraordinary words are said about the Messiah: that He will reign justly; when He reigns, the wolf and the lamb will lie together and the lamb will not be afraid of the wolf. The prophet Isaiah says that this will truly be a kingdom of kindness and love. This is what is said about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will fulfill the promise given to Eve and the Old Testament fathers. It must be said that there are a lot of lines in the Old Testament that speak of the coming of the Messiah to earth. Some of them indicate how He will come (as in the points above). These predictions were fulfilled in the New Testament, as the Evangelist Luke narrates.

- It is surprising with what calmness the Most Holy Theotokos accepts the words of an angel. Why is she so calm?

Perhaps I must say that she is still surprised. It cannot be said that She takes this gospel for granted. She, as they say in the Holy Scriptures, asks, meditates in Herself, what kind of unusual greeting is this: “Blessed are You among women.” She does not know why she is blessed between wives. Further, She, one might even say, objects to the messenger of God, albeit very humbly: she asks with surprise how She can give birth to a son without having a husband. Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov) in his sermon on the feast of the Annunciation gives the following interpretation of this fragment: thus the Virgin Mary, as it were, says that she agrees, but she decided to spend her whole life in virginity, in purity, and, if possible, what Gabriel spoke about , while maintaining Her virginal purity, then She agrees. As you can see, the Blessed Virgin is not completely calm, she is surprised.

By the way, it should be noted that from the very beginning of the existence of the human race, Adam and Eve, and then their descendants, were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, childlessness in Jewish society was considered a punishment from God. Thus, the path of virginity chosen by the Mother of God was alien to the society of that time. However, She decides to choose this path due to some inner attraction and, of course, according to God's inspiration, teaching. As Metropolitan Filaret says, She answers the angel: if it is possible to maintain purity, I agree. The Lord chooses just such a path, unexpected for the people of that time, for His incarnation.

It must also be said why Mary perceives the words of the Archangel Gabriel with such humility. Eve sinned and created an abyss, an impenetrable wall between man and God. It was a division both between people and within the person himself, because we know that sometimes the mind tells us one thing, and we do another. This separation is sin, an inner sickness. We know that there is a separation between man and nature. In paradise, man was the master of nature, and nature obeyed him, he loved nature, all animals loved him. After the fall, this unity is also broken. Within nature itself, unity is also broken. Sin is what generally separates everything in the world, from the separation of man and God to the division within nature.

Throughout the life of the human race, the Lord led people so that a person would be born who could overcome this division to the best of his ability and become worthy to have the Lord Himself incarnate within him. The Blessed Virgin Mary is not a random person. She is the fruit of inner labors, the inner striving of many generations of people who lived before Her, and She herself is the crown, the pinnacle of the long, difficult, millennial ascent of mankind back to the Lord. When the moment came and Mary reached, let's not be afraid of this word, holiness, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Her. But even then he asks Her consent, and She humbly grants it. This is also important to know. The Mother of God gives us an example: if a person really strives for the Lord, directs all his efforts, heart, thoughts, love, faith to something that is inextricably linked with the Lord, then the Lord Himself will settle inside him, as happened with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The question arises. The Blessed Virgin was ready to accommodate these words in Her heart, and to become the Mother of God - the One through Whom the Savior Christ would come into the world. But how can we today, in the crazy rhythm of life, the rumble and roar of big cities, learn to tune our hearts so that we can hear this call of God?

Yes, truly, in the feast of the Annunciation, God's call occupies a key place. It sounds very quiet. You probably felt more than once that the holidays in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos are very quiet, peaceful. Leaving the temple, you are surprised to notice a certain inner peace, how light, joyful, easy it became in the soul. It is as if She herself is present at this holiday, takes care of everything, covers everything with Her maternal love, thereby conveying this calmness to us.

Perhaps this is where the answer to your question lies. To hear the call of God, you must first learn to be silent, sometimes literally. After all, sometimes it turns out that a person says something, sometimes on an unnecessary occasion, and does not let thoughts about the Lord into his heart, into his consciousness. When we learn to remain silent at first in the literal sense, and then we come to the silence of thoughts, then there will be no unnecessary and superfluous things in our heads, we will be able to accept and feel the call of God. Perhaps silence is the answer to your question. This does not mean that we should never say anything at all. But you need to know the measure. We know the Russian proverb “The word is silver, and silence is gold”, and everyone has repeatedly been convinced of this from their own experience. When we learn to be silent, we will be able to settle inside our consciousness and heart not some kind of chatter, but a prayer. It can be a very simple prayer, such as: "Lord, have mercy" or "Lord, help me." It happens that you think about something serious, but then you return in your thoughts to God: “Lord, help me solve this issue.” And if we know how to be quiet within ourselves, it will be natural for us, and at some point we will see that the Lord will help us, and we will feel that He is next to us.

Another important point. To hear the call of God, it is necessary, no matter how familiar it sounds, to go to church. We know from Tradition that the Most Holy Theotokos was brought up in church from childhood. Her parents promised that if they had a child, they would dedicate it to God and give it to the temple for education. When Mary was three years old, they did just that. From the age of three until the age of 13-14, the Most Holy Theotokos was at the temple and was brought up there. There She learned silence, silence and prayer.

The spiritual father also plays an important role. Unfortunately, in today's world of bustle, we almost do not know who it is. A spiritual father is a very important person in the life of each of us. This is the priest to whom we confess, trust our experiences, weaknesses; if he gives us advice, we try to follow it. Through the advice of the spiritual father, a person is also connected with the will of God. If you have a spiritual father, then you know what I'm talking about; if not, you will understand when you have it. It must be said that the relationship between a person and a spiritual father (by the way, even priests have a spiritual father, since there must be someone who will tell you in a difficult situation) must be very close, and it can be difficult to establish them. No need to think that the first priest you meet on your way will become your spiritual father. You must choose it for yourself. Maybe you like the way he preaches. Or maybe one day he will give you such advice in confession that you will feel: you are ready to trust this priest. The relationship between a person and a spiritual father is trusting, voluntary.

On the other hand, once having made your choice, deciding to be obedient to this person, you need to follow his advice. Sometimes he advises, and sometimes he blesses or does not bless. For example, sometimes they say: I have a difficult life situation, what would you bless me to do? If the priest gives a blessing, you need to go and do as he said, putting aside your will. Because you yourself came to him and asked. Through this we will also share in the quiet call of God. I repeat once again: this is a very close, trusting relationship, and it may take more than one year to find “your” priest. This does not mean that one cannot confess to other priests. But it is very important to have someone who will guide you, who will be able to instruct you in a difficult situation. Today, unfortunately, we know very little about the practice of confessorship, and after all, any person should have a confessor. Perhaps he will live far away, you will rarely be able to see each other, but you will feel that he really has become a father for you, to whom you are ready to entrust your experiences and infirmities. This is pointed out to us by the Most Holy Theotokos, who was brought up at the temple.

- A question from TV viewer Natalya: “Does the feast of the Annunciation always fall on the days of Great Lent?”

The Feast of the Annunciation most often falls on the days of Great Lent. You can specify specific time frames. We know that this holiday is non-transitory, according to the new style it is celebrated on April 7 (according to the old style - March 25), and Easter and Great Lent with it are rolling dates. The earliest possible celebration of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is Thursday of the third week of Great Lent. The Annunciation can never happen, for example, in the first week of Great Lent or before it. The latest possible celebration is the Wednesday of Bright Week. Thus, sometimes there are cases when the feast of the Annunciation falls on Easter. Such a coincidence is called Kyriopaskha, which means "Pascha of the Lord", that is, "the most real." This name is possible due to the significance of the date of March 25 for Christians: they believed that it was on this day that the Lord was resurrected and also incarnated. Most likely, the name "Kyriopaskha" indicates that this was indeed the case. Let me emphasize: the earliest celebration of the Annunciation is possible on Thursday of the third week of Great Lent, at the latest on Wednesday of Bright Week.

The Most Holy Mother of God was able to prepare herself to hear the words of the Lord, and acquired the great gift of humility. Can we today, in our complex world, find humility similar to the humility of the Mother of God?

Perhaps we do not need to think that we are living in a very bad time. There have been much worse periods in human history. For example, in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament we will see that during the life of Patriarch Noah, only he and his family were chosen by the Lord for the salvation and continuation of the human race, and the rest perished in the waters of the global flood. As the Holy Scripture says, they accepted the punishment quite justly: people have become so corrupted. But even in such conditions, a family was found that preserved piety. There is no need to think that we live in particularly difficult conditions. More recently, a little less than 30 years ago, Christianity in our country was persecuted quite severely. At that time it was really hard for people to be Christians. There were times of war. We, the inhabitants of St. Petersburg, can remember the blockade of the city, but even then people lived, fought, held services, glorified the Lord. And we, living in prosperity, when no one is forcing us to renounce the faith of Christ, when, thank the Lord, there are no wars, no one is forcing us to do evil, we are actually in a very good situation.

We just need to understand that the fight against evil is primarily within us. We have to deal with irritation, anger, fuss. You can start with very, it would seem simple things. For example, many drivers tend to swear at other drivers. It would seem a trifle. But we, as Christians, must begin our fight against evil precisely from this. There is no need to think that everything is bad around. It turns out that evil is within us. If it seems to us that people around us are doing bad deeds, then this is a sure sign that the reason is in ourselves. There is some flaw inside us that makes us see evil in people. When we start to change, we will see that there really is no evil. There is a well-known spiritual law, according to which a person sees in other people the evil that is in himself. If you see evil in another person, look inside yourself and say: Lord, I probably have it in me too, help me see it, but I won’t look at another person, first I’ll deal with myself. Believe me, when you deal with yourself and look at the other, it turns out that he has nothing, and it was about you. The fight against evil within ourselves is our direct duty.

How to achieve this? After all, that's what we live for. You need to try to change yourself little by little, starting with silence. To resolve these issues, you just need to turn to the spiritual father, because each person has an individual case. We firmly believe that it is through the help of a confessor that perfection can be achieved. In general, in the Holy Scriptures, the Lord, like John the Baptist, begins his sermon like this: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Further, in the Book of Acts of the Holy Apostles, when recent Jews and Gentiles asked the Apostle Peter what to do in order to follow Christ, Peter said: repent. Repentance in Greek is metanoia, which means "change", "change of mind". This is not self-abasement. The essence of repentance is that we saw the evil in ourselves and changed, we decided to try not to do it. We have changed already because we admitted to ourselves that this is evil, that our habits are sinful. Sometimes it hurts. And sometimes it happens differently: having said in confession that we repent and will not do this again, we feel such an extraordinary lightness that we do not understand how we lived before. The Sacrament of Confession is a sure means to start fighting evil. This is a very important point.

Let's sum up and think: what can we, Christians of the XXI century, learn by looking at the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos?

The most important thing in this holiday is the Most Holy Theotokos Herself and Her holiness, purity, ever-virginity (that is, She was the Virgin before Christmas, and at Christmas, and after Christmas), the readiness to receive the Lord within herself, the orientation to the Lord throughout her life (as I have already said that the Mother of God was brought up at the temple, she vowed to God not to marry, she lived next to the Lord, after the Ascension she was among the apostles; She directed her whole life, all her heart, all her thoughts to the Lord). Therefore, it was possible that the Lord Himself dwelt in Her. We must know that each of us, with God's help and the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, can achieve this.

- What would you wish our viewers?

Perhaps we wish those who have not yet begun to fast that they find the strength in themselves, come to the temple, confess and tell what their conscience is burdened with. Thus, we will come closer to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, to the purity that She possessed, and we will acquire, albeit to a small extent, this purity. Having done this, let's make a little effort to celebrate the Easter holiday with dignity. After all, the main reason for the joy of the Annunciation is that through the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, who would suffer on the Cross, but rise again and promise each of us a resurrection. Truly, this joy, the promised resurrection, is worth it for us to work a little here and try to become purer, like the Most Holy Theotokos.

Host: Mikhail Prokhodtsev
Transcription: Margarita Popova

Holy Fathers about the Mother of God.

You are the crown of virginity, You are the Virgin Mother! And who among the people is able to adequately praise the all-singing Mary? O miracle! She is both the Mother and the Virgin! ( Closing remarks at the III Ecumenical Council).

From the prince of this age, the virginity of Mary, Her birth, and also the death of the Lord were hidden, the loud mysteries that took place in the silence of God.

Martyr Justin the Philosopher:

The power of God, which found on the Virgin, overshadowed her and made the Virgin fruitful.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa:

The Mother and the Virgin are one and the same: neither virginity prevented Her from giving birth, nor birth violated her virginity.

She who said the words: "Behold the Servant of the Lord; be it to me according to your word" (Luke 1, 38) and after she conceived in the womb, Virgin, and after she gave birth, Virgin, for the prophet also announced not only that the Virgin will conceive, but also what the Virgin will give birth to (Isaiah 7:14).

Saint John of Damascus:

Ever-Virgin Mary is the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Him Who, being true God, at the very moment of conception in Her womb, took human nature into the unity of His Hypostasis. So that in the incarnation from Her He was, and after the incarnation invariably remains the one Divine Person, as He existed from eternity until the incarnation. She gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ - not according to His Divinity, but according to humanity, which, however, from the very moment of His incarnation, became inseparably and hypostatically united in Him with His Divinity. From the very moment of His incarnation, it was deified by Him, and became His own Divine Face. So that both the conception, and the stay in the womb of the Virgin during a certain period of gestation, and the birth from Her belonged to His Divine Person proper. She gave birth not to a simple man, but to true God, and not just to God, but to God in the flesh, who did not bring a body from heaven and passed through Her as through a canal, but who took from Her flesh, consubstantial with us, which in Himself received a hypostasis.

Saint John Chrysostom:

The Holy Spirit shone in a pure mirror, in the immaculate body of the Virgin, forming a perfect Man not according to the law of nature, not in time, not from human seed, but by one appearance, by spiritual and holy power moved the Virgin to birth, inexplicably draining the Embryo in Her, as if what fabric to save people.

The Virgin (Eve) expelled us from paradise, through the Virgin (Mary) we gained eternal life - by what we are condemned, by what we are crowned.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:

From His Immaculate Mother, the Lord borrowed pure flesh, and gave Her the Divinity instead of the flesh that She gave Him. Oh, wonderful and wonderful exchange.

Saint Gregory Palamas:

Virgo - Mother is, as it were, the only boundary between the created and uncreated Divine nature. And all who see God will recognize Her as the place of the Uncontainable. And all who praise God will also sing after God. She is the cause of the blessings and gifts that were before Her to the human race, and the Giver of the present, and the Intercessor of the eternal ones. She is the foundation of the prophets, the beginning of the apostles, the foundation of martyrs, the foundation of teachers. She is the glory of those who are on earth, the joy of those who are in heaven, the adornment of all creation. She is the beginning, the source and the root of the hope prepared for us in heaven, which may we all be honored to receive through Her prayers for us, to the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born before the ages from the Father and lately Incarnated from Her.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa:

Speaking of the Uncorrupted and Unartistic, it is impossible to use the word "conception" in the proper sense, because the words "virginity" and "carnal conception" are incompatible in the One and the Same.

But just as the Son is given to us without a father (earthly), so the Child is born without a carnal conception. Just as the Virgin did not know how a God-acceptable body was formed in Her body, she did not feel birth. According to the testimony of prophecy, Her birth was without illnesses: "before her pains came, she was born with a son" (Is. 66, 7).

Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:

The Virgin Mary became for us the sky, the throne of God, because the highest Divinity descended and dwelt in Her in order to exalt us ... In Her the Divinity was clothed in a robe for us, in order to deliver salvation to us.

Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer:

When you see the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, turn your heart to Her, the Queen of Heaven, and thank Her for appearing so ready for obedience to the will of God that she gave birth, nurtured and raised the Redeemer of the world, and that in our invisible warfare she never becomes impoverished intercession to help us.

Nicephorus Kallistos:

She was of average height, or, as some say, somewhat above average. Her hair was golden, her eyes were lively, her eyebrows were arched, dark, her nose was straight, elongated, her lips were blooming, her face was not round and not pointed, but somewhat elongated, her arms and fingers were long.

Saint Ambrose of Milan:

She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul: humble in heart, prudent in words, prudent, reticent, a lover of reading ... industrious, chaste in speech, honoring not a person, but God as the Judge of Her thoughts. Her rule was not to offend anyone, to be kind to everyone, to honor elders, not to envy equals, to avoid boasting, to be sane, to love virtue. Has She ever offended her parents with her facial expression or was in disagreement with her relatives, has she become proud in front of a modest person, laughed at the weak, evaded the poor? She had nothing stern in her eyes, nothing imprudent in her words, nothing indecent in her actions: her body movements were modest, her tread was quiet, her voice was even; so that Her appearance was a reflection of the soul, the personification of purity.

Nicephorus Kallistos:

In conversation, She retained modest dignity, did not laugh, did not become indignant, and especially did not get angry. Absolutely artless, simple, She did not think in the least about Herself, and far from effeminacy, she was distinguished by complete humility. She was content with the natural color of her robes, which even now is proved by Her sacred head covering. In short, in all Her actions, a special grace was revealed.

Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer:

We all know that the Ever-Virgin Mother of God is full of grace and all virtues. It is said that in persecutions and troubles she was always cheerful, in need and poverty she was not upset, she did not get angry at those who offended her, but even did good to them. She was meek in well-being, merciful to the poor and helped them as much as she could, she was a mentor in piety and in every good deed. She especially loved the humble, because she herself was filled with humility. Many praises are given to Her by those who have seen Her. People worthy of trust told about Her that according to Her holiness in Her appearance, angelic nature and human nature were united.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite:

When I was introduced before the face of the God-like, most radiant Virgin, a great and immeasurable Divine light shone around me from without and from within, and such a wondrous fragrance spread around me that neither my feeble body nor my spirit itself could bear such abundant and great signs and firstfruits. eternal bliss and glory. My heart has failed, my spirit has failed in me from Her glory and Divine grace! The human mind cannot imagine any glory and honor (even in the state of people glorified by God) higher than the bliss that I then tasted, unworthy, but rewarded by mercy and blessed beyond any idea.

Saint Theophan the Recluse:

Annunciation and the establishment of the sacrament of the Body and Blood. What a combination! We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ - the very ones that, in incarnation, are received from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. Thus, in the incarnation that took place at the hour of the annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to memory by all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on mother's milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which are from the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov:

Who will not be surprised that for all the time from the crime of Adam to the incarnation of the Word of God, who came to earth for the salvation of the human race in half the sixth thousand years, there was not a single such virgin on earth who would be pure not only in body, but also in spirit ? She alone turned out to be the first and last such Virgin who, by her purity of body and soul, became worthy to be a church and a temple of the Holy Spirit. And just as then, thanks to her virginal purity, she ascended and drew near to God the Holy Spirit and was united into one spirit with God, as it is said in Scripture: "he who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord" (1 Cor. 6, 17), so and in her most honorable Dormition, by the same step, she ascended to him, to heaven and beyond heaven. She ascended to God the Son on the level of humility, for through humility she became worthy to be His Mother. With the same step She ascended to heaven and surpassed in honor and dignity all the faces of the saints ... With the same high step of the deepest humility, she reached the highest honor of the Birth of God, incorruptible motherhood, for during Her humble words: "Behold, the Servant of the Lord" (Lk 1:38) in Her most pure virginal womb "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Humility is the foundation of everything, and all other virtues serve as a superstructure on this foundation. And in her life, the Most Pure Virgin, most of all with humility, approached God, Who says: "On whom will I look: on the humble and contrite in spirit" (Is. 66, 2). With the same humility and in her Assumption, She ascended to heaven and was elevated with glory to the throne of the Kingdom of Heaven, for humility reigns by the Most Pure Virgin where pride is cast down.

To the third most important person of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, She ascended the third highest step - love, for according to the apostle "the love of them is greater" (1 Cor. 13, 13). Through her She became the Daughter of the Heavenly Father. How the Most Pure Virgin loved God, no language can explain this, no mind can comprehend, for love is one of the unknown secrets of the heart, known only to God, and to the testing heart, known.

In people, love differs by type: in a special way they love their parents, otherwise a friend, otherwise a son. The love of the Most Pure Virgin had no differences, for the One whom She loved was for Her both the Father, and the only Son, and the imperishable Bridegroom. All Her all-encompassing love was directed to the one God, and for her sake She was called both the bride of the Holy Spirit, and the Mother of God the Son, and the Daughter, not by such communion as all become faithful children of God, according to the words of Scripture: "To those who believe in His name, He gave power be children of God" (John 1:12), and in another place: "And I will receive you. And I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17-18) . The Most Pure Virgin became the daughter of God the Father in a different, incomparably higher, more honest and closest assimilation.

Let us imagine that a certain man took in two young orphaned girls, brought them up as daughters, and named them both his daughters, and then made one of them the bride of his half-blooded son. This maiden, combined with his son, becomes, according to the law of nature, his closest daughter, related to him to a greater extent than the maiden who was not combined with his son. For this one is only his named daughter, the first one becomes his daughter according to the law of nature, since she becomes one flesh with his son, according to the law of nature - the daughter of the same father. The same can be said about the Most Pure Mother of God. So with these three steps (I do not mention countless others), the Mother of God now ascends in the heavenly: to God the Holy Spirit - with virginal purity, to God the Son with humility, and to God the Father - with love. I will say more: by all these steps She ascended to the one God in the Trinity. For by what pleased God the Holy Spirit, by the same it pleased both God the Son and God the Father; what pleased God the Son, the same pleased both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit; what pleased God the Father, the more pleased God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):

The divine body of the God-Man was conceived Divinely and born Divinely. Virgo. was born, being at the time of birth filled with the most holy spiritual joy. Sickness did not accompany this birth, just as sickness did not accompany the taking of Eve from Adam.

The Mother of God was the only verbal vessel into which God indwelled with His very being.

With all the greatness of the Mother of God, Her conception and birth took place according to the general law of mankind, therefore, the general confession of the human race about conception in iniquity and birth in sin belongs to the Mother of God. The Mother of God confesses before all mankind in the Gospel ... that the God born by Her is also Her Savior. If God is Her Savior, then She was conceived and born in sin according to the general law of fallen humanity.

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Ever-Virgin happened twice. For the first time, the Holy Spirit descended upon Her after the gospel uttered by the Archangel Gabriel, cleansed Her, pure according to the human concept, made her graciously pure, capable of receiving God's Word into herself and becoming His Mother ... The second time the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin on the day of Pentecost ... Then the Holy Spirit destroyed in Her the dominion of eternal death and original sin, elevated Her to a high level of Christian perfection, made Her a new person in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Mother of God did not know the struggle with carnal desires: before lust could act in Her, the Holy Spirit descended on Her, sealed Her purity, bestowed upon Her spiritual pleasure, to which Her heart clung.

The Ever-Virgin is above all saints, both for the reason that she became the Mother of the God-Man, and for the reason that She was the most constant, most attentive hearer and performer of the teaching proclaimed by the God-Man.

Just as the Lord replaced Adam with Himself, so He replaced Eve with the Mother of God. Eve, being created a virgin, transgressed the commandment of God and could not retain in herself the holy feeling of virginity... The Mother of God, being conceived and born in the sin of the forefathers, prepared Herself with a chaste and God-pleasing life into the vessel of God.

The Mother of God on the third day, according to her blessed Dormition, resurrected and now lives in heaven in body and soul. She not only lives in heaven, She reigns in heaven ... The Holy Church, turning with petitions to all the greatest saints of God, to all the Angels and Archangels, says to them: "Pray God for us", she asks only the Mother of God: "Save us ".

Moscow Patericon:

In the summer of 1395, Tamerlane invaded the Russian borders. He boasted that grass does not grow where his horse steps. Tamerlane had already taken the city of Yelets, beat up a lot of people and moved on to Moscow. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich hastily gathered an army and waited for a formidable guest at Kolomna. Beleno was to transfer the famous Vladimir icon from Vladimir to Moscow. Weeping stood in Moscow churches, innumerable candles flickered in front of the icons ... The inhabitants of Moscow with the grand-ducal family and with all the clergy went to Kuchkovo field, towards the icon, and a miracle happened. At the hour of the meeting of the icon in Moscow, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. In a dream he saw a high mountain. Hierarchs with golden wands descended from the mountain, above them in the air in indescribable grandeur, in the radiance of bright rays, stood the radiant Virgin. Dark Angels surrounded the Virgin and held fiery swords in their hands ... Tamerlane woke up in horror and called the wise men. "This Virgin," they said, "the Intercessor of the Russians, the Mother of the Christian God... Her power is irresistible." Tamerlane ordered his hordes to turn back. "Tamerlane fled, says the chronicler, driven by the power of the Blessed Virgin."

Trinity Patericon:

Once, in the dead of night, Saint Sergius was doing his cell rule and before the icon of the Mother of God he sang the Akathist, which he did every day... now to have a wonderful visit." And immediately a voice was heard: "Behold, the Most Pure One is coming!" ... The elder got up, went out into the hallway, and here his light shone brighter than the sun. He beheld the Most Blessed Virgin, accompanied by the Apostles Peter and John the Theologian... Unable to endure this wondrous radiance and the ineffable glory of the Mother of Light, St. Sergius fell on his face. But the good Mother touched him and said: "Do not be afraid, My chosen one. Your prayer for your disciples has been heard. Do not grieve any more about your abode. From now on, it will have abundance in everything - not only during your lifetime, but also after that, how will you go to God. I will not leave this place and will always keep it.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Assumption of Kiev-Pechersk

The history of this icon takes us back to ancient times, when the spring of Orthodoxy flourished in Kievan Rus, when the venerable fathers of Russian monasticism Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk gathered in dark caves a reverent army of monks, and the Mother of God, who chose their monastery as Her earthly abode, great and with unspeakable miracles she testified of Her good will to this great and wonderful place and, having established the monastery spiritually, she wished to erect a wondrous temple in it.

This temple was prophesied. The Varangian prince Shimon, who came to the service of the noble prince Yaroslav, delivered by the power of the Mother of God from death on the battlefield, told Anthony and Theodosius that Christ ordered him to take to their monastery and hang over the altar a precious crown and belt that had previously adorned the crucifix arranged by Shimon's father . In a storm at sea, a miraculous appearance of a marvelous church followed Shimon and a voice was heard that “this is an image of the church being built by the monks in the name of the Mother of God, and that this church will have 20 belts in width, 30 in length and 50 in height.” A few years later, finding the Monk Anthony in Kyiv, Shimon handed them a golden belt, saying: “This is the measure of the foundation of the future church.” At the same time, he also handed over a crown, asking him to hang it over the future holy altar.

The Monk Anthony gave these objects to the Monk Theodosius, predicting to him that he would build a church.

Shimon donated a lot, in monasticism Simon, for the construction of the church and subsequently often visited it.

In 1075, four very wealthy, skillful church architects came from Constantinople to the monastery to St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves and said:

Where would you like to start building a church? The saints answered:

Where the Lord will point.

A wonderful thing, - the masters noticed then, - you foresaw the time of your death, gave us so much money, so much gold for work, and did not choose yet places for the church.

Hearing such speeches that were incomprehensible to them, Saints Anthony and Theodosius called together all the brethren and in front of them asked the newcomers:

Reveal to us the whole truth of what your words mean.

The masters said the following:

Once, when we were sleeping in our homes, at sunrise, handsome young men came to each of us with an invitation: “The Queen is calling you to Blachernae,” a temple in the vicinity of Constantinople. We went to the call, taking with us friends and relatives, and all at the same time met in Blachernae. There we learned from each other that everyone heard the same call of the Queen and were summoned by the same young men. And there we saw the Queen surrounded by a multitude of warriors and paid homage to Her. The queen told us: “I want to build a church for Myself in Rus, in Kyiv; I order you to take gold with you for three years and go to build it. We, bowing again, answered her: “Lady Queen! You command us to go to a far, foreign side, where we have never been before. To whom shall we go there?" The queen explained to us: “I am sending with you Anthony and Theodosius coming here”; and there we saw you. Then we asked: “For three years You give us, Mistress, gold; tell these monks to bring us food and everything we need, and what to reward us with - You know Yourself. To this, the Empress said: “Anthony standing here will only bless you for the work, and he himself will go to eternal rest, Theodosius will follow him in the second year; take, as I have told you, gold in abundance, and go quietly on your way. No one is able to reward you like I do. I will give you what the eye has not seen, what the ear has not heard, and what does not enter the heart of a person, and I myself will come to the church and live in it. The Lady also gave us the relics of the martyrs Artemy, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Akakios, Arethas, Jacob and Theodore, and ordered us to put these relics in the foundation of the future temple. We, having received relics, gold and everything necessary from Her, asked Her about the size of the church. She answered us: “In moderation I sent the girdle of My Son according to His command. But go to an open place, and you will see the size of the future temple. We went out, saw the church in the air and remembered its size and shape; then, returning, they again asked the Queen: “Lady, in whose name do you want to build a temple?” And She answered: "I want to call him in My name." We did not dare to ask for this name. The Queen Herself said: “The Church will be Mother of God” and handed us this holy icon of the Dormition with the words: “Let this icon be the vicar.” We bowed to Her once more and returned home, carrying with us the icon, received from the hands of the Queen.

After this story, everyone glorified God and His Mother. Anthony told the masters that he had not left this place with St. Theodosius for a long time. The Greeks swore with an oath:

From your hands we received gold before many witnesses; we accompanied you to the ships, saw your departure, and, having spent one month at home after your departure, set off on our journey; and now it is already the 10th day since we left Constantinople.

Then Saint Anthony said to them:

Chad! Christ has vouchsafed you great grace. The young men who appeared to you were bright angels, and the Queen in Blachernae is the Most Pure Mother of God Ever-Virgin Mary herself, surrounded by incorporeal angelic forces. How She showed you the ghost of our face, only God knows about it. Blessed is your coming and your good companion - an honest icon of the Lady of the Virgin.

Such is the miraculous origin of this priceless treasure of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - the miraculous icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

Great miracles accompanied the whole work of building the Kyiv church, which received the name "Great".

In order to find out the place of its construction, Saints Anthony and Theodosius asked God for a sign: one morning the whole place where the church was later built turned out to be dry, while there was dew around it; on another night the same phenomenon was repeated, but in reverse order, i.e., dew fell on only one holy place. Through the prayers of the saints, fire fell from heaven on the place measured by Simon's belt for the temple, covered with brushwood, burned the brushwood and made a depression like a ditch. The relics handed over to the masters in Blachernae by the Most Holy Theotokos were placed at the base of the walls. Having founded the church, the Monk Anthony soon died, as the Lady predicted, and in the second year after him, having brought the church out of its foundation, the Monk Theodosius also reposed, and already the third hegumen, Blessed Stephen, built the church, which was consecrated with new great miracles.

The miraculous icon of the Assumption, brought by Greek architects from Constantinople, remains to this day in the Great Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. It is approved on silk cords above the royal doors of the main iconostasis and after the service is lowered for the worshipers on the lectern. The icon is set in a large silver-gilt circle and covered with a chasuble of pure gold, adorned with precious stones. It is 9 inches high and 6 1/2 inches wide.

In all the disasters that broke out over Kiev and over the Lavra, the icon remained unharmed. In front of this cherished shrine, Peter the Great, going near Poltava, prayed for help, and returning, glorified the Mother of God for help. When a fire broke out in the Lavra in 1718, then, having received news of this, Peter first of all asked:

Is the miraculous icon intact?

Hearing that it was saved, the emperor exclaimed:

So everything is saved!

On difficult and dangerous days for the city, the icon was carried around the fence. When the Turks besieged Chigirin in 1677 and danger threatened Kyiv, the miraculous icon was carried around the city on August 27 almost all day long. In the same way, it was carried around Kyiv in 1812.

She is celebrated on May 3rd and August 15th. Every Wednesday before the beginning of the liturgy, an akathist chant is sent before her. According to the place of its appearance, the icon is also called Blachernae.

The appearance of the icon is as follows: the Mother of God is depicted reposed on a bed; before the bed stands the Gospel; near the head and feet of the Mother of God, 5 apostles each; the supreme Peter at the head with a censer, Paul on the left side falls at the feet of the Mother of God, at the middle of the bed the Savior took the soul of the Mother of God in his arms, and near the head of the Savior there are two winged angels.

A reverent pilgrim who visited the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and read the legends about the miraculous icon will never forget those feelings that excite the soul when he, in a crowd of pilgrims, after the liturgy, approaches the icon of the Assumption, which has been lowered from the iconostasis and lies on the lectern.

Whose hands drew the image of the departure of the Most Pure One to heaven? But She herself held this icon in her arms, handing it over to the 4th architects, who rest with their relics in the same Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Saints Anthony and Theodosius took her in their arms, kissed her reverently, and many saints worshiped her... And now Christians cry out before her: "Rejoice, O Joyful One, who does not leave us in Your Assumption..."