How does the Orthodox icon of the Pochaev Mother of God help? Pochaevskaya icon of the Mother of God meaning.

The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered shrines of the Russian Church. She is known throughout the Slavic world: she is revered in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria and other countries. Along with the Orthodox, Christians of other confessions also come to venerate the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the Pochaev Lavra, the ancient stronghold of Orthodoxy, the miraculous Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God has remained for about 400 years. The miracles that flow from the holy icon are numerous and are attested in monastic books by the records of believers who prayed for deliverance from incurable illnesses, liberation from captivity and the admonition of sinners.

The celebration in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God on August 5 (new style) was established in memory of the deliverance of the Assumption Pochaev Lavra from the Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675.

In the summer of 1675, during the Zbarazh War with the Turks, during the reign of the Polish king John Sobieski (1674-1696), regiments consisting of Tatars, led by Khan Nurredin, approached the Pochaev monastery through Vishnevets, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery fence, like several stone buildings of the monastery, did not provide any protection for the besieged. Hegumen Joseph of Dobromir convinced the brethren and laity to turn to heavenly intercessors: the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Job of Pochaev. The monks and laity prayed fervently, falling before the miraculous image of the Mother of God and the shrine containing the relics of St. Job.

On the morning of August 5 (July 23, old style), at sunrise, the Tatars held their final advice about storming the monastery, and the abbot ordered the singing of an akathist to the Mother of God. With the first words to the “Charred Voivode,” the Most Pure Mother of God Herself suddenly appeared above the temple, “blooming a white-shining omophorion,” with heavenly angels holding drawn swords. The Monk Job was near the Mother of God, bowing to Her and praying for the protection of the monastery.

The Tatars mistook the heavenly army for a ghost, and in confusion began to shoot at the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job, but the arrows returned and wounded those who fired them. Horror gripped the enemy. In a panicked flight, without distinguishing their own, they killed each other. The defenders of the monastery gave chase and captured many. Some prisoners subsequently accepted the Christian faith and remained in the monastery forever.

More than half a century ago, on June 17, 1950, in the Pochaev Lavra there was a miraculous healing of the nun Varvara (in the world Elena Konstantinovna Putyatina), who had had both legs paralyzed for 48 years. She came from the city of Chkalov (now Orenburg), moving with difficulty on crutches with the help of her companion nun Maria. Having attached herself to the list of the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the nun immediately stood up. The crutches she left at the monastery still stand near the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, testifying to the miracle that took place.

Troparion, tone 5:
Before Your holy icon, Lady, / those who pray are honored with healing, / receive knowledge of the true faith, / and reflect the Hagarian invasions. / In the same way, for us who fall to You, / ask for remission of sins, / enlighten the thoughts of piety in our hearts, / and offer a prayer to Your Son / for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, voice 1:
The source of healing and faith of the Orthodox affirmation of the Pochaevskaya Icon of Yours, the Mother of God, appeared: to those who flow to her, free us from troubles and temptations, preserve Your Lavra unharmed, establish Orthodoxy in the surrounding countries, and resolve your sins; , you can.

Prayer to Our Lady of Pochaev:

To You, O Mother of God, we, sinners, prayerfully flow to You, Your miracles in the Holy Lavra of Pochaev, revealed in remembrance and lamentation of our sins. We, Lady, we know, as it is not fitting for us sinners to ask anything, except for the righteous Judge of our iniquities to leave us. All that we have endured in life, sorrows, needs, and illnesses, like the fruits of our falls, have languished for us, and I allow this to God for our correction. Moreover, the Lord brought all this truth and judgment to His sinful servants, who in their sorrows came to Your intercession, the Most Pure One, and in the tenderness of their hearts they cry out to You: Our sins and iniquities, O Good One, do not remember, but more than Your all-honorable hand having risen up, stand before Your Son and God, so that the evil we have done may be forgiven us, and for our many unfulfilled promises, He will not turn His face away from His servants, and He will not take His grace, which contributes to our salvation, from our souls. To her, Lady, be an intercessor for our salvation and, not disdaining our cowardice, look upon our groans, even in our troubles and sorrows we lift up before Your miraculous image. Enlighten our minds with tender thoughts, strengthen our faith, confirm our hope, grant us the sweetest gift of love to accept us. By these gifts, Most Pure One, and not by illnesses and sorrows, may our belly be elevated to salvation, but protect our souls from despondency and despair, deliver us who are weak from the troubles and needs that come upon us, and human slander and unbearable diseases. Grant peace and prosperity to the Christian life through Your intercession, Lady, establish the Orthodox faith in our country, throughout the world, do not betray the Apostolic and Catholic Church to disparagement, preserve the statutes of the saints forever, unshakable, save all who come to You from the perishing ditch. Also, bring the heresy of our deceived brethren or the saving faith of those who have been destroyed by sinful passions to true faith and repentance, so that together with us those who worship Your miraculous image will confess Your intercession. Vouchsafe us, O Most Pure Lady Theotokos, even in this belly the victory of truth by Your intercession to behold, vouchsafe us grace-filled joy before the end of our perception, just as the inhabitants of ancient times were shown by Your appearance to the victors and enlighteners of the Hagarians, so that we all have a grateful heart, together with the angels, and prophets, and apostles, and with all the saints, glorifying Your mercy, let us give glory, honor and worship in the Trinity to the sung God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

What do they pray for in front of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God?

Before the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God they pray for:

Strengthening faith;
Liberation from bad addictions;
Help in any matter;
Healing from infirmities;
Protect from enemies.

Through prayers in front of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, miracles happened more than once.

The mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos did not abandon the believers while the icon was in the possession of the Uniates.
A man born blind received his sight.
Healing of the nun Varvara.

Based on materials from open Internet sources

Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Video

The veneration of icons is one of the differences between the Orthodox faith and other areas of Christianity. There are many holy images that have special meaning for the Russian people.

Theologian's opinion

Professor of theology Alexey Ilyich Osipov in his lectures repeatedly touched on the issue of worship of icons. He says that it is necessary to separate the concepts of worshiping an icon as a kind of magical object, which in itself is endowed with a certain power, and as an image of a specific saint. In the latter case, the prayer is addressed specifically to the saint, who was known for his righteous life and can become a heavenly patron for the person praying. Ultimately, only the Lord knows the destinies of people, therefore all requests and pleas should be addressed to Him.

Osipov also mentions the existence of different types of worship: the first is the worship of God - religious worship, which essentially means faith. And the second type is worship in the sense of admiration, veneration. This is how one can worship, for example, a person whose qualities are highly valued. The same thing happens with the veneration of icons and relics of saints.

About prayer before icons

Alexey Ilyich also says that prayer before any icon, offered without faith in God, without humility and reverence, has no power. It is worth remembering the prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane: “... Yes, Your will be done, not mine.” Christians should follow this example when making prayer requests to the Almighty.

We should not forget that Christianity is aimed primarily at curing human spiritual illnesses, which are sins. “Give me your soul, son,” said Christ. Therefore, you need to pray for spiritual benefits and the healing of spiritual illnesses first of all. And if a person appeals to the Heavenly Father with some earthly, material request, then he must ask with humility, because only the Lord knows what is evil and what is good for a given person.

If we talk about the miraculousness of icons, then we need to understand that it is not the icon itself that is miraculous. Miracles are performed by God, who always hears prayers addressed to Him with faith, repentance and humility. Icons can only contribute to a person’s proper mood for prayer.

Appearance of the Virgin Mary

One of the especially revered iconographic images in Orthodoxy is located in the Ukrainian city of Pochaev, above the monastery church. In addition to the original, there are also several copies of the Pochaev Icon. A prayer to the Lord in front of these icons can be offered in churches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Tobolsk region.

There is the following legend about the acquisition of this image. In the fourteenth century, two monks lived near the mountain on which the monastery now stands. One day, after prayer, one of them saw the Most Holy Theotokos, who appeared standing on a mountain in blazes of flame. This monk called another to come and also see the miracle. A local shepherd also came to the call. The stone on which the Virgin Mary stood forever imprinted the imprint of Her right foot. All three climbed the mountain and thanked God for the miracle shown to them in joint prayer.

Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Finding a shrine

In the second half of the sixteenth century, Neophyte was on a visit to Russia. Driving through the Volyn lands, he visited the small town of Pochaev, which was part of the possession of the noblewoman Anna Goiskaya. Vladyka stayed at her estate for some time.

In gratitude for the warm welcome, the Metropolitan of Constantinople presented the owner of the estate with an icon of the Pochaev Mother of God. The noblewoman began to regularly offer prayers for the healing of her blind brother in front of the holy image.

Thanks to the true faith that Anna showed in her prayers, filled with humility and repentance, the Lord heeded her request, and a miracle happened - the blind man received his sight.

Anna's servant, performing her duties around the house, more than once noticed a halo of glow near her. The owner of the estate herself began to have dreams in which the Mother of God appeared to her. Goyskaya took all this as a sign from above and handed over the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God to the monks. They began to offer prayers before her in the cave of the mountain where they lived, and where, several centuries before, the Mother of God appeared to their predecessors. The holy image was transferred there by a specially assembled solemn religious procession.

Monastery

Soon a monastery was erected on that mountain; this was done thanks to donations for the construction made by Anna Goyskaya. Almost a century later, the miraculous image was taken away from the monastic community by a descendant of Goyskaya. This wicked nobleman kept the icon on his estate for two decades. But after his wife became possessed, he turned for help to the abbot of the Pochaev monastery Job, who was known among the people for his insight and righteous life and after his death was glorified by the church as a saint. He gave the nobleman advice to immediately return the shrine to its rightful place, which he, in turn, did.

At the end of the seventeenth century there was a war with Turkey, during which numerous Tatar detachments fighting on the Turkish side, passing through Pochaev, besieged the monastery. The walls of the monastery, not designed to withstand powerful siege weapons, could not hold back enemy attacks. The enemies who surrounded this place from all sides were coming closer.

Heavenly intercessor

He called on all the monastic brethren to kneel before the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God in prayer for mercy. After some time, when the Tatars held a military council at which the fate of the monastery was decided, the Mother of God herself appeared above the monastery churches, surrounded by an army of angels with drawn swords. Saint Job stood next to the Mother of God, begging her to intercede for the fate of the besieged monks. At the sight of this grandiose spectacle, panic arose in the Tatar camp. They opened fire with arrows at the heavenly patrons of the monastic monastery.

But the arrows they shot returned in their direction, inflicting significant losses on the army. Soon the confusion reached such an unprecedented level that the warriors began to swing their swords, trying to protect themselves from the arrows. Often the blows hit their comrades. The army was demoralized and retreated in horror. The monks moved after them, overtook the enemy, and captured many Tatars. Some of these captives later converted to Christianity because they witnessed the power of the Lord.

The Pochaev Icon, the prayer before which turned out to be saving, is now located within the walls of this monastery, in the Assumption Cathedral.

Prayer of Grace

Before the siege of the walls of the Lavra was repelled by the Tatar army, miracles that occurred thanks to the Prayer before the icon of the Pochaev Mother of God were not documented. But the fame that the icon promotes grace-filled prayer, spreading from mouth to mouth, spread throughout Russia. Thousands of pilgrims began to gather at the icon, most of whom brought prayers to the Mother of God for the healing of bodily illnesses.

Many miracles are associated with the Pochaev Icon, many of which are included in special monastery books. One of the first entries tells about the healing of a sick boy. The boy developed a thorn on one of his eyes. The saddened parents came to the temple with their child, washed him with water from the footprint of the Mother of God and began to pray in front of the Pochaev Icon. Their request was heard, and the son was cured within a day. Soon he was struck by another terrible disease, from which the child died. The boy’s grandmother, who was a deeply religious woman, did not become despondent, but came to church and turned to God asking for help. And the Lord showed another miracle. Her grandson was resurrected.

Miracles of Faith

Since those distant times, many believers come to the Assumption Cathedral every day, hoping to receive healing from ailments, both physical and spiritual, for which they pray to the Mother of God, looking at them from the Pochaev Icon.

In modern history, there is a known case of healing of the nun Varvara, who suffered from paralysis of the lower limbs and moved only on crutches. Thanks to the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, the prayer for the health of this nun was so sincere that the Lord healed the suffering woman. The crutches, which turned out to be unnecessary for her, now stand under the icon, reminding parishioners of the power of righteous prayer and the boundlessness of the Heavenly Father’s love for his children.

One of the ancient legends tells about a certain monk who was captured by the enemy during the war with the Turks. This monk belonged to the brethren of the Pochaev Monastery. He was distinguished by his meekness and diligence in his service to the Lord. The monk regretted that he could not pray in front of the Pochaev Icon. By God's Grace one day he was transferred to his native monastery.

Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. What are they praying for?

The described cases show that the miraculous image helps strengthen faith and fortitude. Written sources mainly mention the healing of those praying from visible problems and bodily illnesses. But many people turn to God with requests for deliverance from spiritual ailments: envy, pride, despondency. Many holy fathers say that it is precisely such prayers that are most pleasing to the Lord. But cases of such healings are described extremely rarely due to the complexity and sometimes impossibility of describing these purely personal vices. Therefore, in church traditions about miraculous deliverances from material troubles, it is customary to see another, symbolic meaning. For example, when a legend tells that the prayer of the Mother of God at the Pochaev Icon saved or contributed to liberation from prison and captivity, then it should be understood that such a prayer can also protect from spiritual bondage - free a person from the captivity of his sinful passions.

The case of the healing of Anna Goyskaya’s blind brother can be considered as a symbol of spiritual insight, comprehension of one’s sinfulness and the need for improvement, which can only happen when a person turns to faith. And any faith, any religion, first of all, calls a person to prayer. Religion without prayer has no meaning and is reduced only to the meaningless performance of rituals.

Following the same logic, the pages of the monastery chronicle telling about the repulsion of the Tatar army with the assistance of the Mother of God can be interpreted as confirmation that the Lord is ready to deliver people from any enemies, including invisible ones, that is, sins.

How does prayer to the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God help?

Answering this question, it should be recalled that one should pray not to the icon itself, but to the Mother of God, who is depicted on this icon and can act as an intercessor before God for praying people. The icon itself does not have any divine power, but it can contribute to the correct mood for prayer. Alexey Osipov, a professor of theology, has spoken about this more than once, who, in turn, refers to many sayings of the holy fathers regarding this topic. Therefore, this opinion is not his subjective vision of this issue, it is based on the consistent teaching of the holy fathers.

Artistic characteristics of the icon

This example of icon painting is an icon of the so-called Tenderness type. This is a half-length image of the Mother of God, holding the baby Savior with one hand, and with the other the veil that covers the legs and back of Jesus. With one hand Christ holds on to the shoulder of his Mother, and with the other he makes a gesture of blessing.

On the icon you can see inscriptions written in Greek. On the sides there are small icons of several saints. The face of the Blessed Virgin is painted on wood in oils in a manner characteristic of the Byzantine school of icon painting. At first the image was covered with a silver frame, but it was lost. The icon is now framed by a small pearl star, which was given to the monastery by the Russian Emperor Alexander II as a sign of his gratitude for the hospitality of the monks during his pilgrimage to the Lavra in the mid-nineteenth century.

Origin of the icon

The authorship of this icon has not been established. Most experts agree that this image is a family icon. It is possible that it originally belonged to the family of the Greek Patriarch Neophytos himself.

As you know, some peoples had a custom of choosing a heavenly patron for the family. The day of veneration of this saint became a family holiday, and the icon with his image enjoyed special respect. There were also gifts that were given to newborns. They received this name because the size of the image corresponds to the growth of a newborn baby. Some researchers are inclined to believe that the icon of the Pochaev Mother of God was painted by Russian icon painters.

Celebration and daily worship

On August 5, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Pochaev Icon. What do they pray for on this day? This holiday was established in memory of the miraculous reflection of the Tatar army by the forces of the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, the first abbot of the monastery. In addition, every day after the morning service, which begins exactly at five o’clock in the morning and is held by the light of only lamps, the icon, located in the third row of the iconostasis, is lowered to the level of human height on special mounts. At this time, the church choir sings the chant “The Impenetrable Gate.”

According to tradition, a hieromonk, who is called an icon monk, should stand near the icon. He is the first to approach the icon in order to venerate it. After him, all the monks of the monastery venerate the image, and after them comes the turn of the laity present at the service. You can also venerate the shrine on Saturdays; on these days, before lowering the icon, the monks read the cathedral akathist. The image is lowered on ribbons for general worship on Sundays and holidays, after the Late Divine Liturgy has been served.

Finally

Every day a large number of residents of the city of Pochaev flock to venerate the holy image. The Assumption Cathedral also receives a huge number of pilgrims. They all come to the icon to pray and ask the Most Pure Virgin for help in front of the Pochaev Icon. What is usually asked of the Heavenly Intercessor?

Most often, prayers concern physical health, since, as already mentioned, according to church tradition, this image favors a special mood for just such prayer.

It is also believed that in front of the icon it is good to pray for people in prison, or to ask for protection from unfair punishment. But even if a person has committed a crime and is confident in the inevitability of punishment for his act, then in this case it is never too late for him to kneel in repentant prayer and thereby follow the example of the right thief from the Gospel.

You just need to remember that a certain mood is important for prayer, and it must, in addition to the request, certainly contain words of gratitude to the heavenly patrons. As for the texts of the prayer before the Pochaev image, there are about five prayers, each of which contains different requests. You can also read the akathist to the Pochaev Icon. Its content is based on the events of the military conflict with Turkey, when the monastery withstood the siege of the enemy army.

The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is widely revered in both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Her history is inextricably linked with the Pochaev Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ukraine), where she has been staying for about 400 years. But long before that, Pochaevskaya Mountain was marked by the grace of the Mother of God. Over 500 years ago, when the mountain was completely uninhabited, two monks came and settled in a small cave. It was they who witnessed the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God.

One day in 1340, one of them, after the usual prayer, wished to climb to the top of the mountain. And suddenly he saw the Mother of God, surrounded by flames and standing on a stone. He immediately called another hermit, who was also honored to contemplate the wonderful vision. A shepherd named John Bosoy saw all this. He ran up the mountain, where he found both monks, and all three of them glorified God. On the stone where the Mother of God stood, the imprint of the Most Pure One’s right foot remained forever imprinted. There is still water in this foot of the Mother of God, it never decreases and never overflows.

The Pochaev Icon itself appeared in the monastery in the following way. In 1559, the Greek Metropolitan Neophytos went from Constantinople to Moscow for help. Driving through Volyn, he visited the noblewoman Anna Goyskaya, who lived on the Orlya estate, not far from Pochaev. “God-slaughtering” Goyskaya cordially received the distinguished guest and, according to custom, showed him the deepest respect. In gratitude for her hospitality, Metropolitan Neophytos blessed her at parting with the ancient icon of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child, which he brought with him from Constantinople and kept with him as a family shrine.

For thirty years the icon received by Goyskaya stood in her castle chapel. But gradually Goyskaya’s family began to notice that some unusual light was emanating from the icon. The servants informed the landowner about this, but for a long time she did not want to believe their stories, until, finally, she herself saw the icon “in the great light” in a dream. Goyskaya then lit an unquenchable lamp in front of her. When her lame brother Philip was healed from the icon, she gave the icon to the monks who settled on Pochaevskaya Mountain in 1597. A church was erected on the rock in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and a monastery was created with it, for the maintenance of which Goyskaya provided funds. Since then, the icon began to be called Pochaevskaya.

After Goyskaya’s death, Pochaevskaya Mountain went to her nephew, a Lutheran and hater of Orthodoxy, Andrei Firlei. He robbed the monastery and seized the icon, which he kept in his home for twenty years. One day he decided to mock an Orthodox shrine. Having called the guests, he dressed his wife in the vestments of an Orthodox priest, gave her a chalice, and she began loudly shouting blasphemy against the Mother of God and Her icons. But she was immediately punished. An evil spirit began to torment her, and she was freed from the terrible illness only after her husband returned the Pochaev Icon to the monastery.
Once a monk of the Pochaev monastery was captured by the Tatars. While in captivity, he remembered the Pochaev monastery, its shrines, services, chants. The monk was especially sad at the approach of the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and tearfully prayed to the Mother of God for deliverance from captivity. And so, through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, one day the walls of the prison disappeared, and the monk found himself at the walls of the Pochaev monastery.

The monks and laity prayed fervently, falling before the miraculous image of the Mother of God and the shrine containing the relics of St. Job. On the morning of July 23, at sunrise, the Tatars began to storm the monastery, and the abbot ordered to sing an akathist to the Mother of God. With the first words to the “Charred Voivode,” the Most Pure Mother of God herself suddenly appeared above the temple with heavenly angels holding drawn swords. The Monk Job was near the Mother of God, bowing to Her and praying for the protection of the monastery. The Tatars mistook the heavenly army for a ghost, and in confusion began to shoot at the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job, but the arrows returned and wounded those who fired them. Horror gripped the enemy. In a panicked flight, without distinguishing their own, they killed each other. The defenders of the monastery gave chase and captured many. Some prisoners subsequently accepted the Christian faith and remained in the monastery forever. In memory of the deliverance of the Dormition Pochaev Lavra from the Turkish siege, a celebration was established in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God July 23 (August 5).

In 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. However, even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery chronicle recorded 539 miracles from the famous Orthodox shrine. During the reign of the Uniates, in the second half of the 18th century, for example, the Uniate count Nikolai Pototsky became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra due to the following miraculous circumstance. Blaming his coachman for the mad horses overturning the carriage, the count took out a pistol to kill him. The coachman, turning to Pochaevskaya Mountain, raised his hands up and exclaimed: “Mother of God, revealed in the Pochaevskaya icon, save me!” Pototsky tried several times to fire the pistol, which never failed him, but the weapon misfired. The coachman remained alive. Pototsky immediately went to the miraculous icon and decided to devote himself and all his property to building the monastery. The Assumption Cathedral and the fraternal building were built with his funds.

In 1773, the faces of the infant Christ and the Virgin Mary were crowned with two crowns of pure gold sent by Pope Clement XIV.
In 1831, when the union was destroyed, Pochaev passed to the Orthodox and was named the Pochaev Lavra. Catholics spread rumors that the miraculous icon, having left Pochaev, was transported to the neighboring Dominican monastery in Austria. But more and more healings refuted these rumors. So, in 1832, a blind girl Anna Akimchukova came to Pochaev with her 70-year-old grandmother 200 miles away - from Kamenets-Podolsk. After praying at the icon and washing her eyes with water from the feet of the Mother of God, she suddenly began to see. Her grandmother, who adhered to the Uniate faith, was amazed by the miracle and immediately converted to Orthodoxy. In memory of this event, a weekly reading of the cathedral akathist before the miraculous icon was established on Saturdays.

In 1869, the icon was decorated with a golden chasuble, studded with precious stones, and inserted into a star-shaped icon case, the rays of which were lined with pearls and emeralds. The dimensions of the icon are small - 30x23 cm. It is written in ancient Byzantine script and belongs to the “Tenderness” iconographic type. The image of the Mother of God is half-length. On Her right hand is the Eternal Child, in the left is a cloth covering the Child. In addition, there are Greek inscriptions on the icon, and in the margins there are miniature images of saints: the prophet Elijah, St. Mina, the first martyr Stephen, the venerable martyr Abraham, the great martyrs Catherine, Paraskeva and Irina.

The Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra houses a large icon, also called Pochaevskaya. It was organized by the people of Kiev in memory of the deliverance of Kyiv from cholera in 1848 and is considered miraculous. It depicts the foot of the Mother of God at the bottom. Icons of this type are called “stacked”, in contrast to those with the faces of saints - “with those coming”.

About 300 miraculous icons with the image of the Mother of God “Pochaevskaya” are known.

During the Great Patriotic War, when Pochaev was occupied by the Nazis, the icon was hidden at home and preserved by Protodeacon Stratonik (†1985), who served in the Pochaev Lavra for sixty years.

More than half a century ago, on June 17, 1950, in the Pochaev Lavra there was a miraculous healing of the nun Varvara, who had had both legs paralyzed for 48 years. She came from the city of Chkalov (now Orenburg), moving with difficulty on crutches with the help of her companion nun Maria. Having attached herself to the list of the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the nun immediately stood up. The crutches she left at the monastery still stand near the icon of the Holy Mother of God, testifying to the miracle that took place.

Dome of the main temple

Temple interiors

Inside the temple

Miracle-working Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God

In 1991, the Uniates tried to seize the Pochaev Lavra. Buses with the raiders have already left Lviv. The monks and laity, who came to the monastery at the call of the monastery bell, began to read akathists to the Mother of God and to St. Job of Pochaev before the miraculous image of the Mother of God. The prayer continued all night. The buses never reached the monastery.

In Moscow, in the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Lefrtovo there is the miraculous Pochaev Icon. It was brought to the temple in the 1930s.

The miraculous copy of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God (the Pochaev Icon was in Moscow in 2001) is also located in the Trinity Cathedral of the St. Daniel Monastery.

Troparion, tone 5:
Before Your holy icon, Lady, those who pray are honored with healing, accept the knowledge of true faith and repel the Hagarian invasions. Likewise, for us who fall before You, ask for remission of sins, enlighten the thoughts of piety in our hearts, and offer up a prayer to Your Son for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, voice 1:
The source of healings and faith of the Orthodox affirmation of Your Pochaev icon, Mother of God, appearing, and also us, who flow to her, from troubles and temptations of freedom, keep Your Lavra unharmed, establish Orthodoxy in the surrounding countries and resolve your sins, your prayer book: for if you willed, you could .

The history of this miraculous icon of the Mother of God is inextricably linked with the Pochaev Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ukraine). On the mountain where the Assumption Pochaev Lavra is now located, two monks settled in 1340. One day, after prayer, one of them went to the top of the mountain and suddenly saw the Mother of God standing on a stone, as if engulfed in flames. He called another monk, who was also honored to contemplate the miraculous phenomenon. The third witness to the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. Seeing an unusual light on the mountain, he climbed it and, together with the monks, began to glorify God and His Most Pure Mother.

After the phenomenon disappeared, the imprint of Her right foot remained on the stone where the Mother of God stood. This imprint has been preserved to this day and is always filled with water, which the stone miraculously exudes. The water in the foot does not become scarce, despite the fact that numerous pilgrims constantly fill their vessels with it to heal from ailments.

The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God itself appeared in the monastery in the following way. In 1559, Metropolitan Neophytos from Constantinople, passing through Volyn, visited the noblewoman Anna Goyskaya, who lived on the Orlya estate, not far from Pochaev. As a blessing, he left her an icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople. Soon they began to notice that a radiance was emanating from the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. When Anna’s brother Philip was healed in front of the icon in 1597, she gave the image to the monks who settled on Pochaevskaya Mountain.

After some time, a church was built on the rock in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which became part of the monastery complex. During its history, the Pochaev Monastery suffered many disasters: it was oppressed by Lutherans, attacked by the Turks, fell into the hands of the Uniates, but thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God, all adversities were overcome.

On copies of the miraculous Pochaev Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a stone with the imprint of the Mother of God’s foot is often depicted.

In 1559, the Greek (according to other sources - Bulgarian) Metropolitan Neophytos, traveling around Rus', came to Volyn.

By inspiration from above, in gratitude for the hospitality that the pious noblewoman Anna Goyskaya showed him on her estate, to whose domain Pochaev belonged, the bishop blessed her with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Most likely, it was a family icon, perhaps belonging to the family of Neophytos himself.

The southern Slavs, like other peoples, at that time had a widespread pious custom of choosing special patrons from among the saints, whose memory is celebrated from generation to generation as a family holiday. It is noteworthy that in all the inscriptions preserved on that icon, the script and language are Slavic. This indicates that, perhaps, “the image of Pochaev was painted by a Russian hand.”

For a long time the shrine was located in the chapel of the noble estate. The maids saw the icon in radiance many times, which they told their mistress about.

The Mother of God appeared in a dream to Goyskaya herself. Finally, one day, having witnessed in reality how a wondrous light emanated from the Image, a pious woman believed that the icon had a special grace, and ordered a lamp to be lit in front of the shrine.

Through prayers at the icon, miracles began to happen. When, thanks to the miraculous image, Goyskaya’s blind brother Philip was healed, Anna, surprised and delighted, called for the monks. They served a prayer service, the shrine was transferred in a procession to Pochaevskaya Mountain and given for eternal storage to the monks who lived in a cave on the mountain.

This event took place in 1597. A church was built on the mountain in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and a monastery was created with it, for the maintenance of which Goyskaya donated funds. From then on, the icon began to be called Pochaevskaya.
Until 1664, various miracles were not recorded. However, popular rumor about such events quickly spread to all ends of the Russian land. From all sides, many pilgrims began to flock to the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God.
In the summer of 1675, during the Zbarazh War with the Turks, during the reign of the Polish king John Sobieski (1674-1696), regiments consisting of Tatars, led by Khan Nurredin, approached the Pochaev monastery through Vishnevets, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery fence, like several stone buildings of the monastery, did not provide any protection for the besieged.
The abbot of the monastery, Joseph Dobromirsky, convinced the brethren and laity to turn to heavenly intercessors: the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Job of Pochaev. The monks and laity prayed fervently, falling before the miraculous image of the Mother of God and the shrine containing the relics of St. Job.

On the morning of July 23, at sunrise, the Tatars held their final advice about storming the monastery. The abbot ordered the singing of an akathist to the Mother of God. With the first words to the “Charred Voivode,” the Most Pure Mother of God Herself suddenly appeared above the monastery, “blooming a white-shining omophorion,” with heavenly angels holding drawn swords. The Monk Job was near the Mother of God, bowing to Her and praying for the protection of the monastery.

The Tatars mistook the heavenly army for a ghost, and in confusion began to shoot at the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job, but the arrows returned and wounded those who fired them. Horror gripped the attackers. In a panicked flight, without distinguishing their own, they killed each other. The defenders of the monastery gave chase and captured many. Some prisoners subsequently accepted the Orthodox faith and remained in the monastery forever.

...Now the miraculous icon is placed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra in a star-shaped icon case in the third tier of the iconostasis. It was donated in 1859 by Emperor Alexander II in memory of the pilgrimage to the Pochaev monastery.

Every day at five o'clock in the morning in the Assumption Cathedral, illuminated in the pre-dawn darkness only by lamps, the monastic brethren serve the Midnight Office. After her, while singing the troparion “The Impenetrable Gate,” the Miraculous Image of the Pochaev Mother of God slowly descends and stops at the level of human growth. The icon is held on two silk ribbons. Next to her stands the hieromonk, traditionally called “kiotny”. The monks, and after them all those praying in the temple, silently and leisurely approach and venerate the miraculous image.

In the same way, the shrine is lowered on Saturdays after the cathedral akathist before it, as well as on Sundays and holidays after the late Divine Liturgy.
The healing miracles of this icon are endless, as is the flow of pilgrims from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia and other countries who come to see her at the Lavra.

Not everyone receives miracles from the Pochaev shrine, but everyone who turns to this image with heartfelt prayer is given spiritual, mental and physical help, both secretly and openly. Each of those who come to the shrine has something that can only be expressed with a prayerful sigh. And there are always not enough words for this.