The icon of the Most Holy Mother of God helps in some ways. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" (Kykkos). History of Kykkos Monastery

Three icons that help you get through difficult times:

♦ Icon of the Mother of God “Economissa”

♦ Bread Icon of the Mother of God

♦ Icon of the Mother of God “Merciful Mother of God”.

You need to pray in front of these icons if:
♦ you lost your job
♦ you feel the need for money even for essentials
♦ you are not sure about the future
♦ you passionately want your financial problems to be resolved

Icon of the Mother of God “Housekeeper” or also Economissa
Before the icon of the Mother of God “Ekonomissa” (“House Builder”) they pray for deliverance from lack of money and hunger

Prayer
O Most Honorable Lady Theotokos, Our All-Honorable Mother Abbess, of all Orthodox monasteries of monastic life, in the holy Mount Athos and throughout the entire universe! Accept our humble prayers and offer everything to our generous God, that He may save our souls by His grace. Look upon us with Thy merciful eye and bring about our salvation in the Lord, for without the mercy of our Savior and Thy holy intercession for us, we, the accursed, will not be able to accomplish our salvation, for our life has been tarnished in the vanities of the world, for the time of Christ’s harvest is approaching. The day of the Last Judgment has arrived. We, the accursed, are perishing in the abyss of sin, for our negligence, according to what was spoken by the holy fathers, the first leaders of the angelic life according to the flesh: as the last monastics, through the negligence of their lives, will become like worldly people, which will come true today, for our monasticism floats with its life on the sea of ​​life. amidst great storms and bad weather: for our holy abodes remain in the dust for the sake of our sins, our All-Righteous Lord Jesus Christ, so benevolent, but we, unworthy, have no place to bow our heads. O our sweetest Mother Abbess! Gather us, the scattered flock of Christ, into one and save all Orthodox Christians, grant us heavenly life with the Angels and all the saints in the Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him be honor and glory with His Beginning Father and with the Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Bread Icon of the Mother of God
Before the icon of the Mother of God “Khlebnaya” (“Bread”) they pray:
for sending down our daily bread,
to get rid of financial difficulties,
for assistance in maintaining or finding a job,
to calm down and gain faith in the future.

Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves”
O Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, Merciful Lady, Queen of Heaven and earth, every Christian home and family, Blesser of those who work, those in need of inexhaustible wealth, the orphans and widows, and the Nurse of all people! To our Nourisher, who gave birth to the Nourisher of the Universe and the Spreader of our breads, You, Lady, send Your Motherly blessing to our city, villages and fields, and to every house that has hope in You. Moreover, with reverent awe and a contrite heart, we humbly pray to Thee: be also a wise Housebuilder for us, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, who organizes our lives well. Keep every community, every home and family in piety and Orthodoxy, like-mindedness, obedience and contentment. Feed the poor and needy, support old age, educate babies, teach everyone to sincerely cry out to the Lord: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Save, Most Pure Mother, Your people from all need, illness, famine, destruction, hail, fire, from all evil conditions and all disorder. Grant peace and great mercy to our monastery, to the homes and families and to every Christian soul and to our entire country, so that we glorify Thee, our Most Gracious Nourisher and Nurse, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Icon of the Mother of God “Merciful Mother of God”
In front of the icon of the Mother of God of Yurovich “Merciful” they pray for healing, salvation from poverty and hunger.

Prayer
The only prayer that was addressed to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Yurovich “Merciful” and has survived to this day, is written in Polish. Its translation was made especially for Orthodox believers:

God! You, who, after the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, prepared a worthy abode for your Son, we ask You that, just like Her after the death of the Son, you preserved from all calamities and, following her, allowed us to pass sinless to You for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.

History of the icon.

Days of celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful - Kykkos"

On the island of Cyprus, on Mount Kykkos in the Kykkos Monastery, there is one of the most revered images of the Mother of God - the miraculous icon of the Merciful.
It is assumed that this is one of the icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. The silver robe of the image bears the inscription “Kikkiotissa”, which is translated from Greek as “living in Kikkos”.

Kykkos Monastery on Mount Kykkos

Entrance to the monastery

Icon of the Merciful in the Kykkos Monastery

Eleusa Kikkotissa in the Tretyakov Gallery

Icon of the Merciful in the Suzdal Museum-Reserve

Merciful Listener in the Conception Monastery

According to the iconographic type, of which there are three: “Eleusa” (“Tenderness”), “Hodegetria” (“Guide”) and “Oranta” (“Praying”), the Merciful icon belongs to the “Eleusa” type, a characteristic feature of which is the contact of the faces The Mother of God and the Savior, symbolizing love without barriers - boundless love.

The Icon of the Merciful is a mysterious image. The face of the Mother of God with the baby Jesus is covered with a veil, on which the outline of the image is depicted. Even the patriarchs do not risk opening the image, because... Anyone who encroaches will face inevitable punishment from God. Only once, in 1699, Gerasim, the Patriarch of Alexandria, dared to lift the veil, for which he was immediately punished with blindness. But the Merciful One granted him healing after Gerasim, repentant, begged her for forgiveness.
And yet the face of the icon is sometimes revealed. To help with the harvest, or to send rain, the icon of the Merciful is taken to the mountain for a prayer service and the veil is removed from it, but even then the monks do not dare to look at the image.

Brief history of the Merciful icon

Evangelist Luke sent her, among others, to Egypt to strengthen the faith of local Christians. Until 980, the miraculous image remained there. Due to iconoclastic persecutions, the icon of the Merciful was transported to Constantinople (Constantinople, now Istanbul) - the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The icon got there not without adventure. The ship on which the "Merciful" was transported was captured by Saracen pirates, but by the Will of God the Greeks recaptured her and the Saracens were captured.
In Constantinople, the shrine was placed in the royal palace. But the story of the Gracious icon does not end there.
One day, the Cypriot governor Manuel got lost in the mountains. Elder Isaiah came across him. The governor rudely and disrespectfully demanded that the elder show the way. The elder ignored his request, and Manuel ordered the servants to beat him. The next day, the governor fell ill from an unknown illness. Remembering his action and connecting it with his illness, he sent for Isaiah to apologize to him.
And Isaiah, meanwhile, had a vision that night that everything that happened to him was a sign from God to ask the emperor through Manuel to transfer the icon to Cyprus, to a temple specially built for it.
Isaiah cured the governor, and he promised his assistance. The elder and Manuel went to the capital. Meanwhile, the emperor's daughter falls ill with the same disease as the governor. At the most opportune time, Isaiah, who arrived at the palace, heals her, and together with Manuel they present their request to the emperor. After the miraculous healing of his daughter and everything he heard from Manuel, the emperor agrees to move the Icon of the Gracious to Cyprus. But he is sorry to part with the wonderful image, and he decides to cheat. Before Isaiah they are given two images to choose from - the original and his exact copy, made by a most skilled icon painter. And then a bee lands on the frame of the true icon, indicating to Isaiah that he needs to choose it (now this bee is a symbol of the Kykkos monastery, it is depicted on some copies of the Gracious icon).
This is how the Kykkos monastery found its shrine.

The monastery burned four times, but the Icon of the Merciful was always saved.
Many miracles (recorded in the life-writings of the Kykkos monastery) were revealed by this icon. These include rains in dry summers, and miraculous healings, including the giving of children to the infertile, and the cessation of epidemics. Once, during an invasion of locusts, after turning to the icon of the Merciful, a flock of birds flew out of nowhere and completely destroyed the pests.
A hand made of iron is attached to the frame of the icon. This is the memory of how a certain Moor dared to hit the “Merciful” and immediately his arm was paralyzed.

In Rus', lists of the Merciful icon began to appear from the end of the 16th century.
Where can you see this marvelous image?

The best two copies of the ancient shrine belong to the brush of the royal isographer from the Armory Chamber, Simon Ushakov (1626-1686).

The first - the icon of the Merciful ("Eleusa Kikkotissa") (1668) was painted for the Moscow church in the name of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea (Bolshaya Polyanka, no. 29a). In 1935, the original icon was moved to the Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane, 10, room 62), to the exhibition of the department of ancient Russian art.
The image is signed: “The Summer of the Lord 7176 was written by Pimen Fedorov with the call of Simon Ushakov.” The Baby Jesus in the icon holds in his hand a scroll with the inscription: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for His sake is the anointing of Me.”

And the second is the icon “Our Lady of Eleusa of Kykkos” (1675) from the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Florishcheva Hermitage (now located in the State Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve).
There is reason to believe that at the time the icon was painted in the Florishcheva Hermitage, the abbot was the future Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuryev Hilarion, who was a relative of Simon Ushakov.
On the icon of the Most Gracious, the monograms of Christ and the Mother of God are enclosed in circles on top, and in the rectangle it is written in Greek “Eleousa Kikkotissa”. Below is inscribed by Simon’s hand: “7183 Pimen Fedorov’s son, nicknamed Simon Ushakov, wrote with his disciple to the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Red Mountains in Gorokhovetsky district, to commemorate the unbaptized baby Michael.”

In 1999, her ancient shrine - the Merciful Icon from the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane, where it had been kept since 1927 - was returned to the Zachatievsky Convent of Moscow (2nd Zachatievsky Lane, 2). This list dates back to the 18th century.
Infertile couples come to this icon to pray for a child. The very name of the monastery - "Zachatievsky" instills hope in people.
The frame of the icon frames the face of the Mother of God so that the left ear is visible, and therefore the name of the image “Listener” has become popular among the people, as if the Merciful One listens attentively to the prayers offered to her and fulfills them by faith.

There is an icon of the Merciful in the All Saints Church in Kulishki (Moscow, Slavyanskaya Square, 2). A characteristic feature of this image is the image of a bee on the frame.

In the Rybinsk State Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve (Rybinsk, Volzhskaya embankment, no. 2) there is the icon “Our Lady of Kykkos”, made by icon painter Leonty Yakovlevich Tyumenev (late 17th - early 18th centuries) from the Church of the Renewal of the Temple of the Resurrection Hristov (1787) (village of Borzovo, Rybinsk region).

Prayer before the icon of the Merciful

O Most Holy and Most Blessed Mother of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Merciful Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary!
Falling before Your holy and miraculous icon, we humbly pray to You, our Good and Merciful Intercessor: listen to the voice of our sinful prayers, do not despise the sighs from the soul, seeing the sorrows and misfortunes that have befallen us, and like a truly loving Mother, striving to help us helpless, sad, Those who have fallen into many and grave sins and continually anger our Lord and Creator, pray to Him, our Representative, not to destroy us with our iniquities, but to show us His philanthropic mercy.
Ask us, O Lady, from His goodness, bodily health and spiritual salvation, a pious and peaceful life, fruitfulness of the earth, goodness of the air, well-timed rains and a blessing from above for all our good deeds and undertakings, and as of old you mercifully looked upon the humble praise of the novice of Athonite. , who sang a song of praise to You before Your most pure icon, and You sent Archangel Gabriel to him to teach him to sing the heavenly song, with which the angels of the mountain glorify You, graciously accept our prayer now fervently offered to You, and bring it to Your Son and God, may He be merciful He will be a sinner for us, and He will add His mercy to all who honor Thee and worship Thy holy image with faith.
O All-Merciful Queen, All-merciful Mother of God, stretch out Your God-bearing hands to Him, in His image, as if You were carrying a baby, and beg Him to save us all and deliver us from eternal destruction.
Show us, O Lady, Your generosity: heal the sick, comfort the afflicted, help the needy, make us all prosperous to bear the yoke of Christ in patience and humility, grant us a pious end to this earthly life, receive a Christian shameless death, and inherit the Heavenly Kingdom, through Your maternal intercession to To Christ our God, who was born of You, and to Him with His Originless Father and the Most Holy Spirit, befits all glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.

The famous and richest Orthodox monastery of Kykkos is located at a colossal height in the Troodos mountain gorge, in the west of the island of Cyprus. This monastery is famous for the fact that real miracles happen there. The history of this monastery is full of extraordinary events. It is in this monastery that the world Christian legend is kept - the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God.

The day of honoring this famous miraculous icon is December 26 (or January 8 according to the new style). An imperial monastery was erected in honor of this image, where it is currently kept.

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History of Kykkos Monastery

According to existing legend, the creator of the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God was the Apostle Luke himself. It was created during the earthly life of the Most Pure Mother of God. The Holy Virgin herself blessed this icon with her own hand.

The legendary icon belongs to a variety of images "Eleusa" - Merciful. This image symbolizes love and favor towards all living things on this earth.

Kykkos is a monastery with a very ancient and rich history. The first written mentions of this monastery date back to 1136. The emergence of the monastery is covered in legends and in itself is miraculous.

1. According to legend, the governor of Byzantium in Cyprus, Manuel Voutomitis, was hunting in this place, got lost in the forest and accidentally met an old hermit named Isaiah. The governor wanted to ask the elder the way to the capital, but the hermit could not answer, as he had taken a vow of silence. The angry Manuel hit the elder.
2. Very soon the governor was struck by paralysis. Manuel realized that the illness was sent to him as punishment for the offense inflicted on the holy man. By order of the governor, the old man was found and brought to the palace. Manuel apologized to the hermit and soon the illness subsided.
3. As a sign of gratitude, Isaiah asked the governor to bring from Constantinople image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was written during her lifetime. The governor fulfilled this request and made a request to the emperor himself. Although the latter did not want to give up the precious icon, he was forced to meet him halfway.
4. The emperor left a copy of this icon for himself, and soon he was struck by the same mysterious illness that was on the eve of Manuel. Paralysis also struck the imperial daughter. After the ruler gave the icon to Isaiah and allocated funds for the construction of the monastery, he and his daughter were healed. Erected the monastery was named Kykkos. The legendary icon of the Mother of God is still there today.

An abbot was appointed over the monks and the rules of the monastery were given. The governor donated several villages to the monastery. This decision was confirmed and approved by the emperor. Since the monastery was built with the money of the ruler of Byzantium, it received the name Tsarskoye.

Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God

There is a belief that the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God, called the Merciful, was created by the hands of the holy Apostle Luke himself. In addition to this icon, he painted two more images and sent all the icons to Egypt. From Egypt the holy icon was transported to Constantinople to protect this relic from the persecutors of Christianity. This happened in 980. However, on the way to Constantinople, the ship on which the icon was transported was captured by the Saracens. Soon the wicked themselves became prisoners of the Greeks, and the shrine was delivered to its destination.

After numerous misadventures, the icon finally reached Constantinople and remained there in the imperial palace until the 12th century. In the 12th century, the image was transported to Cyprus.

Icon of the Mother of God in Cyprus

During the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in Byzantium (beginning of the 12th century), the holy icon was transported to the island of Cyprus. This decision was preceded by a series of events, which are described above.

The holy hermit Isaiah received a revelation that the icon of the Mother of God, painted by the Apostle Luke himself, should be transferred to the island of Cyprus from the imperial palace. The elder fulfilled God's command and revealed the truth to the governor of Byzantium in Cyprus. Manuel hesitated for a long time to turn to the emperor with such a request, however, the elder insisted, saying that the Mother of God herself would patronize Manuel in this matter.

Ultimately, the governor agreed on the condition that Isaiah follow him to Constantinople. Together with the hermit, the governor soon arrived in the capital. For a very long time Manuel did not dare to appear before the emperor with such a daring request. As a result, the elder decided to return to Cyprus. However, before leaving, he persistently asked Manuel to fulfill God’s commandment, which was revealed to him, as quickly as possible.

In his solitude, the elder gave in to despair due to an unsuccessful trip. However, he soon had a dream in which he heard words of consolation that the miraculous icon would soon come to the island by the will of the Mother of God.

Delighted by this vision, the elder began construction of a temple in honor of the Mother of God. Construction was carried out with funds donated by the governor.

Emperor's illness

It was at this time that the emperor's daughter became seriously ill. Her illness was very similar to the one that struck the governor in Cyprus the day before. As soon as Manuel Vutomitis found out about this, he considered the moment most opportune to address his request to the emperor. All the famous doctors gathered in the palace around the bed of the sick princess. But no one could help her. The emperor was inconsolable.

Arriving at the palace, Manuel told the emperor that not so long ago he was struck by the same illness that had now struck the princess. And if it were not for God’s help through the prayers of the holy hermit Isaiah, the governor would have already been dead. Then the governor conveyed to the emperor the demand of Elder Isaiah to transfer the icon of the Mother of God to the island of Cyprus. He assured the ruler that after this the latter’s daughter would certainly be healed.

In a fit of despair, the emperor gave his word to his viceroy that he would fulfill the will of the Mother of God and transfer the icon to the island of Crete. And very soon the emperor’s daughter was miraculously healed. However, the ruler was in no hurry to fulfill his promise. He really didn’t want to lose the great shrine that had belonged to his family for so long. And then the ruler of Byzantium himself suffered a serious illness as a punishment for negligence and false vows.

Then the emperor called the best icon painter and ordered him to make a copy of this icon. It was this list that he intended to send to the island. However, his deception was miraculously discovered. In a dream, the Queen of Heaven herself appeared to the emperor and threateningly ordered him to leave a copy of the icon in the palace and send the original to the island, as she ordered.

Another legend

There is another legend, according to which Elder Isaiah arrived a second time in Constantinople with the intention of taking the icon.

1. The emperor decided to deceive the monk and allowed him to choose from two icons, one of which was a copy, and the other was genuine.
2. At night, the Mother of God appeared to the monk in a dream and promised him her help. She pointed out to Isaiah that a bee would land on the original icon. That's exactly what happened the next day.
3. Thanks to this event, the bee became one of the symbols of the Kykkos icon.
4. After such a miracle, the emperor no longer risked keeping the shrine and equipped a ship on which he sent the icon and Isaiah himself. In addition, the monarch gave the elder the necessary amount of money to build the temple.
5. Then the emperor gave orders to the governor Manuel to assist the elder in everything.

Nevertheless, the emperor gave a strict order to cover the faces of the Virgin and Child with a veil so that no one else would dare to look at them.

Miracles performed by an icon

When the icon of the Mother of God, called the Gracious, was brought to Cyprus, all the inhabitants of the island came to meet the ship. The meeting was organized with the greatest honors. Not only people, but even nature itself rejoiced at the arrival of the shrine. The trees bowed their crowns, and sea shells rose from the bottom and accompanied the ship.

Today in Troodos you can see living evidence of that wonderful event - pine trees with bowed crowns. In this way, nature expressed its delight and admiration for the shrine.

Starting from the very construction of the monastery and to this day, numerous pilgrims come to it from all sides, who ask the Mother of God for help and receive it according to their faith.

1. This miraculous icon is worshiped and offered prayers not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of other religious denominations.
2. Through the prayers of the pilgrims, abundant rain was repeatedly sent to the earth, which saved the harvest from drought, and residents from imminent hunger.
3. With the help of a miraculous icon infertile women gained the ability to have children. The Holy Mother of God also helps with bleeding in women.
4. There is information that after praying at this icon, a mute teenager received ability to speak. The warrior who injured his leg was healed near this icon. A man lying on his deathbed came to life and was healed.
5. Another case of the miraculous influence of the icon is described. One day, a monk, who was doing his lesson in obedience, turned to the Mother of God complaining about thirst. A voice answered him and ordered him to hit the stone on which he was sitting with his hand. After this, a stream of clean water came out of the stone, which quenched the monk’s thirst. Subsequently, this place was formed life-giving source, where many found healing. One of the monks, who suffered from a severe headache and could not find a way to heal, felt completely healthy when he washed his head in this spring with prayer. Many other monks were also healed near this source.
6. One day, a wicked pagan decided to raise his hand to the holy icon, after which punishment immediately befell him. His hand immediately began to dry out. In memory of this event, the icon has since hanging hand made of iron.
7. In 1751, the temple was seriously damaged by a strong fire. When the temple vaults began to be restored, they suddenly collapsed. However, by the grace of the Mother of God, none of the workers in the temple were injured. Some monks claimed that shortly before this they had seen a woman in rays of light walking around the monastery.

On the island of Cyprus this icon became known as Eleusa. The literal translation of this word is Gracious. For many centuries, this icon has been widely known and revered among Orthodox believers in Greece, Georgia, Russia, and Bulgaria. The shrine became equally famous even in Ethiopia and Egypt.

Mother of God under cover

Decorates the legendary icon the richest frame made of silver with gilding. Since the time of Emperor Alexei Komnenos, there has been a custom according to which icon paintings the faces are covered with a veil that is never removed. There are exceptions only during periods of severe drought. At this time, the holy image is transferred to the top of Mount Troni, where the monks serve a solemn prayer service for the sending of rain to the earth. Here the monks take off their veil, but do not look at the bright faces, turning the image of the Mother of God to the sky.

There is a legend according to which in the 17th century Gerasim, Patriarch of Alexandria, dared to lift the veil and look at the image of the Virgin Mary. Soon the Patriarch was punished with blindness for his insolence. Realizing his mistake, he cried and repented for a very long time, begging for forgiveness from heaven. After some time, forgiveness was granted to the Patriarch. Since then, there has been a belief that anyone who dares to look at the face of the Mother of God will immediately be punished with blindness.

What can you pray for in front of the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God?

The following prayers can be addressed to the icon of Our Lady of Eleus:

1. About sending down rain during a drought.
2. About getting rid of infertility and having a baby. These prayers are often addressed to the list of the Icon of the Merciful, which is now kept in. Even the name itself Monastery "Zachatievsky" gives believers hope for the mercy of the Mother of God.
3. About getting rid of a wide variety of ailments– muteness and deafness, bleeding, severe headache.
4. About deliverance from natural disasters and all sorts of other misfortunes.
5. About sending peace in the family, ending quarrels and good relationships.
6. About salvation from epidemics of dangerous diseases.

If you pray to the image with all sincerity and passion, you can even heal an incurable patient.

The Kykkos icon today

And today people revere and adore the legendary shrine. Many songs of praise were composed in her honor, including laudatory. The Kykkos Icon of the Virgin Mary is the greatest treasure of the island of Cyprus. Miracles performed in this way are observed in our time.

At all times, pilgrims who followed to the Holy Land always stopped by or visited Cyprus in order to venerate the shrine and bow before its greatness and holiness. This tradition has continued to this day. Thousands of believers come from all over the world to pray to the image of the Mother of God. Divine services are held here and an akathist to the Most Merciful Mother of God is read.

The Most Holy Theotokos the Merciful listens to everyone who turns to her with prayer in their grief, asking for help and healing from ailments of soul and body. This applies not only to Orthodox Christians, but also to those who adhere to other religions.

Poetic works dedicated to this great icon were repeatedly collected and published in large editions. The Akathist to the Gracious Icon of the Mother of God is read on the day of celebration - January 8, new style. Copies of the icon of the Mother of God of Mercy are available in many churches and monasteries, including the Moscow Conception.

The miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Merciful”

In the Cathedral of the Conception Monastery, in a white-stone tent in an ancient icon case, there stands a miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “Merciful,” and exudes currents of miracles to those who come running with faith under Her grace-filled Cover.

Monastic tradition connects this miraculous icon with the ancient icon of the Mother of God “Merciful-Kykkos” (Eleusa, which means “source of mercy”).

Abbess Maria (Box)

The first mention of the Gracious is found in the monastery inventory of the 18th century. Before the closure of the monastery, the image of the Queen of Heaven was in the cathedral church of the monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the inventory compiled in 1909 under the last abbess, Abbess Maria (Korobka), this icon is called one of the especially revered shrines of the Conception monastery. It is indicated that on Wednesdays, before the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Merciful,” a prayer service was performed with an akathist.

In 1918, the Soviet government issued a decree on the nationalization of church lands and property, and the confiscation of church valuables began. In order to protect the shrines and charitable institutions of the monastery, Abbess Maria founded a brotherhood in the name of the Queen of Heaven, in honor of Her “Merciful” icon, under the patronage of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon of All Russia.

Before the closure of the monastery, in 1923, the miraculous image, along with some other revered icons, was transferred to the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane.

The expensive silver and gold robe had to be removed and hidden in order to avoid desecration of the shrine. Abbess Maria gathered the sisters for the last prayer service before the miraculous image of the Mother of God. With a feeling of heartfelt sorrow and tears, the sisters offered up fervent prayers to the Queen of Heaven, realizing that a new life was beginning for them, full of trials and suffering. Having completed the rite of prayer singing, Abbess Maria uttered a parting word, entrusting the nuns and the entire monastery to the care and intercession of the Heavenly Abbess - the Most Holy Theotokos. She said that from now on the Merciful Mother of God is the abbess, and the mentor, and the leader of the sisters. In confirmation of her words, mother left her abbot’s staff at the “Merciful” icon of the Mother of God.

The entire subsequent history of the Conception Monastery testifies to the truth of those words. With the closure of the monastery, many nuns were sent to camps in Kazakhstan and Siberia, others were forcibly evicted from the monastery without providing housing, some of the sisters dispersed to relatives and friends in the villages. The sisters who remained in Moscow huddled in basements and attics, eating from the labor of their hands, doing any work that presented itself. Some were engaged in sewing and quilting blankets. A small community of nuns and novices of the Conception Convent secretly continued monastic life in the world, maintaining, if possible, the traditions of the monastery. They now prayed in the Elias Church, where in the right aisle in the name of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul a precious treasure was kept until time - the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Merciful”. With love, the sisters looked after the icon, offering the Queen of Heaven their heartfelt reverence and tender prayers for help and intercession, for the preservation of faith and strengthening of the spirit. Nun Magdalena, one of the nobles, who until the closing of the monastery served as the head of the monastery passport office, until the end of her days was constantly at the icon, straightening the lamps, keeping the icon case and image clean. The sisters had a special place in the church where they stood during services. Every year on November 25, the day of the celebration of the “Merciful” Icon of the Mother of God, almost all the monastics of the Conception Monastery gathered at the Elias Church for service. According to monastic tradition, the day before there was a solemn all-night vigil with the singing of an akathist. After the Divine Liturgy, the Conception sisters and the clergy gathered for a festive meal at one of the nuns. Preserving monastic custom, in their monastic rule the sisters constantly read the akathist to the Mother of God “Merciful”. The shrine of the monastery was reverently revered by the parishioners of the Elias Church. In the 50s, through the zeal of believers, a gilded silver chasuble with embossing and precious stones was cast.

In 1991, a sisterhood was formed in honor of the Gracious Icon of the Mother of God, and soon work began on the revival of the Conception Monastery.

From the first days of their new life in the monastery, the sisters began to think about the return of the monastery shrines and, first of all, about the return of the main shrine - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Merciful”.

The icon of the Mother of God “Merciful” has recently been popularly called the “Hearer”, because the Mother of God’s ear is slightly open in the image. The Queen of Heaven hears all the prayers and sighs offered to Her, and certainly shows Her mercy and maternal love.

Believers who flock to the Convent of Conception under the gracious protection of the Queen of Heaven pray fervently before the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Merciful”. And their prayers are always heard. For some, help comes immediately, for others, changes in their lives occur months or even years later. There are times when the Queen of Heaven does something unusual, which at first glance is not related to what was asked or expected. But the love of the Most Holy Lady for Her sinful children is visible in everything, offering up weak but sincere prayers from their suffering hearts, with faith and hope for Her all-powerful intercession.

The Mother of God heals and admonishes, kindles faith and does not abandon us in the most hopeless circumstances of life. Many people, coming to the monastery, testify to the gracious help they received from the Most Holy Theotokos through Her “Merciful” image.

Thus, one servant of God, whose old mother was seriously ill, came to the temple, poured out her heartfelt need to the Mother of God, saying only three words to Her in front of the image of “Merciful One,” and a miracle happened! Five days later, the patient was discharged, while of her two roommates with the same disease, one died and the other suffered serious complications.

One of the already middle-aged spouses, after sudden attacks of severe headache due to spasms of blood vessels, was commanded by the Mother of God in a dream to come to the Conception Monastery. The pain has not recurred since then, and when the couple came to the monastery together, they recognized in the image of the “Merciful” the icon in which they were married many years ago in the temple of the Prophet Elijah the Ordinary, and the priest who performed the Sacrament, it turned out, now serves in the monastery.

One servant of God N, having become a widow, raised two daughters alone for eleven years and sometimes grieved heavily. Arriving for the first time at the Conception Monastery for worship, she saw the icon of the Queen of Heaven “Merciful,” and faith was kindled in her heart and hope strengthened in the successful outcome of her everyday adversities. Soon the daughter, about whom she was so worried, with the help of the Queen of Heaven, who sent people and arranged the circumstances, entered the university to the great joy of her mother, who found in the Most Holy Theotokos a faithful Intercessor and Helper.

For more than twenty years, the servant of God Anna was treated for infertility by different doctors, but to no avail. Finally, she went to an expensive clinic, where they promised to help using new treatment methods, but also without success. Having placed her hope in Divine help, Anna came to the Convent of Conception, ordered a prayer service for health in front of the icon of the “Merciful” Most Holy Theotokos, and prayed for a long time at the miraculous image. A miracle happened, Anna was able to conceive and after the allotted time gave birth to a daughter.

The Servant of God Angelina reverently presented one of her jewelry to the image of the “Merciful” Mother of God in gratitude for the help of the Queen of Heaven provided to her son Demetrius. The loving mother prayed with zeal in front of the “Merciful” icon, asking for a personal life and a good job for her son, which happened after some time. The son met his future wife and found a decent job.

In our difficult time of increasing lawlessness and impoverishment of love, the Mother of God does not abandon those who sincerely seek a way of salvation, in Her miraculous images giving an invaluable opportunity to touch Divine grace, healing, restoring, transforming, replenishing the human soul stricken by sin.

Icon of the Mother of God, called “Merciful”, (Kykkos), written, according to legend, by the holy apostle and evangelist Luke.

Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God

The icon received its other name “Kikkiotis” (which means “Dwelling in Kykkos”) from the name of Mount Kykkos, located on the island of Cyprus. Here, in the Kykkos monastery, which is also called the imperial monastery, in the temple built in his honor there is a miraculous image.

Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God

Before reaching the island of Cyprus, the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, by the will of God, wandered for a long time. At first it was in one of the first Christian communities in Egypt, then, in 980, it was transported to Constantinople, where it remained until the reign of Emperor Alexius Komnenos (late 11th - early 12th centuries), and then returned to Cyprus. It happened like this: the Cypriot ruler Manuel Vutomit, getting lost while hunting in the mountains and becoming very embittered, brutally beat the desert monk Isaiah who met him. As punishment for this, Manuel was overtaken by a serious illness. Meanwhile, it was revealed to the elder hermit Isaiah in a wonderful sign that through his efforts the miraculous image, painted by the holy evangelist Luke, would remain on the island of Cyprus. The elder put a lot of work into fulfilling Divine revelation. Having begun to build a temple for the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, he commanded the repentant Manuel, who came to him, to go to Constantinople to the emperor and return the miraculous image. The governor did not immediately decide to talk about the icon with the ruler of Constantinople, however, when the latter’s daughter fell ill, Manuel came to the emperor and conveyed the monk’s command to him. After the ruler promised to send the holy icon to the island of Cyprus, the girl immediately felt a weakening of the disease.

The miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" from the Conception Convent

With great honors, the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, where it was placed in the temple built for her. Gradually, a monastery was formed around the temple, for the arrangement of which Manuel donated funds (that’s why the monastery is called imperial). From the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Merciful” many miracles began to be performed. From ancient times to this day, those obsessed with all kinds of ailments flock to the monastery from all sides and receive healing according to their faith. Not only Christians, but also non-Christians believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon. The mercy of the Most Pure Mother of God, the Intercessor of all those who suffer, is inexhaustible, and the name “Merciful” is truly inherent in Her image. The miraculous Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God has a remarkable feature: it is unknown from what time, it is half covered with a veil from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one can or dares to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child.

The image of the Mother of God on the icon is of the “Eleusa” type, the face of the Blessed Virgin is tilted to the left, the Infant of God supports the edge of the Mother of God’s maphorium with his hand, and in his hands joined together is a Greek scroll.

Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful"

In Rus', lists of the miraculous image appeared in the 17th century. One of the most famous and revered was in the Moscow Conception Convent and was its main shrine. After the destruction of the monastery in the 20s of the last century, the miraculous list was transferred to the nearby Church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane. In 1999, when monastic life in the monastery began to revive, the icon of the Mother of God “Merciful” returned to its original place. Prayer before this icon strengthens and spiritually comforts all who turn with faith and hope to the Lady of Heaven.

Troparion to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Merciful”, tone 1

P Let us, people, boldly approach the Merciful Queen Theotokos, and let us tenderly call upon Her: send down, O Lady, Thy rich mercies, preserving Thy sinful servants in health and prosperity. Heal the sick, comfort the sorrowing and help the needy. And grant us, O Most Merciful One, to end this earthly life piously, to receive a Christian shameless death and to inherit the Heavenly Kingdom. Deliver our city from every evil situation, protecting it with Your merciful intercession. Grant peace and seek salvation for our souls.

The magnification of the Most Holy Theotokos before Her icon, called “Merciful”

IN We glorify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Thy holy image, through which we heal our illnesses and raise souls to God.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Merciful”

ABOUT Most Holy and Most Blessed Mother of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Merciful Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary! Falling before Your holy and miraculous icon, we humbly pray to You, our Good and Merciful Intercessor: listen to the voice of our sinful prayers, do not despise the sighs from the soul, seeing the sorrows and misfortunes that have befallen us, and like a truly loving Mother, striving to help us helpless, sad, Those who have fallen into many and grave sins and continually anger our Lord and Creator, pray to Him, our Representative, not to destroy us with our iniquities, but to show us His philanthropic mercy. Ask us, O Lady, from His goodness, bodily health and spiritual salvation, a pious and peaceful life, fruitfulness of the earth, goodness of the air, well-timed rains and a blessing from above for all our good deeds and undertakings, and as of old you mercifully looked upon the humble praise of the novice of Athonite. , who sang a song of praise to You before Your Most Pure Icon, and You sent Archangel Gabriel to him to teach him to sing the heavenly song, with which the angels of the mountain glorify You, graciously accept our prayer now fervently offered to You, and bring it to Your Son and God, may He be merciful He will be a sinner for us, and He will add His mercy to all who honor Thee and worship Thy Holy Image with faith. O All-Merciful Queen, All-Blessed Mother of God, stretch out your God-bearing hands to Him, in His image, as if you were carrying a baby, and beg Him to save us all and deliver us from eternal destruction. Show us, O Lady, Your generosity: heal the sick, comfort the sorrowing, help the needy: make us all prosperous to bear the yoke of Christ in patience and humility, grant us a pious end to this earthly life, receive a Christian shameless death, and inherit the Heavenly Kingdom, through Your maternal intercession to To Christ our God, who was born of You, and to Him with His Originless Father and the Most Holy Spirit, befits all glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.