Igorevskaya icon of the Mother of God - the history of the shrine

Among the Orthodox shrines there are many icons associated with specific people, individuals who have left this or that trace in the history or spiritual life of people. These are Alexander Nevsky, Matrona Moskovskaya, Boris and Gleb and many, many others.

Why is the icon of the Mother of God - Igorevskaya?

Igorevskaya icon of the Mother of God goes back to another holy image - "Our Lady of Tenderness", the date of creation of which refers to the end of the 14th - the beginning of the 15th century. It is a variant of Vladimirskaya, her "braided" image. Since the time of its existence, many copies have been copied from the image. This suggests that Igorevskaya icon of the Mother of God enjoys great respect to this day and is a true symbol of the Faith. Currently, the seat of one of the main copies is the Kiev Lavra of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. And she was named Igorevskaya because before her the victim of a bloody internecine war, tearing apart the ancient Russian land, young Igor, Prince of Kiev and Chernigov, great-grandson of the great Yaroslav the Wise, prayed at the most difficult moments of his life .

He fell a tragic, bitter, but glorious fate, as well as many Christian martyrs. In the annals it is said about the prince, in honor of which the Igorev Icon of the Mother of God was named, that he was a brave warrior, a good hunter. The main thing is that he succeeded in faith and learning, was a great fan of books, read a lot of spiritual literature that existed then, from his youth spent most of his time praying, thinking about God, talking with monks and holy elders. When he had to enter into the will after his brother's death on the throne in Kiev, Igor was already close to escaping worldly life.

When, at the time of his arrest and being under the "castle" in a cold hut, the prince became deadly ill, and then, being in a monastery and becoming a monk, recovered, he decided that it was a sign, and his further life should be connected with the Lord. But Providence ordered otherwise. Igorevskaya icon of the Mother of God - the very image before which the prince raised his prayers to heaven.

Monasticism did not save the prince from a terrible, tragic death - he was hammered into death by a furious crowd. Moreover, even the corpse of him, innocently murdered, has been scolded and mocked. He was the victim of the same riot of the crowd, senseless and ruthless, which Pushkin later warned. In memory of this suffering death, the Igorev Icon is named. It is written in Greek style, covered with silver plating. And the inscription on the image directly indicates to whom he once belonged. The day of the memory of the prince is celebrated every year on June 5 (18) with solemn prayers and services.

Most of all, Igorevskaya icon of the Mother of God is revered by people deeply unhappy. Prayer, more precisely, prayers to her are especially strong if a person is in a difficult situation, in danger or in trouble. Serious health problems are successfully resolved, people are healed. Family members are reconciled, separated for a long time by brutal quarrels or worldly circumstances.

What does this story teach? The fact that one should always keep faith in good, truth and justice, and by faith we will be rewarded!