Icon Mother of God, called "Derzhavnaya", revealed itself to the Russian Orthodox people March 2/15, 1917 - the day of the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, the future royal passion-bearer, - in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow.

A certain peasant woman Evdokia Adrianova, a resident of the village of Pererva, was discovered three times in a dream that there was a forgotten image of the Mother of God, through which the heavenly protection of the Queen of Heaven would henceforth be revealed to the Russian people. She clearly heard the words: “There is a large black icon in the village of Kolomenskoye, you need to take it, make it red, let them pray.”

The rector of the church in Kolomenskoye, Father Nikolai Likhachev, to whom Evdokia turned, did not interfere, and together they examined all the icons that were in the church. Not finding anything similar in the church, Father Nikolai suggested looking at the icons in the basement of the church, put there for various reasons, among which they chose the largest one, covered with centuries-old dust. Having cleared the icon of dust, to their surprise they saw an image of the Mother of God sitting on a throne. As the icon was put in order, it was discovered that the Infant Christ on the knees of the Mother of God extended his blessing hand. In one hand the Lady held a scepter, in the other - an orb (signs of royal power over the world), on Her head was a crown, and on Her shoulders was a red robe or purple. With an unusually stern face, the Mother of God on the icon had a regal appearance - everything indicated that the Lady was now taking upon herself special care of the long-suffering Russian people.

Adrianova immediately recognized the icon she had seen in the dream, and the priest immediately served a prayer service with an akathist in front of the image.

The rumor about the newly found icon quickly spread not only in the village of Kolomenskoye; pilgrims flocked to the Church of the Ascension from Moscow and other places, receiving gracious help from the Mother of God. The “Sergius Leaves” describes the arrival of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God at the Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow, where the icon was greeted by Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna and other sisters with great triumph. The icon was taken to other churches for veneration, and on Sundays and holidays she remained in the village of Kolomenskoye.

According to some information, the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God remained in the Ascension Convent in Moscow until 1812. Saving the icon from Napoleonic plunder, it was hidden in the village of Kolomenskoye and, in all likelihood, forgotten there for 105 years, until it revealed itself in due time.

It is significant that the holy image was discovered at a special time - at the beginning of the Russian hard times. The regal appearance of the icon, the scepter and the orb seem to emphasize that the Lady took upon herself both the guardianship and care of the faithful children of the Russian Church. The scarlet porphyry of the Mother of God, whose color resembles the color of blood, is also significant...

The service and akathist to the Sovereign Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary were compiled with the participation of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon († 1925).

Now this holy icon is in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Kolomenskoye, where it was returned on July 27, 1990.

Among the miraculous images of the Mother of God revered in Rus', a special place is occupied by the icon, found already in the twentieth century, which was destined to become one of the main shrines modern Russia. This is the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God.

In the State Archive Tula region, in the Tula Chamber of Antiquities fund, there is an amazing document in storage. It looks like a leaflet and is one standard sheet of A4 format, the text on which is typed in a typographical way. As the interlinear passage testifies, it was commissioned by the Varvara People's Temperance Society in Moscow at the printing house "T.va Ryabushinskikh". The document is one hundred years old. The content, compiled by contemporaries, involuntarily evokes spiritual trepidation even now, since it takes us back to the beginning of the tragic days for Orthodox Russia - the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II from the throne and the appearance of the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God.

Prayer to the “Sovereign” icon, printed on a separate sheet in 1917. Below the text is the inscription: “Publication of the Varnavinsky People's Temperance Society. Moscow. Semenovskaya outpost on the square, tel. 1-73-53, tram number 22." Below the frame is the printing house in which the prayer was printed: “Typ. “Victory” by G. Antonov. Moscow. Tel. 5-58-72". Collection of the Moscow Museum “Our Epoch”.

On one side of the document there is a “Brief story about the newly-appeared in the village. Kolomenskoye near Moscow “Sovereign” Icon of the Mother of God”, on the second - .

Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye, 20s of the XX century

The appearance of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God in 1917 was not some kind of renewal, but the discovery of an old icon in the basement of the Church of the Ascension in the village of Kolomenskoye.

A peasant woman from Bronnitsky district, Zhiroshkinsky volost, Pochinok village, Evdokia Andrianova, who lived in the settlement of Pererva, had 2 dreams - on February 13th (this day fell on the first Monday of Lent in 1917) and on February 26th.

On February 13th, in her dream there was a voice: “There is a large black icon in the village of Kolomenskoye. They need to take it, make it red, and let them pray.” The godly woman began to pray for clearer instructions. 2 weeks later, on February 26, as if in response to a fervent prayer, in another dream she saw a white church in which a Woman was sitting majestically. In this Woman, Evdokia Adrianova felt the Queen of Heaven in her heart, although she did not see Her face. On March 2, she went to the village of Kolomenskoye to confess and receive communion, and when she saw it, she immediately recognized the white church she had seen in her dream. The Ascension Church was built in 1532 by the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III in gratitude to God for the birth of his heir, the future Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible.

The rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord was priest Nikolai Likhachev. Arriving at his house, Andrianova told him about her dreams and asked for advice on what to do. Father Nikolai was going to serve vespers and invited Andrianova with him to church, where he showed her all the ancient icons of the Mother of God located in the church and on the iconostasis, but Andrianova did not find any resemblance to her dream in any of them.

Miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Sovereign”

Then, on the advice of the church watchman and another parishioner who accidentally walked into the church, Fr. Nikolai began to diligently search for the icon everywhere - on the bell tower, on the stairs, in the closets, and, finally, in the church basement. It was in the basement, among old boards, various rags and junk, in the dust, that a large narrow old black icon was found. When it was washed from many years of dust, everyone present in the temple saw the image of the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven, majestically sitting on the royal throne in red royal purple on a green lining, with a crown on her head and a scepter and orb in her hands (which is where the name came from: “ Sovereign"). On Her knees was the blessing God-Infant. The face of the Mother of God was unusually stern, stern and powerful, the look of Her sorrowful eyes filled with tears. Andrianova, with great joy and tears, prostrated herself before the most pure image of the Mother of God, asking Fr. Nicholas to serve a prayer service, since in this image she saw the complete fulfillment of her dreams.

On the day the icon was found, a healing spring opened in Kolomenskoye. It came out of the ground on a slope leading to the Moscow River, exactly opposite the royal throne of the Rurikovichs, facing the river, located on the walkway of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord.

The administrator of the Moscow diocese, Bishop Joasaph (Kallistov) of Dmitrov, reported the discovery of the icon to Metropolitan St. Tikhon (Belavin) (the future Patriarch) of Moscow, and he, in a report dated October 13, 1917, reported to the Holy Synod. In his report, Metropolitan Tikhon wrote: “According to information given by Archpriest Strakhov, a member of the commission from the church-archaeological department of the Moscow Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment, the icon is not ancient, approximately the end of the 18th century (no older), in shape (oval at the top) iconostasis, medium , from the third belt (prophetic). According to the way it is written, the icon belongs to the type of Constantinople icons of the Mother of God. The icon probably remained from the iconostasis that was from the Church of the Ascension earlier than the current one.”

Ascension Monastery in the Kremlin

According to some information, it was established that the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Ascension convent in Moscow. Most likely, it remains from the previous iconostasis of the Church of the Ascension, replaced in the 19th century. In 1812, during the evacuation from Moscow during the invasion of Napoleon, the icon, along with others, was transferred for storage to the Ascension Church in the village of Kolomenskoye and was probably forgotten there for 105 years, until it revealed itself at the time appointed by the Lord God. (The Ascension Monastery was the tomb of the Grand Duchesses and Russian Tsarinas until the 18th century and was blown up along with the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin in 1929)

Soon after its acquisition, the image was restored in the icon-painting workshop of the Moscow Alekseevsky nunnery and inserted into the new iconostasis of the St. George Church, located next to the Ascension Church.

The “sovereign” icon of the Mother of God revealed itself to the Russian Orthodox people on March 2 (15), 1917 - on the very day of the abdication of the sovereign-emperor, passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II. The news spread throughout Russia that on this tragic day the miraculous appearance of a new icon took place. Pilgrims flocked to Kolomenskoye in droves. To give everyone the opportunity to venerate the image, they began to transport it to surrounding churches, factories and factories, leaving it in the Ascension Church only on Sundays and holidays.

The Royal Family and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna

The “Sergius Leaves” describes the arrival of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God at the Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow, where the icon was solemnly greeted by the abbess - the future martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and other sisters. In the same year, printed information about the found icon appeared in the magazine “Soulful Interlocutor” for October. Soon a list with “Derzhavna” appeared in almost every church, a service and an akathist were prepared, in the compilation of which the future Patriarch Tikhon took part (another service was compiled by Vladimir Vasilyevich Bogoroditsky).

The news of the appearance of a new icon on the day of the Emperor’s abdication of the Throne quickly began to spread throughout Russia and was regarded by believers as a sign that the Queen of Heaven and Earth had taken control of Russia into Her hands. A large number of pilgrims flocked to the village of Kolomenskoye, and miracles of healing physical and mental ailments were revealed before the icon.

A. Alekseevich. Nicholas II on the eve of his abdication. 2005 year.

One of the books dedicated to the icon said: “Knowing the exceptional power of faith and prayer of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas and His special reverent veneration Mother of God (remember the cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God in Tsarskoe Selo), we can assume that it was He who begged the Queen of Heaven to take upon Himself the Supreme Royal power over the people who rejected their Anointed Tsar. And the Lady came to the “House of the Mother of God” prepared for Her by the entire Russian history at the most difficult moment in the life of God’s chosen people.”

After the revolution, during the years of cruel persecution of the Church, the newly appeared icon did not cease to pour out miracles, strengthening and consoling the believers. There is a known case when, through the intercession of the Mother of God, on the day of the celebration of Her “Sovereign” icon in 1925, the rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Plotniki prot. Vladimir Vorobyov, who especially revered “Derzhavnaya” and before his arrest on Sundays often went with his choir and parishioners to Kolomenskoye to serve her akathist.

The feeling with which the healthy part of Russian society received the acquisition of the “Sovereign” icon was beautifully expressed in 1934 in his poem by Sergei Bekhteev:

Before Your Sovereign Icon
I stand, embraced in prayerful trepidation,
And Your royal face, crowned,
Draws my tender gaze towards Him.
In a time of unrest and inglorious cowardice,
Treason, lies, unbelief and evil,
You showed us Your Sovereign Image,
You came to us and meekly prophesied:
“I myself took the scepter and the orb,
I myself will hand them over to the King again,
I will give the Russian kingdom greatness and glory,
I will nourish, console, and reconcile everyone.”
Repent, Rus', unfortunate harlot...
Wash away your desecrated shame in tears,
Your Intercessor, Heavenly Queen,
He pities you and the sinner and protects you

List of the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God in the basement of the Church of the Ascension

In Soviet times, the original of the icon was hidden from believers for a long time. As it later became known, the icon was kept in the State Historical Museum.

The second discovery of the icon of the Mother of God called “Sovereign”

It is documented that after the prohibition of services in the Church of the Ascension in the village of Kolomenskoye, the icon, along with all other icons of the temple, was placed in the storage of the branch of the State Historical Museum "Village of Kolomenskoye" (in the church in the name of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, which was beheaded in those years). After 1929, the icon was transferred to the main storage of the museum, in a building on Red Square. Its movement is reflected in the Book of Arrivals at the State Historical Museum (registration No. 67494). Then the icon was placed in the Department's exhibit storage room. visual arts and accordingly entered into the Department’s inventory book (registration No. 1399).

On April 15, 1988, the icon was temporarily transferred for exhibition to the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, where the shrine remained for two years in the altar of the house church in the name of St. Joseph Volotsky.

Icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign” in the Kazan Church in Kolomenskoye

In accordance with the well-known government decree on the return of church property to its rightful owners, at the request of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, it was decided to move the icon to Kolomenskoye. According to the Act of the State Historical Museum of July 23, 1990 and the Order of the Ministry of Culture Russian Federation, the image was transferred to the church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

On July 27, 1990, on the eve of the memory of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the clergy and parishioners of the church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Kolomenskoye solemnly greeted the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God. The icon was installed at the right choir of the temple. In front of her is the reading of the Akathist, compiled with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and All Russia. Now this icon is main shrine Kazan Church in Kolomenskoye.

The revealed icon is painted on a chipped board with colors that have faded with time. It seems that at one time the oil was applied to “bare” wood, without primer.

Someone will say that ordinary people should pray in front of icons that help in solving simple everyday problems, but few know what the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God helps with. It is believed that this image is intended for those vested with state power; they say that you can only turn to this icon when asking for support for the rulers of the country. However, this is not quite true.

Painful questions

In the light of modern events, when the world seems so fragile, when state borders do not protect the rich Russian lands from the greedy eyes of foreigners, when hundreds of thousands of people are destroyed to satisfy the geopolitical demands of the ruling world elite, when people indifferent to the fate of those who feed them have seized power within their own country their people, I want to exclaim: “Is this really fair, is it really how it should be, is there really no force capable of resisting evil and injustice?!” Maybe God has turned his back on Russia? Is there an answer to this question?

Just a coincidence or a sign?

In 1917, on March 2, in the village of Kolomenskoye, which is now part of the city limits of Moscow, an icon of the Mother of God was miraculously found, in which the Most Pure Virgin holds symbols of state power in her hands. It is interesting that on the same day another event occurred that turned the fate of our country upside down - Emperor Nicholas II renounced the mission entrusted to him to rule the country, as befits a person anointed for such service by the Lord God Himself. However, the Heavenly Father did not abandon the country and its disadvantaged people to the mercy of fate. A miracle happened that gave all of Russia hope for salvation. At the moment of renunciation, God stood invisibly near Nicholas and took the scepter and orb from him in order to hand them over to She who would never renounce them, but in due time would hand them over to a worthy one. How else can one explain the miracle of the appearance of the icon of the Queen of Heaven in the garb of an earthly queen, sitting on a throne with symbols of supreme power over the country in her hands and with the Child of God on her knees, blessing everyone who falls before Him?

The Lord communicated his opinion regarding the supreme power through a simple peasant woman

It is interesting that the woman who told about the place where the icon lies had dreams in which the Heavenly Powers pointed it out to her. It turns out that the Lord foresaw the upcoming renunciation. Or maybe the Council Oath, given by representatives of all lands and classes in 1613 to the Romanov family, was canceled in 1917? We can only guess and look for the hidden meaning of the event. The “sovereign” icon of the Mother of God does not answer who is to blame for the misfortunes of the people and the seizure of power by atheists. This means that we don’t need to know the answer. After all, by looking for him, we are looking for the culprit. And we are commanded: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” With the blessing and conciliar prayer of Patriarch Alexy II, the Orthodox citizens of Russia repented for not preserving the monarchy, for allowing the violation and non-compliance of the Council Oath, pronounced and signed before the first Romanov - sixteen-year-old Romanov-Yuryev - 300 years ago.

Coincidence or new sign?

In the city of Yekaterinburg, where the royal family was shot, a monastery of Saints was founded in memory of this event. At the beginning of the 2000s, a temple of the Virgin Mary was erected on the territory of the monastery. The throne icon, in whose honor it was illuminated, is, as you understand, the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God. The meaning of the event is difficult to interpret in two ways. No one disputed symbolism then and no one disputes it now. The Tsar-Martyr, who abdicated the throne, and the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God, which accepted from him the attributes of power. The significance of what happened after has yet to be comprehended: in 2010, without standing idle and four years, the church burned down.

God bless Russia

There is an opinion that the last Romanovs no longer had Russian blood, and their close relations with the monarchies of other countries, which always had claims to Russia, threatened our country with the loss of independence, which the former tsars achieved by expanding the borders and providing trade sea communications. We were threatened with the fate of a cash cow that would feed Europe. The long-suffering and merciful Lord did not allow this to happen. The “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God became the guarantee of His care and favor towards Russia. It’s not hard to guess how the image helps. They pray to him to preserve the integrity of the state during the dangers associated with the risk of territorial disintegration of the country. When leaving to serve in the army, you need to come to the temple and ask for a blessing from the holy image. If a mother gives her son, who is going to guard the border, a camp bag with this icon, then Holy Virgin grants him victory in battle if such a thing happens, and he returns home safe and sound.

It would be nice if the “Sovereign” icon of the Most Holy Theotokos hung in the offices of government officials. And before making decisions, they would overshadow themselves by turning their gaze and thoughts to the Holy Face.

When will Russia begin to flourish again?

On the eve of nationwide orphanhood, the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God was revealed to us. What do orphans pray to God for? They turn to Him in all their needs and sorrows.

The legend claims that prosperity in Russia will come when the miraculous “Sovereign” icon that we read in front of this image returns to its place, even if it contains this request. What is considered the place where the icon should return and why is it still not there? To understand this, you need to take a closer look at its history.

The Miracle of Finding an Icon

On February 13, 1917, a certain woman (even her name was preserved - Evdokia Andrianova) had a dream. And it must be said that the day before, on the 12th, there was a big holiday in honor of the deeply revered image of the Virgin Mary, called “Iversky”. The eschatological meaning, mysteriously connected with the final destinies of the world, is known to clergy. So, on the night after the holiday, Evdokia dreamed that she was required to find a black icon in the village of Kolomenskoye, paint it red and pray in front of the found image. The devout woman fervently prayed to God, asking to guide her on the true path and teach her to fulfill His Holy will, as well as to deliver her from the wiles of the devil, if it was from him that she received the vision.

She dreamed of February 26 new dream, where the Majestic Woman appeared before her and with her heart Evdokia felt the Most Pure Virgin Herself in Her. Unable to suffer any more guesswork and keep her dreams secret, Evdokia Andrianova went to Kolomenskoye, fortunately it was not too far away. She found the Church of the Ascension there and approached the rector with her worries and doubts. Good Father listened to her, showed her the iconostasis, but none of the icons resembled the one the woman saw in her dream. Then it was decided to look in the utility rooms. And in the basement they found what they were looking for. The image was covered with dust and cobwebs, but it was exactly the icon that the woman saw in her dream.

Thus, for the first time, the intercessor of the Russian land was found - the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God. The prayer of a simple village woman for guidance on the true path was realized in this way. Truly, the ways of the Lord are mysterious.

What needs does Our Lady of Sovereign help with?

The news about the icon of the Mother of God, who took royal power over the country into her own hands, quickly spread throughout the surrounding area and reached both capitals. The image began to be taken to different parishes, people lined up just to see what the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God looked like. Prayer before Her helped many to heal ailments, arrange personal life and help with financial difficulties. The Queen of Heaven, like a mother, helps in all troubles. You just need to approach her and tell her about yourself. With providence, wisdom and power, everything will be arranged and everyone will be comforted by the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God. How does this Image help people baptized in the Name of Her Divine Son? Judge for yourself. Orphaned after the loss of the king, the people clung to the Heavenly Mother. Her face is stern and powerful. She sits on the earthly throne, which confirms Her assumption of earthly, worldly power over the country. Worldly power is worldly affairs, worldly concerns and worldly problems.

Disappearance of an icon

Soon after its discovery, the icon was restored, with the participation of Patriarch Tikhon, an akathist was composed in its honor, a service and a canon were compiled. In subsequent years, when persecution of believers began, and churches began to be emptied and desecrated, the icon disappeared. But she was not lost without a trace. The first icon, “The Sovereign Mother of God,” a photograph of which is placed at the beginning of the article, was secretly kept for many years in the storerooms of the State Historical Museum.

Second Finding

The second time it was found immediately after the first Liturgy for the royal martyrs, that is, 72 years after the Yekaterinburg massacre. The staff of the Historical Museum handed it over to the Orthodox Church.

You don’t have to understand politics, don’t know history deeply, but only love and respect your homeland, honor God, His Most Pure Mother and the saints, and then your heart itself will tell whom the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God helps with what.

According to legend, prosperity will begin in Russia after the icon returns to the place of its discovery, that is, to the Ascension Church of Kolomensky. Now it is located in the Church of the Kazan Mother of God, also located in Kolomenskoye, and the Ascension Church is still closed. At least this was the case in 2012.

Story Russian Empire inextricably linked with some holy images that played a wonderful role. They became a stronghold of faith and showed miracles in the darkest and most turbulent times. People prayed to them for salvation from enemy invasions, from epidemics, for peace in the country, and miracles happened - wars ended, cities were miraculously saved from destruction, and the sick were healed. The Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God belongs to them.

At a critical moment in 1917, it became a stronghold of faith ordinary people and saved hundreds of them from death.

Iconography

Images of the Mother of God are quite ancient; already the first Christians tried to depict her on boards or canvases, so that when delivering the Good News of salvation through Christ, they could confirm it with illustrations.

With the development of icon painting, the works became more perfect, beautiful and clear.

It is worth mentioning the fact that icon painting has never had an entertaining character. All boards were created with the purpose of conveying church teaching to Christians and non-Christians, demonstrating the perfect relationship between God and man, and helping in communicating the Good News.

The sovereign icon of the Mother of God has distinctive features, which are reflected even in its name:

• Type - Panahrantha or All-Tsaritsa;
• The Virgin Mary is enthroned and on her head is a crown;
• the clothing of the Virgin Mary has bright red colors, which are characteristic of any royal vestment;
• throne with a rounded back in gold color;
• The Mother of God is located slightly on a dais, and in her hands are the attributes of royal power: a crown, a scepter and an orb;
• Christ is depicted as a youth and is on the lap of the Mother;
• Christ is dressed in light clothes;
• One of His hands is raised in blessing, and the other points to the power.

The location of the Virgin Mary, her clothing, the finger of Christ directed at her - all this confirms the royal status of the Virgin Mary and her dignity as the Queen of Heaven. Some copies have an image of God the Father on top, but according to the canon this is incorrect, since depicting the Lord is prohibited, because a sinful person does not dare to even look at Him.

Important! That is why the tradition of the Orthodox Church prohibits painting the Lord on faces, except for images of Jesus Christ, whom people saw with their own eyes.

The holy face is painted in oil on a board. Today's version of the face is different from the one originally drawn. In the process of transporting and moving the board, its bottom was damaged and had to be sawed off. But the top, as originally, remained rounded.

Other Mother of God icons:

There are several lists that are located in temples throughout the country and some of them are recognized as miraculous, like the original plaque. Indeed, during the revolution, after the loss of the monarch, the people were divided, Civil War

, and only the “Sovereign” icon reminded believers that they have one ruler, the Queen of Heaven, who cannot be killed and who will always intercede for them. Despite the persecution of the communist authorities, people hid “Derzhavnaya” in their homes and continued to pray to her. Saint Mary is depicted here as the most perfect of all people, because above her is only Christ.

She is not only the intercessor of people on earth, but also their guide to heavenly life.

“Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Kostino, city of Korolev

Location of the icon

Despite the peaceful situation in the state, people still come to “Derzhavnaya” today with requests and prayers. She is revered just as in former times.

• Today there are several places where you can find an image of her: Chertanovo district in the Moscow region - it was there that the community erected a new stone church instead of the old wooden one. This is a brick temple with five tents, where active life
• Orthodox community: Sunday school, choir, youth activities;
• a copy is located in the Church of the Ascension (Gorokhovy Lane), where the myrrh-streaming icon of Tsar Nicholas is kept;
• there is a copy in the Moscow monastery courtyard at the Solovetsky Monastery. It was this place that was seriously damaged during the Red Revolution and therefore especially honors the “Derzhavnaya”;
• in the temple of the prophet Elijah;

In the Assumption Deanery of Moscow, in the church of the same name, this image is kept. The temple itself is an architectural monument and stores many Orthodox relics.

In addition to these temples, there are others that began with this particular face. A small chapel made of wood with it laid the foundation for the main cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church. It has survived to this day and has become part of the complex of buildings of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. They serve there on celebration days and read akathists in front of a list written during the revolution.

History of the image

Who and when painted the face of “Sovereign” is not known exactly, although there is a theory about its location in the Ascension Monastery of the Kremlin, where princesses and queens were previously buried. It is from here that the strong opinion arose that the image is associated with monarchs and royal power.

During the revolution, it was lost because people hid it in their homes so that the Red Army would not burn the shrine. Since then, there has been no official information about the whereabouts of the icon. Until a resident of the Moscow region had a dream in which the Virgin Mary told her to find some image of herself.

Read about Christianity:

The woman began searching and, over time, God's help I found her in the village of Kolomenskoye in the Ascension Church. Over time, the face turned black, but the characters depicted on it could still be distinguished. On the same day that the board was found, Emperor Nicholas made a speech of renunciation. Believers interpreted the events as follows: for the sins of the people, God punished them and took away the emperor from them, in return allowing the rise of communist atheistic power.

However, the discovery of such an important relic in such troubled times made it clear to believers that God had not yet turned away from them, and the Virgin Mary would also intercede for people before God.

The plaque was restored by monks from a monastery in Moscow, slightly changing its original appearance - the vestments were made purple, as was told to Evdokia, the very woman who found the image, in a dream.

Important! After the face was found, he became an object of popular veneration, which was only facilitated by the tragic death of the anointed emperor. During the atheistic government in Russia, believers only prayed and asked the Lord to have mercy on their country. That is why in 1993 Patriarch Alexy repented before the church and people for the sin of regicide. There is plenty of evidence of how fervent prayers from the face of the Mother of God helped believers become stronger in their faith and cope with problems.

They come to the “Sovereign” icon with various requests for:

• health of yourself and your family;
• opportunities to recover from serious illnesses and recover from them;
• find love and start a family;
• help to take the right path or guide a loved one;
• protection and assistance in case of financial problems;
• healing from traumas of the heart and spirit;
• giving joy to the heart and protection from oppressors;
• peace in the country;
• saving the state from epidemics and wars;
• forgiveness and cessation of hostility.

Watch the video about the Sovereign Icon

Memory Icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign” takes place in Russian Orthodox Church March 15, new style.

The history of the acquisition of the “Sovereign” icon
In Russian church art there is great amount icons dedicated to the Mother of God, which is not surprising, since the Russian people have always treated the Queen of Heaven with great love, seeing in Her their Intercessor. Many icons of the Mother of God became famous as miraculous: through them many people received and are receiving quick help. However, there are icons that played an important role not only in the lives of individual people, but also in the history of the entire country. Such images include the icon of the Mother of God, called “Sovereign”.
The discovery of the “Sovereign” icon of the Most Holy Theotokos took place during a particularly difficult historical period for the Russian people, when Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The fall of the monarchy and the outbreak of the revolution entailed many difficult and bloody events that changed the entire course of Russian history.
On March 15, the day the emperor abdicated the throne, the peasant woman Evdokia Adrianova, who lived in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow, was told in a dream that difficult trials awaited Russia, but the Queen of Heaven would not abandon the Russian people. The woman was told that she needed to find an icon of the Mother of God in the village church. Evdokia told the priest about this dream, and after a long search, an iconographic image was actually found in the basement of the temple, but it was so heavily covered with a layer of dust and soot that they could not immediately understand who was depicted in the icon. When the holy image was cleansed, they saw on it the image of the Most Holy Theotokos holding the Infant Christ on her lap, whose hand was raised in a blessing gesture. The iconography of this image was not entirely ordinary, since the head of the Queen of Heaven was crowned with a crown, and in her hands she held symbols of royal power - a scepter and an orb. The peasant woman Evdokia Adrianova immediately recognized the acquired image as the icon that had been shown to her in a dream.
The miraculous appearance of the icon became widely known, and many began to visit the village of Kolomenskoye to venerate this amazing image. Commission created Holy Synod to study the discovered icon, she established that it was painted at the end of the 18th century. Large size of the iconographic image and its rounded shape top part gives reason to assume that it was created for the temple iconostasis. There is an opinion that the icon was originally in the Ascension Monastery in Moscow, but during Napoleon’s invasion it was moved to Kolomenskoye in order to preserve it from desecration. However, over time, the icon was forgotten, and it lay for about a century in the basement of the temple.

The meaning of the “Sovereign” icon for Russia
The appearance of the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God on the day of the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II and the actual end of the monarchy in Russia had a profound spiritual meaning, as if indicating that the Queen of Heaven will not abandon the Russian people in the years of upcoming trials. Those symbols of royal power that he holds in his hands Holy Mother of God, symbolize the fact that She took upon Herself the custody of the Russian land.
Immediately after finding the icon, people began to flock to it to pray to the Mother of God and ask for help. Soon, with the participation of Patriarch Tikhon, a service and akathist to the icon was written and, in addition, many churches wished to have a copy of this image. Currently exists a large number of churches and chapels consecrated in honor of this icon.

Iconography of the image of the Mother of God “Sovereign”
In Russian church art, the image of the Mother of God on the throne was not widespread and came into iconography from Byzantium, where she was placed on the iconostasis or in the altar. The “sovereign” icon has a number of features that distinguish it from images of this type. For example, the orb in the hands of the Mother of God is not crowned with a cross, as was customary in the Byzantine ceremony. This detail takes on special significance on the “Sovereign” icon, pointing to the persecution that the Russian Orthodox Church had to endure in the 20th century. It is also significant that the Infant God blesses those praying on the left, which symbolizes God’s mercy towards the fallen.

Troparion, tone 8:
The faces of angels serve You reverently and all the heavenly powers with silent voices please You, Virgin Mary; We earnestly pray to Thee, Lady, that Divine grace may abide on Thy most honorable icon, “The Most Powerful,” and may the radiant ray of glory of Thy miracles descend from Her upon all who pray to Thee with faith and cry out to God. Alleluia.

Kontakion, tone 8:
We offer victorious songs to the chosen Voivode, / as Thy Power has been given to us, and we will fear nothing, / for our salvation is not from the world, / but the Exalted Lady is protected by mercy / and we rejoice in that today, / as the Intercessor has come to guard Her land.

Magnification:
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, God-chosen Youth, and honor the Sovereign image of Your shrine, to whom You bestow great mercy on all who flow to Him with faith.

Prayer:
O Sovereign Lady, Most Holy Theotokos, holding in Her arms the Heavenly King who contains the entire universe! We thank You for Your ineffable mercy, for You have deigned to show us, sinners, this holy, miraculous icon of Yours in these days. We thank Thee, for Thou hast looked down from Thy holy height upon the children of the Orthodox, and, like the bright sun, Thou hast gladdened our eyes, now exhausted from sorrow, with the sweet sight of Thy sovereign image! O Most Blessed Mother of God, Sovereign Helper, Strong Intercessor, thank You, with fear and trembling, as slaves of indecency, we fall, with tenderness, with heartfelt contrition, with tears we pray to You: root in the hearts of all of us truth, peace and joy about Dus Holy ones, bring silence, prosperity, serenity, and unfeigned love for each other to our country! With Your omnipotent power, support us, the weak, the cowardly, the feeble, the sad, strengthen us, uplift us! As we always keep under Your power, we sing, magnify and glorify You, the Sovereign Intercessor of the Christian race forever and ever. Amen.