Saint of the Vyshgorod (Volodymyr) icon of the Holy Mother of God

On September 8, the Orthodox Church and believers honor in prayers meeting of the Vyshgorod (Volodymyr) icon of the Holy Mother of God. The image was painted by the evangelist Luke on the fragment of the table at which the Son of God sat at the meal with the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph. There is also evidence that the author of the icon was St. Alipius of Kyiv.

This image of the Holy Mother of God is one of the most revered by believers. From Constantinople, the icon came to Russia in 1131 in the hands of Prince Mstislav and was exhibited in the Vyshgorod Maiden’s Monastery — the ancient local property of Princess Olga. Later, the image was stolen by the Suzdal prince Andriy Bogolyubsky and placed in Volodymyr-on-Klyazma. Even later, during the Tatar-Mongol raids, the image was moved to Moscow, where it is still located.

It was from Moscow that the fame of the icon as a miraculous image began to spread. Here she saved the city more than once in times of trouble, and now it is not the first century that she helps Christians. If we return to the historical sources of the icon, it becomes clear why it has such power and great importance. Traditions say that this is the first image of the Mother of God during her lifetime, and it was approved by her herself. Since then, icon painters and sculptors around the world have been guided by this image when creating other images of the Virgin Mary.