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[moonflower77]

Posting this largely for [Unknown site tag]dreaming_brooke. 

Icon “GUARDIAN ANGEL”

The icon is made in the shape of a shield and depicts the Guardian Angel standing on a cloud with our Lord’s Cross in his right hand and a sword in his left. To the left of the Cross there is an inscription in Church Slavonic: “Holy Guardian Angel”. The image is based on an iconographic copy from the front of the 17-th century original in the Siya Pictorial Icon Painter’s Manual.

Church tradition maintains that the Lord grants a Guardian Angel to each person at baptism. The Angel assists the Christian on their thorny path to holiness and guards them against the wiles of the devil throughout their life.

The belief in guardian angels has been known since the times of the Old Testament. Scripture states that God’s angels fulfilled the Divine Providence in governing various kingdoms and nations (Daniel 10:13-21). The righteous men mentioned in the Old Testament also had guardian angels (Gen. 48:16, Psalms 33:8). The belief persisted into the times of the New Testament. Indeed, its existence in apostolic times is confirmed by St. Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison (Acts 12:7-17). But the widespread veneration of the Guardian Angel began from the 16-th century onwards, due to the fact that this period saw a strengthening of the personal component in the Christian religious consciousness, while the theme of the Last Judgment gained more relevance and became mainstream. After all, it is the Guardian Angel who helps the human soul overcome the so-called “trials” on the way the Kingdom of Heaven after it is separated from the body. The iconography and hymnography of the Guardian Angel began to develop in the 16th century and became fully established by the second half of the 17th century. At the same time, the understanding of the image improved and prayerful communion with the Guardian Angel deepened. This period was marked by the appearance of icons that depicted the Angel’s deeds and illustrated every kind of assistance provided to a Christian by his or her Guardian Angel. The chief iconographic attributes of the Guardian Angel are a cross, which he uses to bless the person in question, and a sword for driving away demons. Both are present on this particular scapular.   

On the reverse side of the icon one can find the text of a troparion from the canon to the Guardian Angel in Church Slavonic: “Angel of God, my holy guardian, keep me in awe before Christ, our God, all my life, strengthen my mind so I can remain on the right path and ignite my soul with the flame of love for that which is heavenly...”

Icon “ST. NICHOLAS THE MIRACLE-WORKER” (with a top hoop)

This is a miniature arch-shaped icon of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker with a rounded bottom and a hoop at the top. The image is based on an iconographic copy from the front of the 17-th century original in the Siya Pictorial Icon Painter’s Manual, along with the Palekh icons painted after the same model.

St. Nicholas is the most revered Christian saint. The roles he performs as the patron and protector of each separate person, as well as of the Church as a whole, are rivaled only by those of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is invoked when any of one’s everyday needs have to be met. In prayer, he is referred to as “protector of the faithful, wise teacher, one who feeds the hungry, gives joy to the weeping, clothes the naked, heals the sick, directs those sailing the seas, liberates prisoners, feeds and protects widows and orphans, guards the chaste, fortifies the elderly, mentors ascetics, offers rest to the laboring and abundant wealth to the poor and the needy.”

The veneration of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker has given rise to numerous legends and stories where he serves as the patron saint of spring, sows bread, casts out demons, blesses the people, guards their property, protects them from the devil and raises the dead. In particular, there are multiple legends about the healing properties possessed by the icon of St. Nicholas. It is hardly a surprise that the image of St. Nicholas is the most common on pectoral icons, and is thought to protect one from various misfortunes and illnesses.

On the back of the icon there is an image of the Holy Cross in bloom and a brief inscription of the Savior’s name,“Jesus Christ”.

The memory of St. Nicholas is celebrated on 19 (6) December and 22 (9) of May.

Icon “ST. PANTELEIMON THE HEALER”

The icon’s shape is characteristic for the miniature illustrations, known in Russian as drobnitsa, which used to be painted on metal plates and attached to the salaries of the Gospels or icons in the 14th – 15th centuries. On the front one can see a waist-length image of the Holy Unmercenary Healer St. Panteleimon. He is holding a small box with medicine or panarium (πανάριον) in his left hand, and a spoon in his right. The saint’s name is inscribed along the periphery of the icon.

The Great Martyr and Unmercenary Healer St. Panteleimon (in Greek, Παντελεήμων means “all-merciful”) was born in Nicomedia to a wealthy noble pagan and a secret Christian. At birth, he was named Pantoleon (Παντελέων is Greek for “a lion in every respect”). He studied the art of healing with the renowned physician Euphrosynus and displayed a remarkable talent and skill. After he was baptized by bishop Hermolaus, he began to receive divine assistance from Jesus Christ, the true “doctor of souls and bodies”. Upon seeing that his son’s prayer had healed a blind man, his father agreed to be baptized along with the patient. When his father died, St. Panteleimon inherited a wealthy estate and began to help the poor, the widowed and the orphaned; he treated patients for free and converted many of them to Christianity.

The success of the holy healer evoked fierce envy in pagan physicians, who informed Emperor Maximian that Panteleimon was a Christian and was spreading the Christian faith. The saint was arrested and subjected to unspeakable torture: his body was ripped with nails, he was submerged in a cauldron filled with molten tin, drowned in water or tossed to wild animals, but no torture could take his life, so the holy martyr was beheaded. This occurred in 305 A.D. .

Saint Panteleimon is one of the most beloved and venerated saints in the whole of the Christian Church. In the West he is revered as the patron saint of doctors, while the Eastern Orthodox call upon him in special prayers during the anointing of the sick and the consecration of water, or when they pray for the sick and the infirm. 

The memory of the Great Martyr and Saint Panteleimon is celebrated on 9 August (27 July).

The reverse of the icon contains the final part of the Church Slavonic prayer, which is read on behalf of the sick person: “O servant of God! Pray to God, that He may grant health to my body and salvation to my soul through your intercession.”

Icon of the Theotokos “ELEUSA”

With respect to its teardrop shape, this scapular is a plastic replica of the icon St. Seraphim of Sarov used to have in his cell, which is commonly known as Eleusa (“Tender” or “Merciful” Mother of God), while the holy elder himself referred to it as “The Joy of All Joys”. Style-wise, the iconography of the image is Western in origin, as is the case with most other icons created in the 18th century, and has been modeled after the miraculous icon of the Theotokos of Ostra Brama/Vilnius. However, the changes introduced to the iconography by the artist have made this icon Orthodox in spirit, filled with Eastern contemplation.

The icon came to be a vivid illustration of the deep religious feeling referred to in Church Slavonic or Russian as “umileniye”: humility, repentance and heartfelt contrition. The icon presents a powerful image on both the mental and the spiritual levels and radiates merciful compassion and boundless maternal love for the suffering human race, the oblivion to the self found in prayer, and the awe and trepidation experienced by those standing before the throne of the Almighty. When we fold our arms against our chest and prepare to take the Holy Communion in repentance and humility, our mind conjures up the image of the Theotokos Eleusa on its own accord. Our Lady, sometimes called the “Receptacle of the Boundless God”, an example of meekness and humility, invisibly participates in this sacrament along with ourselves and offers us spiritual support.

The strong emotional impact produced by the icon was reflected in the choice of shape: the scapular resembles a droplet, or, to be more precise, a penitential tear. This choice is further explained in the words of the Church Slavonic prayer found on the reverse: “O Mother of God, Our Lady, source of tenderness for my soul! Warm my cold heart in faith and love, with tears of humility and heartfelt contrition…”

The feast of the icon “Theotokos Eleusa” is celebrated on 28 July (10 August).

Icon “ST. ELISABETH, THE NEW MARTYR”

The casing for this icon has a keel-shaped top containing an openwork image of the cross in bloom. On the front of the icon, inside a decorative frame, one can see the waist-length image of the Holy Martyr Grand Princess Elizabeth Fyodorovna.
 
Grand Princess Elizabeth, the elder sister of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, was born on 20 October (1 November) 1864 in the Protestant family of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria. In 1884 she arrived in Russia and was married to Grand Prince Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III. In 1891 she converted from Protestantism to Orthodoxy and, in the same year, moved with her husband to Moscow, where the Grand Prince was appointed Governor General.
 
Like her husband, Elizabeth Fyodorovna was deeply religious. She embraced the Orthodox faith with her whole heart, fell in love with the church services, prayed fervently and devoted a lot of effort, time and money to charity. The brutal murder of Grand Prince Sergei Alexandrovich by terrorist Kalyaev, tragic as it was, sealed her resolve to become a Christian ascetic. Once she was left alone, Elizabeth Fyodorovna “rejected herself”, refused to participate in any social events, delved even deeper into prayer and devoted herself to charity and social work with an even greater zeal than before. The Grand Princess divided her jewelry and precious works of art into three parts and handed over the first to the treasury (these were the gifts from the imperial family), gave the second to her relatives, and used the third and largest to carry out her plan and to found a convent whose inhabitants would devote themselves to prayer, work and charity.
 
Thanks to her selfless activity and asceticism, the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy was founded in 1909 and Elizabeth Fyodorovna herself became the abbess. In dedicating the holy abode to Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, Elizabeth Fyodorovna determined its mission. “The community was meant to be akin to the house of Lazarus, which was so frequently visited by Christ. The nuns were to combine both the noble destiny of Mary, who listened to the words of life eternal, and the practical ministry of Martha, for at the convent they would establish Christ as represented by His younger brothers”.
 
The selfless activity as the abbess of the convent already earned Elizabeth Fyodorovna a reward in heaven. But the Lord had prepared for her an even higher destiny: the crown of martyrdom. When Lenin came to power, he set out to destroy the whole royal family of the Romanovs and anyone who happened to be close to him. Elizaveta Feodorovna did not escape this fate. Twice, she refused the offer to flee to Europe and consciously made the choice to stay in the dying Russia.
 
Elizabeth Fyodorovna was arrested and brought to the town of Alpayevsk along with the other members of the imperial family and their loved ones. The hellish crime was committed on the night of 18 July, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the patron saint of her late husband, Sergei Alexandrovich. The prisoners were taken to an abandoned iron ore mine and thrown down the shaft while still alive. Security officers threw hand-grenades down the mine to fill the shaft up and conceal the crime, but virtually none of the martyrs were killed immediately. They died in terrible suffering from thirst, hunger and injuries.
 
The Holy Grand Princess Elizabeth Fyodorovna fell onto a ledge 15 meters below. Prince Ioann, his wounded head bandaged with the Grand Duchess’ apostolnik (monastic veil or headscarf), was later found nearby. A peasant witness heard the Cherubic Hymn coming from deep within the mine. It was sung by the martyrs, headed by Elizabeth Fyodorovna. The saint sang prayers and encouraged the others until her soul departed to the Lord and the crown of martyrdom shone over her head.
 
When the White Army led by Admiral Kolchak occupied the area of Ekaterinburg and Alapaevsk, the mine was excavated and the martyrs’ bodies were discovered. With great difficulty, the coffins of the Holy Martyrs Grand Princess Elizabeth Fyodorovna and her servant nun Varvara were transported to Jerusalem and set in the tomb belonging to the temple of St. Mary Magdalene. In 1888, Elizabeth Fyodorovna herself had been present at the consecration of the temple, which was built at the expense of the Emperor Alexander III and his brothers. She admired the beauty of the church and said: “I would like to be buried here”. Her words came true.
 
In the iconography of the scapular, we have tried to reflect the stages of the spiritual ascent passed by Grand Princess Elizabeth Fyodorovna. They are marked by three crosses. The first and lowest cross is found on the rosary the Grand Princess is holding in her left hand. Prayer beads accompanied her throughout her whole life, starting from a young age. They are a symbol of prayer, which awakens and nourishes one’s spiritual life. Somewhat higher one can see the second cross, the pectoral made of cypress wood that marks her as the Abbess of the Martha and Mary Convent and stands for her monastic ministry. Finally, the third and highest cross is the martyr’s Cross of Calvary one can see in the Holy Martyr’s right hand. This is the cross of victory that opens the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
On the reverse of the icon, in an ornamental frame, one can find the prayer to the New Holy Martyr Grand Princess Elizabeth Fyodorovna in Church Slavonic: “Grand Princess Elizabeth, Holy Martyr, pray for us to Christ our God”.
 
The memory of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna is celebrated on the day of her martyrdom, 5 (18) July, and the following Sunday after the 25 January (old style) along with the other New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
 
Icon “ST. SERGIUS OF RADONEZH”

The casing for this icon has been executed in a shape characteristic for miniatures found on the metal covers of 14th-15th century icons and Gospels.
 
The front contains a waist-length image of the greatest Russian saint, St. Sergius of Radonezh. As is customary, he is shown in a monastic schema. He is holding a scroll in his left hand, while his right hand is folded in a gesture of two-digit blessing.
 
The reverse of our icon depicts a stylized church framed in an ornament of climbing vines, the symbol of Christ and His fruit-bearing Church. Inscribed in the center is the prayer to the saint in Church Slavonic: “O Sergius, our father, pray to Christ our God that He may save our souls”.
 
The future saint and monk Sergius was born in 1314 in Rostov, in a pious family of boyars (Russian noblemen). At baptism, he was given the name Bartholomew. Even before his birth, the marvelous Divine Providence gave a sign that he was going to become a great servant of the Holy Trinity. From the first days of his life, the infant Bartholomew began a wondrous feat of abstinence: on Wednesdays and Fridays he would refuse to suckle any milk from his mother’s breast.
 
Another miracle happened to him in adolescence. Despite his diligence and tearful prayer, he found learning to read and write very difficult. One day, while walking through a field, the young Bartholomew met a mysterious elder-monk in a black robe and asked the latter to pray for him, so that he might comprehend the letters. The old man prayed and blessed the boy, saying that he was destined to be the abode of the Holy Trinity and was going to bring many people to an understanding of God’s commandments. Since then, Bartholomew became very adept at reading and writing and, from an early age, began to exhibit the fruits of the Gospel.
 
Shortly afterwards Bartholomew’s family, including his parents Cyril and Mary and his brothers Stephen and Peter, moved to Radonezh. There, the young Bartholomew continued the spiritual feat he had already begun, spending day and night in prayer and fasting. When his parents retired to a monastery shortly before their death, Bartholomew left his property to his younger brother Peter and moved to the deep forest 10 miles away from Radonezh, along with his older brother Stephen. All alone, the brothers cut down some trees and built a cell and a small church, which was consecrated in the honor of the Holy Trinity. This was the beginning of the famous monastery of St. Sergius.
 
Soon Stephen left his brother to become the prior of the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow and a confessor to the grand prince. Bartholomew, who was given the name Sergius when he took his vows, continued to live in the woods alone for about three years, struggling with the hardships of life in the wilderness. His feat soon attracted up to 12 disciples who saw him as an example of a genuine monastic life. In 1354, St. Sergius was ordained as a presbyter and abbot. Although appointed as a leader, St. Sergius did not abandon his habitual monastic labors, teaching the brethren by example rather than by spoken word. To the end of his days, he remained an embodiment of meekness and humility.
 
The life and works of St. Sergius occupy a particularly important place in the history of monasticism. By creating a monastery and monastic community outside the city, he laid the foundations for life in the great outdoors. Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople sent St. Sergius his blessing along with a letter that approved the new system for establishing monastic communities in the wilderness. The numerous students and followers of the holy monk carried his message of love and self-denial and his experience of monastic life to the near and far reaches of Russia, founding new monasteries. St. Sergius was not only a teacher for monks, but a spiritual foundation for the whole of Russia. No wonder he is referred to as the Abbot of All Russia. He was able to reconcile the Russian princes with each other, blessed Dmitry Donskoy to fight the Tatar Khan Mamai and even gave him two of his monks as soldiers.
 
Even during his life, St. Sergius performed numerous miracles and was honored with great revelations. Once Our Lady appeared to him with the Apostles Peter and John and promised to protect and support his monastery. On another occasion, he saw an extraordinary light and a variety of different birds, whose harmonious singing filled the air, and received a revelation about many monks gathering in his monastery in the future.
 
The servant of God reposed in the Lord on 25 September (8 October) 1391, at age 77. 30 years after his burial the relics of the holy monk were revealed through a heavenly vision and remain an inexhaustible source of healing grace to this day.
 
For many centuries, Orthodox Christians have addressed their patron saint with prayers in their various needs. However, the most common practice is to resort to his patronage when seeking help in gaining wisdom and the ability to learn.
 
The saint is commemorated on 25 September (8 October) and 5 (18) July.
 
Icon of the Theotokos “OUR LADY OF KAZAN”

The arch-shaped relief icon is a replica of the great nationwide shrine, Our Lady of Kazan.
 
The original miraculous icon, which was recreated afterwards thousands of times, was discovered in Kazan on 8 (21) in July 1579, 27 years after the city was conquered by Ivan the Terrible. At the time, there was a large fire that caused an increase in Muslim resistance to Christianity. Then, in order to strengthen the Orthodox faith, the Mother of God, doing Her will through the nine-year-old girl Matrona, revealed Her miraculous image amongst the ashes left from the conflagration. Soon, two blind men were miraculously healed by the icon in rapid succession. In the years that followed, it was noted that a significant number of those healed by Our Lady of Kazan suffered from various eye ailments. A convent was founded at the location in Kazan where the icon had been discovered.
 
Our Lady of Kazan played a huge role in the history of the Russian state. The Cossacks, under the leadership of Yermak Timofeyevich, conquered Siberia under Her patronage. Through Her intercession, Dmitry Pozharsky and his militia succeeded in liberating Moscow from Polish troops during the Times of Trouble. The icon served as an inspiration to the Russian army before the Battle of Poltava, and it was from Our Lady of Kazan that Field Marshal Kutuzov received the blessing to strive for victory against the French. During World War II the Blessed Virgin Mary offered heavenly assistance to the defenders of Leningrad and Stalingrad through Our Lady of Kazan.
 
Our Lady of Kazan is particularly revered in all Russian Orthodox families. The icon is often used to bless a young couple before their wedding, and is most commonly encountered in children’s bedrooms, where the Mother of God watches over the children as they sleep.
 
One of the most majestic cathedrals in Russia, the Kazan Cathedral, was built to honor the icon, which is the most reverred in the Northern Capital, and to serve as its repository.
 
At present, there are different opinions as to which icon is the actual one recovered in Kazan, and where it has been located since then. It was assumed that the icon may have been stored at the cathedral of the Kazan Monastery and disappeared without a trace in 1904. According to another opinion, the genuine Our Lady of Kazan was taken by Prince Pozharsky’s militia and remained afterwards in the church of Our Lady of Kazan in the Red Square in Moscow. Others believe that the genuine icon was transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the beginning of the 18th century. Whichever the case may be, each of the three icons has served as a great source of gracious help from Our Lady.
 
The back of our small icon depicts the Holy Cross in Bloom and contains the initial words of the troparion to Our Lady of Kazan in Church Slavonic: “O assiduous intercessor, Mother of the Lord most high, pray for everyone to Christ, Your Son and our God, and seek for everyone to be saved…”
 
The feast of this great nationwide shrine is celebrated on the day the icon was discovered 8 (21) July (1579) and on the day Moscow and Russia were delivered from the Poles, on 22 October (4 November) (1612).
 
Icon “MATRONA, THE BLESSED ELDRESS OF MOSCOW”

This round icon with a movable top hoop contains a chest-length relief image of St. Matrona, the Blessed Eldress of Moscow. The saint is depicted in accordance with the traditional iconography. The palm of her right hand is opened at her chest in a confessional gesture, while the left is holding rosary as a symbol of incessant intercessory prayer.

 

The iconography of St. Matrona is unique and complex due to her closed eyelids. The saint was born blind. In Christian iconography, the eyes play an important role. When a person looks at an icon while praying, the gaze of the saints seems to penetrate their soul like an X-ray, denouncing their sins, and, at the same time, giving them hope that the saint shall intercede before God on their behalf. In the case of St. Matrona, the lack of eyes is compensated by her wide smile, which expresses an immense and all-forgiving love for anybody who calls out to her.
 
The Blessed Matrona (Matrona Dmitriyevna Nikonova) was born in 1881 in the village of Sebino, in the Tula province, near the famous Kulikovo field, in a poor but pious peasant family. Matrona had three older siblings, two brothers and a sister. At first, her mother wanted to commit the unborn child to an orphanage, but then she saw a prophetic dream where her unborn daughter appeared as a white bird with a human face and closed eyes and perched on her right hand. The God-fearing woman took the dream to be a special sign and decided not to send her daughter to the orphanage. Her daughter was born blind, but her mother loved the “unfortunate child”.
 
Having chosen St. Matrona for a special mission, the Lord gave her a heavy burden from the very outset, a cross she bore with humility and patience throughout her life. There were different signs that pointed at the girl being chosen by God. For example, there was a cruciform bulge on her chest, something akin to a pectoral cross not made by human hands. As an infant, Matrona would refuse the breast on Wednesdays and Fridays. When she was lowered into the baptismal font, those present saw a column of light fragrant smoke rise from the infant.
 
From an early age, God gave St. Matrona the gifts of spiritual discernment, insight, miracle-working and healing. Not only was she aware of the crimes and sins committed by other people, she was also able to read their thoughts. She felt the approach of danger and foresaw various natural and social disasters. Her prayer healed the sick and consoled the bereaved and distressed. 
As an adolescent, Matrona had an opportunity to travel when the daughter of a local landowner took her along on a pilgrimage to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, to St. Petersburg and to other cities and shrines in Russia. In 1899 she met St. John of Kronstadt at the Kronstadt Cathedral. According to legend, when the church service was over, the righteous man asked asked the parishioners to make way for Matrona, who was about to approach the solea, and said in a loud voice: “Matrona, come, come to me. Here comes my replacement, the eighth pillar of Russia.”
 
In her seventeenth year Matrona suddenly lost the use of her legs and since then became unable to walk. Matrona knew this was going to happen and accepted it as the will of God.
 
In 1925, Matrona moved to Moscow, where she spent the rest of her days moving between houses, shacks, apartments and cellars, visiting relatives and friends. The huge metropolitan city had a lot of unfortunate, lost or spiritually ill people, those who had fallen away from the faith. For almost thirty years, she carried out her spiritual and prayerful ministry in Moscow, turning many of them away from perdition and helping them find salvation.
 
The Blessed Eldress of Moscow passed away on 2 May 1952. On 4 May, during the week of the Myrrhbearers, she was buried at the Danilovskoye cemetery with a large crowd present. The funeral service and burial of the Blessed Matrona marked the beginning of her glorification as a servant of God. On 2 May 1999 Matrona of Moscow was canonized as a local saint in Moscow and her relics were placed in the church of the Pokrovsky monastery.
 
Numerous people from all parts of Russia and from abroad come to her relics with their troubles and illnesses. After all, even before her death, the Blessed Matrona used to say: “Come to me, all of you, as if I were alive, and tell me about your sorrows, I will see and hear you and help you”. She also used to say that anyone who trusted themselves and their life to her intercession before our Lord would be saved.
 
The back of our small icon depicts a bird of paradise with a human face and closed eyes, the symbolic and figurative image of St. Matrona’s soul that manifested to her pregnant mother in the prophetic dream. Among other things, it is associated with the folk belief in Gamayun, a bird of paradise that can foretell the future and reveals the secrets of the universe to those who ask her questions. For many, St. Matrona was indeed akin to a bird of paradise that does not have a nest of its own but still brings happiness to other people, opening their spiritual eyes and foretelling the future. St. Matrona predicted the October Revolution of 1917, the start of World War II and the fact that the USSR would be victorious.
 
St. Matrona often said: “If the people lose their faith in God, they experience disasters, and if they do not repent, they die out and disappear from the face of the earth. How many nations have vanished, while Russia still exists and will continue to exist. Pray, plead, repent! The Lord will not abandon you and will guard and keep your land!”