And Euphrates, from 137 BC to 242 AD there was a small state of Osroene, which was the first to declare Christianity the official state religion. Here the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is mentioned for the first time.
Legend of the icon
According to numerous legends, the Ostroenian king Avgar V, whose residence was in the capital of the state of Edessa, fell ill incurable disease- black leprosy. In a dream, a revelation appeared to him that only the face of the Savior would help him. The court artist, sent to Christ, was unable to capture his image because of the divine radiance emanating from Jesus, who, meeting the royal pleas, himself washed his face with water and wiped it with a towel (scarf). A bright image remained imprinted on it, called “ubrus”, or Mandylion, or the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. That is, in classic version it represents the face of Christ, made on a canvas, along the edges of which there is an outline, and the upper ends are tied in knots.
After the miraculous healing of Abgar, there is no mention of this icon until 545, when Edessa was blockaded by Persian troops. As often happens, in difficult times providence comes to the rescue. In the nave above the city gates, not only the perfectly preserved icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands itself was discovered, but also its imprint on the ceramic wall of the vault, or Keramidion. The blockade of the city was lifted in the most miraculous way.
Features of the icon
This miraculous image in both its manifestations (made both on canvas and on ceramics) has a number of features and customs associated with it. Thus, it is recommended for beginning icon painters as their first independent work.
The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is the only image in which the halo around the head of Jesus has the shape of a regular closed circle with a cross inside. All these details, like the color of the Savior’s hair, the general background of the icon (on the most ancient icons the background always remained clean), carry their own meaning.
There are opinions that a portrait created without a brush and paints, which is, in essence, the icon of the “Savior Not Made by Hands,” is a photo of Christ, capturing his face.
In Orthodoxy, this icon has always, from the moment its copy was brought from Constantinople in 1355, played special role. Although the most ancient icons of this type appeared in Rus' back in the 11th century, only from the second half of the 14th century everything connected with the “Savior Not Made by Hands” was positioned at the level of state cult and introduced everywhere. Temples are built under it, it is depicted on the banners of Russian troops in the most decisive battles for the country - from Kulikovo to the battles of the First World War. The word “banner” is gradually being replaced by the word “banner” (from “sign”). Banners with the image of the “Savior Not Made by Hands” became an integral part of the victories of Russian weapons.
Icon “Savior Not Made by Hands” today
The arrival of this miraculous icon, the fame of which spread throughout Rus', from the Novospassky city of Vyatka to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, acquired national scale and significance. Thousands of Muscovites and visitors came out to meet the icon and fell to their knees at the sight of it. The Frolovsky gate, through which the icon was carried, began to be called Spassky. It was possible to pass through them only with a bare head, as a sign of the divinity of the face.
“The Savior Not Made by Hands” is an icon whose significance cannot be overestimated. It is perceived as one of the main symbols of Orthodoxy; in its semantic meaning it is equated to the cross and crucifixion.
In recent years, which are sometimes rightly called the Second Baptism of Rus', an unprecedented number of churches, monasteries and temples have been built. In Sochi, for the opening of the Olympics, the Temple of the Savior Not Made by Hands was erected in record time and consecrated on January 5, 2014.
The first Christian icon is the “Savior Not Made by Hands”; it is the basis of all Orthodox icon veneration.
According to the Tradition set forth in the Chetya Menaion, Abgar V Uchama, sick with leprosy, sent his archivist Hannan (Ananias) to Christ with a letter in which he asked Christ to come to Edessa and heal him. Hannan was an artist, and Abgar instructed him, if the Savior could not come, to paint His image and bring it to him.
Hannan found Christ surrounded by a dense crowd; he stood on a stone from which he could see better and tried to portray the Savior. Seeing that Hannan wanted to make His portrait, Christ asked for water, washed himself, wiped His face with a cloth, and His image was imprinted on this cloth. The Savior handed this board to Hannan with the command to take it with a reply letter to the one who sent it. In this letter, Christ refused to go to Edessa himself, saying that he must fulfill what he was sent to do. Upon completion of His work, He promised to send one of His disciples to Abgar.
Having received the portrait, Avgar was healed of his main illness, but his face remained damaged.
After Pentecost, the holy Apostle Thaddeus went to Edessa. Preaching the Good News, he baptized the king and most of the population. Coming out of the baptismal font, Abgar discovered that he was completely healed and gave thanks to the Lord. By order of Avgar, the holy obrus (plate) was glued onto a board of rotting wood, decorated and placed above the city gates instead of the idol that had previously been there. And everyone had to worship the “miraculous” image of Christ as if it were new heavenly patron hail.
However, the grandson of Abgar, having ascended the throne, planned to return the people to the worship of idols and, for this purpose, destroy the Image Not Made by Hands. The Bishop of Edessa, warned in a vision about this plan, ordered to wall up the niche where the Image was located, placing a lit lamp in front of it.
Over time, this place was forgotten.
In 544, during the siege of Edessa by the troops of the Persian king Chozroes, the Bishop of Edessa, Eulalis, was given a revelation about the whereabouts of the Icon Not Made by Hands. Having dismantled the brickwork in the indicated place, the residents saw not only a perfectly preserved image and a lamp that had not gone out for so many years, but also the imprint of the Most Holy Face on the ceramics - a clay board that covered the holy lining.
After a religious procession with the Image Not Made by Hands along the city walls, the Persian army retreated.
A linen cloth with the image of Christ was kept in Edessa for a long time as the most important treasure of the city. During the period of iconoclasm, John of Damascus referred to the Image Not Made by Hands, and in 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council, citing it as vital evidence in favor of icon veneration. In 944, the Byzantine emperors Constantine Porphyrogenitus and Roman I bought the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa. Crowds of people surrounded and brought up the rear of the procession as the Image Miraculous was transferred from the city to the bank of the Euphrates, where galleys awaited the procession to cross the river. Christians began to grumble, refusing to give up the holy Image unless there was a sign from God. And a sign was given to them. Suddenly the galley, onto which the Image Not Made by Hands had already been brought, swam without any action and landed on the opposite shore.
The silent Edessians returned to the city, and the procession with the Icon moved further along the dry route. Throughout the journey to Constantinople, miracles of healing were performed continuously. The monks and saints accompanying the Image Not Made by Hands traveled around the entire capital by sea with a magnificent ceremony and installed the holy Image in the Pharos Church. In honor of this event, on August 16, the church holiday of the Transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands (Ubrus) of the Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople was established.
For exactly 260 years the Image Not Made by Hands was preserved in Constantinople (Constantinople). In 1204, the Crusaders turned their weapons against the Greeks and captured Constantinople. Along with a lot of gold, jewelry and sacred objects, they captured and transported to the ship the Image Not Made by Hands. But, according to the inscrutable fate of the Lord, the Miraculous Image did not remain in their hands. As they sailed across the Sea of Marmara, a terrible storm suddenly arose and the ship quickly sank. The greatest Christian shrine has disappeared. This ends the story of the true Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
There is a legend that the Image Not Made by Hands was transferred around 1362 to Genoa, where it is kept in a monastery in honor of the Apostle Bartholomew.
In the Orthodox icon-painting tradition there are two main types of images of the Holy Face: “Savior on Ubrus”, or “Ubrus” and “Savior on Chrepiya”, or “Chrepie”.
On icons of the “Spas on the Ubrus” type, the image of the Savior’s face is placed against the background of a cloth, the fabric of which is gathered into folds, and its upper ends are tied with knots. Around the head is a halo, a symbol of holiness. The color of the halo is usually golden. Unlike the haloes of saints, the halo of the Savior has an inscribed cross. This element is found only in the iconography of Jesus Christ. In Byzantine images it was decorated precious stones. Later, the cross in halos began to be depicted as consisting of nine lines according to the number of nine angelic ranks and three Greek letters were inscribed (I am Jehovah), and on the sides of the halo in the background were placed the abbreviated name of the Savior - IC and HS. Such icons in Byzantium were called “Holy Mandylion” (Άγιον Μανδύλιον from the Greek μανδύας - “ubrus, cloak”).
On icons such as “The Savior on the Chrepiya”, or “Chrepiye”, according to legend, the image of the Savior’s face after the miraculous acquisition of the ubrus was also imprinted on the ceramide tiles with which the Image Not Made by Hands was covered. Such icons in Byzantium were called “Saint Keramidion”. There is no image of the board on them, the background is smooth, and in some cases imitates the texture of tiles or masonry.
The most ancient images were made on a clean background, without any hint of material or tiles. The earliest surviving icon " Savior Not Made by Hands" - a Novgorod double-sided image of the 12th century - located in Tretyakov Gallery.
Ubrus with folds begins to spread on Russian icons from the 14th century.
Images of the Savior with a wedge-shaped beard (converging to one or two narrow ends) are also known in Byzantine sources, however, only on Russian soil they took shape into a separate iconographic type and received the name “Savior of Wet Brad”.
In the Cathedral of the Assumption Mother of God in the Kremlin there is one of the revered and rare icons - “The Ardent Eye of Savior”. It was written in 1344 for the old Assumption Cathedral. It depicts the stern face of Christ looking piercingly and sternly at the enemies of Orthodoxy - Rus' during this period was under the yoke of the Tatar-Mongols.
“The Savior Not Made by Hands” is an icon especially revered by Orthodox Christians in Rus'. It has always been present on Russian military flags since the time of the Mamaev Massacre.
A.G. Namerovsky. Sergius of Radonezh blesses Dmitry Donskoy for a feat of arms
Through many of His icons the Lord manifested Himself, revealing wondrous miracles. So, for example, in the village of Spassky, near the city of Tomsk, in 1666, one Tomsk painter, to whom the village residents ordered an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for their chapel, set to work according to all rules. He called on the residents to fast and pray, and on the prepared board he painted the face of the saint of God so that he could work with paints the next day. But the next day, instead of Saint Nicholas, I saw on the board the outlines of the Miraculous Image of Christ the Savior! Twice he restored the features of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, and twice the face of the Savior was miraculously restored on the board. The same thing happened a third time. This is how the icon of the Miraculous Image was written on the board. The rumor about the sign that had taken place spread far beyond Spassky, and pilgrims began to flock here from everywhere. Quite a lot of time had passed; due to dampness and dust, the constantly open icon had become dilapidated and required restoration. Then, on March 13, 1788, the icon painter Daniil Petrov, with the blessing of Abbot Palladius, the abbot of the monastery in Tomsk, began to remove the previous face of the Savior from the icon with a knife in order to paint a new one. I already took a full handful of paints from the board, but the holy face of the Savior remained unchanged. Fear fell on everyone who saw this miracle, and since then no one has dared to update the image. In 1930, like most churches, this temple was closed and the icon disappeared.
The miraculous image of Christ the Savior, erected by no one knows who and no one knows when, in the city of Vyatka on the porch (porch in front of the church) of the Ascension Cathedral, became famous for the countless healings that took place before it, mainly from eye diseases. A distinctive feature of the Vyatka Savior Not Made by Hands is the image of angels standing on the sides, whose figures are not fully depicted. The copy of the miraculous Vyatka icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands hung from inside over the Spassky Gate of the Moscow Kremlin. The icon itself was delivered from Khlynov (Vyatka) and left in the Moscow Novospassky Monastery in 1647. The exact list was sent to Khlynov, and the second one was installed above the gates of the Frolovskaya tower. In honor of the image of the Savior and the fresco of the Savior of Smolensk on the outside, the gate through which the icon was delivered and the tower itself were named Spassky.
Another miraculous image of the Savior Not Made by Hands is located in the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The icon was painted for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich by the famous icon painter Simon Ushakov. It was handed over by the queen to her son, Peter I. He always took the icon with him on military campaigns, and he was with it at the foundation of St. Petersburg. This icon saved the life of the king more than once. Emperor Alexander III carried a list of this miraculous icon with him. During the crash of the royal train on the Kursk-Kharkov-Azov railway On October 17, 1888, he emerged from the destroyed carriage along with his entire family unharmed. The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was also preserved intact, even the glass in the icon case remained intact.
In the meeting State Museum Arts of Georgia there is an encaustic icon of the 7th century, called the “Anchiskhat Savior”, representing Christ from the chest. Georgian folk tradition identifies this icon with the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands from Edessa.
In the West, the legend of the Savior Not Made by Hands became widespread as the legend of the Payment of Saint Veronica. According to him, the pious Jewish Veronica, who accompanied Christ on His way of the cross to Calvary, gave Him a linen handkerchief so that Christ could wipe the blood and sweat from his face. The face of Jesus was imprinted on the handkerchief. The relic, called the “Veronica board”, is kept in the Cathedral of St. Peter's in Rome. Presumably, the name Veronica, when mentioning the Image Not Made by Hands, arose as a distortion of Lat. vera icon (true image). In Western iconography distinctive feature images of the “Plate of Veronica” - a crown of thorns on the head of the Savior.
According to Christian tradition, the miraculous Image of the Savior Jesus Christ is one of the proofs of the truth of the incarnation in human image of the second person of the Trinity. The ability to capture the image of God, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, is associated with the Incarnation, that is, the birth of Jesus Christ, God the Son, or, as believers usually call Him, the Savior, the Savior. Before His birth, the appearance of icons was unreal - God the Father is invisible and incomprehensible, therefore, incomprehensible. Thus, the first icon painter was God himself, His Son - “the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1.3). God has found human face, The Word became flesh for the salvation of man.
Troparion, tone 2
We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, asking for forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God: for by the will of Thou didst deign to ascend in the flesh to the cross, that Thou mightest deliver what Thou hast created from the work of the enemy. We also cry out to You with gratitude: You have filled all with joy, our Savior, who came to save the world.
Kontakion, tone 2
Thy ineffable and Divine sight of man, the Indescribable Word of the Father, and the unwritten and God-written image is victorious leading to Thy false incarnation, we honor him with kisses.
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Documentary film “The Savior Not Made by Hands”
An image left to us by the Savior himself. The very first detailed lifetime description of the appearance of Jesus Christ was left to us by the proconsul of Palestine, Publius Lentulus. In Rome, in one of the libraries, an undeniably truthful manuscript was found, which has great historical value. This is a letter that Publius Lentulus, who ruled Judea before Pontius Pilate, wrote to the ruler of Rome, Caesar. It talked about Jesus Christ. The letter is in Latin and was written during the years when Jesus was first teaching the people.
Director: T. Malova, Russia, 2007
More than 1000 years ago, in 988, Rus', having received Baptism, saw the face of Christ for the first time. By this time, in Byzantium - its spiritual mentor - there had already been an extensive iconography of Orthodox art for several centuries, dating back to the first centuries of Christianity. Rus' inherited this iconography, accepting it as an inexhaustible source of ideas and images. Images of the Savior Not Made by Hands appear in Ancient Rus' from the 12th century, first in the paintings of churches (Savior-Mirozh Cathedral (1156) and the Savior on Nereditsa (1199)), later as independent images.
Over time, Russian masters contributed to the development of icon painting. In their works of the 13th – 15th centuries, the image of Christ loses the harsh spirituality of the Byzantine prototypes, and features of kindness, merciful participation and goodwill towards man appear in it. An example of this is the oldest Russian icon of Yaroslavl masters, the Savior Not Made by Hands of the 13th century from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which in currently kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery. The face of Jesus Christ on the icons of Russian masters is devoid of severity and tension. It contains a benevolent call to a person, spiritual demands and support at the same time.
The icon of Jesus Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands by icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov maintains traditions ancient Russian masters. An encouraging trust emanates from the icon, a spiritual power akin to man, allowing him to feel his involvement in divine perfection. I would like to include the words of N.S. Leskova: “A typical Russian image of the Lord: the look is direct and simple... there is an expression in the face, but no passions” (Leskov N.S. At the edge of the world. Works in 3 volumes. M., 1973. P. 221).
The image of Christ immediately took a central place in the art of Ancient Rus'. In Rus', the image of Christ was initially synonymous with Salvation, Grace and Truth, the highest source of help and consolation for man in his earthly suffering. System of values ancient Russian culture, uniting its religious meaning, the image of the world, the human ideal, ideas about goodness and beauty are inextricably linked with the image of the Savior Jesus Christ. The image of Christ illuminated the whole life path man of Ancient Rus' from birth to last breath. In the image of Christ he saw main meaning and justification of one’s life, embodying one’s Creed in images that are high and clear, like the words of a prayer.
The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands was associated with hopes for help and protection from enemies. It was placed above the gates of cities and fortresses, on military signs. The miraculous image of Christ served as protection for the Russian troops. Thus, the troops of Dmitry Donskoy fought on the Kulikovo field under the princely banner with the image of the Holy Face. Ivan the Terrible had the same banner when he took the city of Kazan in 1552.
Before His Image Not Made by Hands, people turn to the Savior Jesus Christ with prayers for healing from deadly diseases and for giving greater vitality.
The meaning of the Miraculous Image
In the early Christian (pre-iconoclastic) period, the symbolic image of Jesus Christ was widespread. As you know, the Gospels do not contain any information about the appearance of Christ. In the painting of catacombs and tombs, reliefs of sarcophagi, mosaics of temples, Christ appears in Old Testament forms and images: the Good Shepherd, Orpheus or the Youth Emmanuel (Is. 7:14). His Image Not Made by Hands is of great importance for the formation of the “historical” image of Christ. Perhaps the Icon Not Made by Hands, known since the 4th century, with its transfer to Constantinople in 994, became “an immutable model for icon painting,” as N.P. believed. Kondakov (Kondakov N.P. Iconography of the Lord God and Our Savior Jesus Christ, St. Petersburg, 1905. P. 14).
The silence of the evangelists about the appearance of Jesus Christ can be explained by their concern for spiritual rebirth humanity, the direction of view from earthly life to heavenly life, from material to spiritual. Thus, keeping silent about the historical features of the Savior’s face, they draw our attention to knowledge of the Savior’s personality. “When depicting the Savior, we depict neither His divine nor His human nature, but His personality, in which both of these natures are incomprehensibly combined,” says Leonid Uspensky, an outstanding Russian icon painter and theologian (Uspensky L.A. The meaning and language of icons / / Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. 1955. No. 6. P. 63).
The Gospel story also did not include the story of the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands; this can be explained by the words of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian: “Jesus did many other things; but if we were to write about this in detail, then, I think, the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).
During the period of iconoclasm, the Image of Christ not made by hands was cited as the most important evidence in favor of icon veneration (Seventh Ecumenical Council (787)).
According to Christian tradition, the miraculous image of the Savior Jesus Christ is one of the proofs of the truth of the incarnation in human form of the second person of the Trinity. The ability to capture the image of God, according to teaching Orthodox Church, is associated with the Incarnation, that is, the birth of Jesus Christ, God the Son, or, as believers usually call Him, the Savior, the Savior. Before His birth, the appearance of icons was unreal - God the Father is invisible and incomprehensible, therefore, incomprehensible.
Thus, the first icon painter was God himself, His Son - “the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1.3). God acquired a human face, the Word became flesh for the salvation of man.
How the Image Not Made by Hands Was Revealed
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There are two widespread versions of the legend about the origin of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. We will present the eastern version of the legend about the Image of Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands, based on the book of the spiritual writer and church historian Leonid Denisov, “The History of the True Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands on the Basis of the Testimony of Byzantine Writers” (M., 1894, pp. 3–37).
During the years of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, Abgar V the Black reigned in Osroene (the capital of this miniature kingdom was the city of Edessa). For seven years he suffered unbearably from “black leprosy,” the most severe and incurable form of this disease. Rumor of appearance in Jerusalem extraordinary person, performing miracles, spread far beyond the borders of Palestine, and soon reached Abgar. The nobles of the King of Edessa, who visited Jerusalem, conveyed to Abgar their enthusiastic impression of the amazing miracles of the Savior. Abgar believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and sent the painter Ananias to him with a letter in which he begged Christ to come and heal him from his illness.
Ananias walked for a long time and unsuccessfully in Jerusalem for the Savior. The masses of people surrounding the Lord prevented Ananias from fulfilling Abgar’s instructions. One day, tired of waiting, and, perhaps, despairing that he would be able to fulfill the instructions of his sovereign, Ananias stood on a ledge of a rock and, watching the Savior from afar, tried to copy him. But, despite all his efforts, he could not depict the face of Christ, because his expression was constantly changing by divine and incomprehensible power.
Finally, the Merciful Lord commanded the Apostle Thomas to bring Ananias to him. Before he had time to say anything, the Savior called him by name, asking for the letter Abgar had written to Him. Wanting to reward Abgar for his faith and love for Himself and fulfilling his ardent desire, the Savior ordered water to be brought and, having washed His holy face, wiped it with the rubbish given to him, that is, a four-pointed handkerchief. The water miraculously turned into colors, and the image of the divine face of the Savior was miraculously imprinted on the lining.
Having received the ubrus and the message, Ananias returned to Edessa. Abgar prostrated himself before the image and, venerating it with faith and love, received, according to the Savior’s word, instant relief from his illness, and after his baptism, as the Savior predicted, complete healing.
Avgar, revering the ubrus with a miraculous image of the face of the Savior, overthrew the statue of a pagan deity from the city gates, intending to place the miraculous image there to bless and protect the city. A deep niche was built in the stone wall above the gate, and the holy image was installed in it. Around the image there was a golden inscription: “Christ God! None of those who trust in You will perish.”
For about a hundred years, the Icon Not Made by Hands protected the inhabitants of Edessa, until one of Abgar’s descendants, having renounced Christ, wanted to remove it from the gates. But the Bishop of Edessa, mysteriously informed by God in a vision, came at night to the city gates, reached a niche along the stairs, placed a lit lamp in front of the image, covered it with ceramide (clay board) and leveled the edges of the niche with the wall, as he was told in the vision.
More than four centuries have passed...
The place where the Icon Not Made by Hands was located was no longer known to anyone. In 545, Justin the Great, under whose rule Edessa was then, fought with the Persian king, Chosroes I. Edessa constantly passed from hand to hand: from the Greeks to the Persians and back. Khosroes began to build a wooden wall near the city wall of Edessa, in order to then fill up the space between them and thus create an embankment above the city walls so that he could throw arrows from above at the defenders of the city. Khozroy carried out his plan; the inhabitants of Edessa decided to build an underground passage to the embankment in order to light a fire there and burn the logs holding the embankment. The fire was lit, but had no outlet where, having escaped into the air, it could have engulfed the logs.
Confused and despairing, the residents resorted to prayer to God; on the same night, the Bishop of Edessa, Eulalia, had a vision in which he was given an indication of the place where, invisible to everyone, the Image of Christ miraculously resided. Having dismantled the bricks and taken away the ceramide, Eulalia found the most holy image of Christ safe and sound. The lamp, lit 400 years ago, continued to burn. The bishop looked at the ceramide, and a new miracle struck him: the same likeness of the Savior’s face was depicted on it, miraculously, as on the ubrus.
The inhabitants of Edessa, glorifying the Lord, brought the miraculous icon into the tunnel, sprinkled it with water, a few drops of this water fell on the fire, the flame immediately engulfed the wood and spread to the logs of the wall erected by Chozroes. The bishop brought the image to the city wall and performed litia (prayer outside the temple), holding the image in the direction of the Persian camp. Suddenly, the Persian troops, gripped by panic, fled.
Despite the fact that Edessa was taken by the Persians in 610, and later by the Muslims, the Image Not Made by Hands remained with the Edessa Christians all the time. With the restoration of icon veneration in 787, the Image Not Made by Hands became the subject of special reverent veneration. The Byzantine emperors dreamed of acquiring this image, but they were not able to bring their dream to fruition until the second half of the 10th century.
Roman I Lecapen (919–944), full of fiery love for the Savior, wished at all costs to bring a miraculous image of His face to the capital of the monarchy. The emperor sent envoys outlining his demands to the emir, since Persia at that time was conquered by the Muslims. The Muslims of that time oppressed the enslaved countries in every possible way, but often allowed the indigenous population to peacefully practice their religion. The emir, out of attention to the petition of the Edessa Christians, who threatened with indignation, refused the demands of the Byzantine emperor. Angered by the refusal, Romanus declared war on the caliphate, troops entered Arab territory and devastated the environs of Edessa. Fearing ruin, the Edessa Christians, on their own behalf, sent a message to the emperor asking him to stop the war. The emperor agreed to stop hostilities on the condition that the image of Christ be given to him.
With the permission of the Baghdat Caliph, the emir agreed to the conditions proposed by the emperor. Crowds of people surrounded and brought up the rear of the procession as the Icon Not Made by Hands was transferred from the city to the bank of the Euphrates, where galleys awaited the procession to cross the river. Christians began to grumble, refusing to give up the holy image unless there was a sign from God. And a sign was given to them. Suddenly the galley, onto which the Icon Not Made by Hands had already been brought, swam without any action and landed on the opposite shore.
The quiet Edessians returned to the city, and the procession with the icon moved further along the dry route. Throughout the journey to Constantinople, miracles of healing were performed continuously. In Constantinople, jubilant people flocked from everywhere to worship the great shrine. The monks and saints accompanying the Icon Not Made by Hands traveled around the entire capital by sea with a magnificent ceremony and installed the holy image in the Pharos Church.
The Icon Not Made by Hands was preserved in Constantinople (Constantinople) for exactly 260 years. In 1204, the Crusaders turned their weapons against the Greeks and captured Constantinople. Along with a lot of gold, jewelry and sacred objects, they captured and transported the Icon Not Made by Hands to the ship. But, according to the inscrutable fate of the Lord, the Miraculous Image did not remain in their hands. As they sailed across the Sea of Marmara, a terrible storm suddenly arose and the ship quickly sank. The greatest Christian shrine has disappeared. This, according to legend, ends the story of the true Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
In the West, the legend of the Savior Not Made by Hands became widespread as the legend of the Payment of Saint Veronica. According to one of them, Veronica was a student of the Savior, but she could not accompany him all the time, then she decided to order a portrait of the Savior from the painter. But on the way to the artist, she met the Savior, who miraculously imprinted his face on her plate. Veronica's cloth was endowed with the power of healing. With its help, the Roman Emperor Tiberius was cured. Later another option appears. When Christ was led to Calvary, Veronica wiped the sweat and blood stained face of Jesus with a cloth, and it was reflected on the material. This moment is included in the Catholic cycle of the Passion of the Lord. The face of Christ in a similar version is painted with a crown of thorns.
Which icons are the most famous?
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Church historian L. Denisov mentions one of ancient icons Savior Not Made by Hands (XIV century). The icon was brought to Moscow by Saint Metropolitan Alexy from Constantinople and since 1360 it has stood in the iconostasis of the cathedral church of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. In 1354, Metropolitan Alexy of Kiev was caught in a storm on his way to Constantinople. The saint made a vow to build a cathedral in Moscow in honor of that saint or holiday on the day of which he would safely reach the shore. The day fell on the celebration of the Savior Not Made by Hands, and the Metropolitan built a monastery in his honor. Visiting Constantinople again in 1356, Alexy brought with him the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
Chronicles and monastery inventories for centuries noted the presence of a Constantinople icon in the monastery. In 1812, she was evacuated from Moscow and then returned safely. According to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta report dated June 15, 2000, “... in 1918, this icon disappeared from the Andronikov Monastery and was discovered in one of the Moscow repositories only in 1999. The painting of this icon was rewritten several times, but always according to the old drawing. Its small size and rare iconography place it among the few exact repetitions of the Constantinople relic.” Further fate We were unable to trace this icon.
The Icon of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands, erected by an unknown person and unknown when in the city of Vyatka on the porch of the Ascension Cathedral, is widely known. The image became famous for the numerous healings that took place before it. The first miracle happened in 1645 (this is evidenced by a manuscript kept in the Moscow Novospassky Monastery) - the healing of one of the city’s residents occurred. Peter Palkin, having been blind for three years, after fervent prayer before the Icon Not Made by Hands, received his sight. The news of this spread widely, and many began to come to the image with prayers and requests for healing. This icon was transported to Moscow by the then reigning sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich. On January 14, 1647, the miraculous image was transferred to the Kremlin and placed in the Assumption Cathedral. The gates to the Kremlin through which the image was brought in, which had been called Frolovsky until that time, began to be called Spassky.
The icon was kept in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin until the reconstruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Novospassky Monastery was completed; on September 19, 1647, the icon was solemnly transferred to the monastery in a procession of the cross. The miraculous image gained great love and veneration among the residents of the capital; they resorted to the icon’s help in cases of fires and epidemics. In 1670, the image of the Savior was given to help Prince Yuri, who was going to the Don to pacify the rebellion of Stepan Razin. Until 1917, the icon was in the monastery. Currently, the whereabouts of the holy image are unknown.
In the Novospassky Monastery there is a preserved copy of the miraculous image. It is installed in the local row of the iconostasis of the Transfiguration Cathedral - where the miraculous icon.
Another miraculous image of the Savior Not Made by Hands is located in the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The icon was painted for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich by the famous icon painter Simon Ushakov. It was handed over by the queen to her son, Peter I. He always took the icon with him on military campaigns, and he was with it at the foundation of St. Petersburg. This icon saved the life of the king more than once.
Emperor Alexander III carried a list of this miraculous icon with him. During the crash of the Tsar's train on the Kursk-Kharkov-Azov Railway on October 17, 1888, he emerged from the destroyed carriage along with his entire family unharmed. The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was also preserved intact, even the glass in the icon case remained intact.
The meaning of the icon and miracles from it
The veneration of the image began in Rus' in the 11th – 12th centuries and became widespread in the 14th century, when Moscow Metropolitan Alexy brought a copy of the Icon Not Made by Hands from Constantinople. Churches and temples began to be built in his honor in the state. The icon of the “Ardent Eye of Savior,” also going back in type to the original Image Not Made by Hands, was on the banners of Dmitry Donskoy, a student of Metropolitan Alexy, in the battle on the Kulikovo Field with Mamai. It was located above the entrance of new temples and churches, regardless of whether they were erected in honor of the Lord or other holy names and events, as their main protective protection.
Further history All-Russian glorification and transfer of the miraculous icon to Moscow begins in the 17th century. On July 12, 1645, in the city of Khlynov, now the city of Vyatka, a miracle of epiphany happened to a resident of the city, Peter Palkin, who gained the ability to see after praying in front of the icon of the Savior in the Church of the All-Merciful Savior. Before that he was blind for three years. After this event, recorded in church documents, miracles of healing began to occur more and more often, the fame of the icon expanded to the limits of the capital, where it was transferred in the 17th century: see the section “In which churches is the icon located.”
An embassy headed to Khlynov (Vyatka) for the miraculous image, the head of which was appointed abbot of the Moscow Epiphany Monastery Paphnutius.
On January 14, 1647, almost all the townspeople came out to the Yauza Gate of the capital to meet the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. As soon as those gathered saw the icon, everyone knelt down on the cold winter pavement, and a festive chime was heard from all Moscow bell towers for the beginning of the thanksgiving prayer. When the prayer service was over, the miraculous icon was brought into the Moscow Kremlin and placed in the Assumption Cathedral. They brought the icon through the Frolov Gate, which is now called Spassky, like the Spasskaya Tower that rises above it - now many, coming to the Kremlin’s Red Square, know the origin of the name of this place, sacred to every Russian person. At that time, the transfer of the image was followed by a royal decree that every male person who passes or drives through the Spassky Gate should take off his hat.
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Novospassky Monastery was then in the stage of reconstruction; after its completion, on September 19 of the same year, the image was solemnly transferred in a religious procession to the place where the copy from it is now located.
The history of the image is replete with many testimonies of the Lord’s active participation in the destinies of Russia. In 1670, the icon was given to Prince Yuri to help suppress the rebellion of Stepan Razin on the Don. After the end of the Troubles, the saving image was placed in a gilded frame, richly decorated with diamonds, emeralds and pearls.
In mid-August 1834, a severe fire broke out in Moscow, which spread with incredible speed. At the request of the Muscovites, they took the icon out of the monastery and stood with it against the blazing place, and everyone saw how the fire could not cross the line along which they carried the miraculous image, as if tripping over an invisible wall. The wind soon died down and the fire died down. Then the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands began to be brought out for prayers at home, and when a cholera epidemic broke out in Moscow in 1848, many received healing from the icon.
In 1812, when Napoleon’s troops entered Moscow, the French, who were looting the deserted capital, tore the 17th-century robe from the wonderful image. In 1830, it was again encased in a silver frame with gilding and decorated with precious stones. In the summer, the icon was in the Transfiguration Cathedral, and in the winter it was transferred to the Intercession Church. Also exact copies from the miraculous image were in both the St. Nicholas and Catherine's churches of the monastery.
The Savior Not Made by Hands, according to some historians of the Russian Orthodox Church, has become the main part of the Christian tradition along with the Crucifixion. It is included in the top row of the home iconostasis; it, together with the image of the Mother of God, was taken out as a wedding couple to bless the newlyweds for a happy and settled life together. On the holiday of August 6/19 of the Transfiguration of the Lord, blessing the harvest, they celebrated the Apple Savior; on the first day of the Dormition Lent, on August 14/29, they celebrated the Honey Savior - it was believed that on this day bees no longer take bribes from flowers.
After the revolution of 1917, the icon was in the monastery for some time, but now the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands has been lost, and a copy of that early icon has been preserved in the Novospassky Monastery. But we love and honor this image to this day, and, as it was said at the VI Ecumenical Council: “The Savior left us His holy image, so that we, looking at it, would constantly remember his incarnation, suffering, life-giving death and the redemption of the race.” human."
Few people have thought about where icons came from in the first place. Their veneration has become so firmly established in Orthodox tradition it seems like it has always been this way. In the history of Christianity, the very first icon was the “Savior Not Made by Hands.” This image is very interesting story and deep theological significance.
The emergence of the first image
Church tradition has preserved few descriptions of Christ’s appearance, and the Bible doesn’t say a word about it at all. But where did the image of that face that everyone knows well come from? The history of the icon “Savior Not Made by Hands” was brought to us in all its details by the Roman historian Eusebius, a student of Pamphilus, originally from Palestine. Much information about the life of that period is known precisely thanks to his works.
The glory of Christ was so great that people came to Him even from other countries. So the ruler of the city of Edessa (in the territory of modern Turkey) sent a man to him with a letter. Avgar was already grown, he was tormented by a leg disease. Christ promised to send one of his disciples to help the king and enlighten his people with the light of the Gospel. Ephraim the Syrian also talks about this incident.
Abgar also sent the artist to Christ, but he was so blinded by the divine radiance that he simply could not paint a portrait of the Savior. Then Christ gave the king as a gift a linen (ubrus), with which he wiped his face. The imprint of the face remained on the board - that’s why it is called miraculous - because it was created not by human hands, but by divine power (like the Shroud of Turin). This is how the first icon arose - during the life of the Savior. The ambassadors brought the fabric to Edessa, where it became a city shrine.
After the ascension of Christ, the Apostle Thaddeus went there - he healed Abgar, performed many more miracles and converted local residents into Christianity. Another historian, Procopius of Caesarea, testifies to these events. And Evagrius from Antioch tells how the image miraculously saved the inhabitants of the city from an enemy siege.
The further fate of the wonderful board
Having become Christians, the inhabitants of Edessa hung the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands (also called the Mandylion) over the city gates. When one of Abgar’s descendants became a pagan, pious Christians covered the icon with bricks to protect it from desecration. The image was hidden for so long that it was forgotten. During the next siege, already in the 6th century, the bishop saw a vision where the location of the shrine was revealed to him. When dismantling the masonry, it was discovered that the face had also transferred to the bricks.
The mandylion was moved to the cathedral, from where it was removed only 2 times a year. The tradition of venerating shrines did not exist then, and even approaching the image was forbidden. At the end of the 1st century. The Byzantine army besieged the city, and in exchange for peace it was proposed to give up a miraculous image of the Savior. The city residents agreed. This is how the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands came to Constantinople. This day is now church holiday.
In 1011, an unknown artist of the Western school made a copy that ended up in Rome. It was kept in a special altar and was called “faith eikon” - the true image. Later it became known as “Veronica’s Plat” and acquired its own legends. Thus, the Savior Not Made by Hands had great importance and for the development of Western iconography.
Unfortunately, the original Mandylion has not survived to this day. It was kidnapped during one of the Crusades (1204) - legend says that the ship where the icon was located sank. However, those lists that are kept in the Vatican (Santa Matilda Chapel) and Genoa are considered quite accurate.
What does the Savior Not Made by Hands look like?
The description of the icon kept by King Abgar has come to us thanks to historical documents. The material with the imprint of the Face was stretched onto a wooden base. This is the only image that depicts Christ as a human person. Other images of the Savior are made with attributes, or the Lord performs certain actions. Here a “portrait” is shown, the face of Christ; the author’s “vision” is not given, but the Image is presented as it is.
Most often the Savior is found on the ubrus - the face is depicted against the background of a towel, with different types folds The board is usually white. Sometimes the face is depicted against the background of brickwork. In some traditions, the towel is held by the edges by flying Angels.
The uniqueness of the image lies in the mirror symmetry, which is broken only by the eyes. They are slightly slanted, which makes the facial expression more spiritual. The Novgorod list is considered an ancient incarnation perfect beauty. In addition to symmetry, the absence of emotions plays an important role here - the sublime purity and spiritual peace that the Savior possesses are, as it were, transmitted to those who look at the icon of the “Savior Not Made by Hands.”
The role and meaning of the image in Christianity
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands - its miraculous appearance became a very powerful argument during the period of iconoclasm. In fact, this is the main proof that the face of Christ can be depicted and enjoyed veneration by believers, as an opportunity to offer praise to the Prototype.
It was the imprint left on the fabric that became one of the main types of iconography, which recalls the divine beginning of icon painting. In the first centuries, it itself had, among other things, a descriptive function - biblical stories came to life before the eyes of illiterate Christians. In addition, books, including the Holy Scriptures, were very rare for a long time. The desire of believers to have a visible incarnation of Christ is also quite understandable.
The depiction of only the face of the Savior should remind believers that their salvation is possible only if they establish a personal relationship with Christ as the God-man. Without this, no church rituals can serve as a “pass” to the kingdom of heaven. Christ's gaze is directed directly at the viewer - calling on each individual person to follow Him. Contemplation of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands helps to understand what the meaning of Christian life is.
How does the Savior Not Made by Hands help?
How can a believer establish contact with God? In order for the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands to become a true protector, one must conduct a prayerful dialogue with the Lord. In prayer, a person expresses his requests, hopes, even grievances against loved ones will be listened to by the Almighty - but they should not be expressed with anger...
The image of the Savior must be in every Christian home. You can ask Him for anything:
- about helping loved ones;
- for children;
- about good health;
- about welfare;
- about help in work, any worldly affairs.
You cannot use icons for divination, use them in different magical rituals. History knows of cases where such attempts ended very badly for magicians.
What prayers are best suited to be said in front of the icon of the “Savior Not Made by Hands”? First of all - “Our Father”, a prayer given to people by Jesus Christ himself during earthly path. Every day should begin with it, even before eating, true believers read it to thank the Lord for what they have. Before falling asleep, you can also read to calm your mind and cleanse your soul.
Where are the icons of the Savior located?
Although there was never an original Mandylion in Russia, there were lists glorified by miracles. One of them remained for a long time in the Novospassky Monastery (near Taganka), which became famous as the tomb of the Romanov family. Although the first miracle was revealed in the city of Vyatka, soon the miraculous icon was solemnly transferred to the capital. This happened in January 1647.
At first, the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands was on one of the Kremlin towers, but in the same year it went to the Church of the Transfiguration. Here are some of the miracles performed through prayers at the Vyatka icon:
- a completely blind man regained his sight;
- assistance in suppressing the rebellion of S. Razin;
- a religious procession with an icon helped stop the fire of 1834;
- many healings during the cholera epidemic.
During the years of the revolution, the miraculous original was lost. In place of the previous image there is currently a list.
An amazing monument of Russian culture - the Temple of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Abramtsevo. The small elegant church was created by the joint efforts of V. Vasnetsov, V. Polenov, I. Repin. They created the design of the building, the iconostasis, all the decorations, painted the icons, even laid out the floor with mosaics. The paintings on the windows belong to M. Vrubel. The temple was consecrated in 1882. You can travel from Moscow by train to the Khotkovo station.
The oldest icon in Russia, the Savior Not Made by Hands, dates back to the 12th century, painted in the Novgorod manner. There is no image of the board on it, because the image reproduces the face of the Savior, miraculously revealed on bricks (in Edessa). According to experts, this version may be very close to the original that appeared on the ubrus. The image was kept in the Kremlin and is now in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Prayer to the icon
Troparion, tone 2
We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, asking for forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God, by the will of Your flesh you deigned to ascend to the Cross, so that You may deliver Him from the work of the enemy. Thus we cry out to You in gratitude: You have filled all with joy, our Savior, who came to save the world.
Prayer
O Most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, our God! You, from the ancient times of human nature, washed your face with holy water and wiped it with a rubbish, and you deigned to depict it miraculously on the same fringe and sent it to the Edessa prince Abgar for the healing of his illness. Behold, now we, Thy servants, sinners, possessed by our mental and physical ailments, seek Thy face, O Lord, and with David in the humility of our souls we call: do not turn Thy face away from us, and turn away in anger from Thy servants, be our Helper, not reject us and do not abandon us. O All-Merciful Lord, our Savior! Imagine for Yourself in our souls, that if we live in holiness and truth, we will be Your sons and heirs of Your Kingdom, and so we will not cease to glorify You, our Most Merciful God, together with Your Beginning Father and the Most Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
The Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands - the first icon of Jesus Christ in history
Sacred Tradition tells us the story of this first icon, which was created by Christ Himself. Read about the history of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands - one of the most important in Christianity.
The image of the “Savior Not Made by Hands” is the first icon of Jesus Christ in the history of mankind
When praying in front of icons, people rarely think about where the icons came from, when and by whom the tradition of icon veneration was established. Prayer before an image is so familiar to us that it seems eternal. Meanwhile, in the Gospel Christ never spoke about icons. But the Holy Tradition tells us the story of the first icon that Christ created - it was not made by human hands, but has a miraculous origin, which is why it is called the Savior Not Made by Hands (the word Savior is an abbreviation for “Savior”, the title of Christ as having saved all people from the slavery of sin) . This image has been preserved by humanity for a long time; it has a long history and deep theological significance.
The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands is one of the most important in Christianity. In the article you will learn how the first icon was made, what miracles were created from it, what its significance is for the art of icon painting, and what is the difference between the versions of the “Savior Not Made by Hands” “on the ubrus” (Mandylion) and “on the skull” (Keramidion).
The history of the creation and veneration of the Savior Not Made by Hands
In the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles there is absolutely no description of the appearance of Christ. Nevertheless, all icons of the Lord show us the same image of the God-Man (even the icons of the Mother of God in Her image are more different from each other). This is explained precisely by the miraculous creation of Christ’s own icon. The history of this amazing event was recorded by the Roman historian Eusebius from Palestine, a Christian, as well as by the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, a holy ascetic of the Syrian Desert. The document is real historical source, thanks to the descriptions of Eusebius, many everyday details of the life of the Roman Empire of that period have reached us.
Eusebius wrote that during the life of Christ, the fame of Him and His miracles even spread to other countries. The ruler of the city of Edessa (now located in Turkey) named Abgar sent a servant and a skilled artist to Christ. Avgar was an elderly man and suffered seriously from disease in the joints of his legs. He asked to pray for him and heal his illness, and in order to see Christ himself (due to illness he could not do this, and there were no images of the Lord yet) - he instructed the artist to sketch Christ from life. It was common practice in the Roman Empire to create portraits and sculpt busts from life. Art at the time of Christ’s earthly life was sufficiently developed to depict using chiaroscuro: many believe that the schematic features of icon painting were a consequence of the creators’ insufficient understanding of painting images, but this is not so; Icon painting has its own drawing language, which consists of reverse perspective techniques and symbolism.
When the king's envoys conveyed to Christ a request for healing, the Lord promised that one of His apostles would visit Edessa and enlighten its people with the light of New Testament teaching. At this time, the king’s artist tried and could not sketch Christ. Then the Lord Himself took a towel (handkerchief, “ubrus” in Church Slavonic) and wiped his face with it - the Face of the Lord was imprinted on the handkerchief. That is why this image is called Not Made by Hands: human hands could not depict Him with the help of paints, but the grace of the Lord, His own energy and strength created the image. This image was probably similar to the Shroud of Turin, where the Face of Jesus Christ is visible, as in the photograph.
Thus, even during the life of the Savior, the first icon appeared. The royal ambassadors delivered a wonderful image on fabric to Edessa. The Miraculous Image-Mandylion (in Greek - on fabric) began to be revered as a great shrine by the king. And when, after the Ascension of Christ, the holy Apostle Thaddeus visited the city, according to another historian, Procopius of Caesarea, he healed King Abgar, preached Christianity and performed many miracles. Then the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands became a city shrine that protected the Edessians, and was placed above the city gates as the banner of Edessa. Over the course of several centuries, many miracles were performed through prayers before him, and the chronicler Evagrius of Antioch recorded evidence of the miraculous deliverance of Edessa from the siege of enemies thanks to him.
Alas, one of Abgar’s descendants became a pagan and iconoclast. To protect the revered image from destruction, the Christians of Edessa buried the icon with stones in the wall. The image was hidden for so long that the generation of Christians who survived persecution no longer remembered the location of the shrine. Only during a new war, in the 6th century, after the townspeople prayed for salvation, the bishop of the city saw in a dream the place where the image was hidden. When the stonework was removed, it turned out that the Face of Christ was also imprinted on the stones (“on the skull”, in Church Slavonic). The small lamp, installed in previous centuries, also continued to burn miraculously.
Both images became objects of worship. The icon imprinted on the stones was called Keramidion and placed in an icon case, and the Mandalion was transferred to the altar of the city cathedral, from where it was taken out for worship by believers only twice a year.
At the end of the 11th century, the Byzantine army besieged the city and demanded to surrender to the rule of the emperor. In exchange for peace, the people of Constantinople offered to give them the miraculous image not made by hands - the Mandalion. The residents of Edessa agreed, and the icon was transferred to Constantinople. And this day - August 29 according to the new style - is now a church holiday. This is the Third, Bread or Nut Spas, the day of remembrance of the transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands. On this day in Rus', the harvest of grain was completed and nuts were ripened, for the collection of which the peasants took a blessing. After the Liturgy they consecrated homebaked bread and pies baked from the new harvest flour.
In 1011, an artist of the Western Church made a copy on fabric from the Image Not Made by Hands. It was transferred to Rome under the name "vero eikon" - the true image and became known with the name "Plate of Veronica". Miracles also occurred from this list, and it provided the basis for the extensive iconography of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church.
Unfortunately, the miraculous Mandylion has not survived to this day. During the Crusade of 1204, he was captured by the Crusaders and, according to legend, drowned along with the captors' ship.
The Mandylion was never brought to Rus', but there were lists glorified by miracles. The oldest Russian icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands belongs to XII century and was presumably written in Novgorod. There is no image of the fabric on it, so the image is attributed to Keramidion (this type of iconography of the Image Not Made by Hands is called “The Savior on the Skull”). According to art historians, this icon is close to the miraculous Edessa image. Perhaps his list was brought to Rus' in the first centuries after its Baptism by Prince Vladimir. The image was a revered shrine of the Moscow Kremlin, and now resides in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Features of the iconography of the Savior Not Made by Hands
The description of the icon created by Christ for King Abgar and preserved by the people of Edessa has come to us from historical evidence. It is known that ubrus - fabric with the imprint of the Face - was stretched on a wooden frame, just as today artists make canvas on a stretcher.
The icon is an image of only the Face of Christ with hair surrounding Him, without a neck - indeed, as if a person had washed himself and dried himself with a towel up to his chin.
Perhaps this is the only icon that specifically focuses attention on the Face of Christ, especially His eyes. The symmetry of the image of the Savior’s Face also creates recognition and a special impression of the icon. The eyes of Christ in the image often look to the side, indicating God’s providence for man. The slanted gaze makes the facial expression spiritual, filled with understanding of the Mystery of the Universe. Art historians evaluate the Novgorod copy of the Savior Not Made by Hands as the embodiment of ideal beauty in Ancient Rus' and antiquity, finding in it the proportions of the golden section and the ideal of symmetry - such an image indicates the Perfection of the Lord and what He created.
A large role in creating an impression and a prayerful mood when looking at an icon is played by the expression of the Savior’s Face: fleeting emotions are absent on Him, the Face reflects only spiritual peace, purity, and sinlessness.
The Novgorod list is a rarity: more often the Mandalion or “Savior on the ubrus” is depicted on icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands. The face of Christ is revealed in a golden radiance against a background of white fabric (sometimes its purpose as a towel is even emphasized by stripes along the edges) with various folds, knots at the top and even Angels holding the ends of the fabric. Less often, the Face is depicted against the background of brickwork itself or simply against a golden background.
The meaning of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands for the traditions of icon painting and theology
The miraculous appearance of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the 6th century became a great impetus for icon painting. He appeared precisely during the period of iconoclasm (at this time Christians were even killed for venerating icons, and the icons themselves were mercilessly destroyed - that is why so few images have reached us from the first centuries of Christianity), when the memory of the establishment of the tradition of generation of icons by Christ Himself became the most important argument in disputes with heretics. An icon is a window into the spiritual world, an image of the Prototype (Christ, the Mother of God, the saints), through which we give honor and turn to Himself. That is why it is not entirely correct to say “Prayer to the Icon” or “Kazan Mother of God”: they pray in front of the icon, and the icons of the Mother of God are called, for example: Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
In the first centuries, the icon, in addition to theological, also served as a “Bible for the illiterate” - not everyone could purchase the book; for many centuries they were very expensive. However, to this day, many images are illustrations of events from the life of the Lord, His saints or the Mother of God.
The miraculously remaining imprint of the Face of Christ on the fabric recalls the Divine beginning of icon painting. The image of the Savior’s Face edifies everyone Orthodox Christian: You need to have a personal relationship with God. Prayer, even in our own words, Communion with God in the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, changing our lives according to the teachings of Christ - this is what brings us to the Kingdom of Heaven already on earth. No ceremonies and rituals, special words of prayers and spells help. To live with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to get to know Him here, in our lives. The gaze of the Savior Not Made by Hands calls us to follow Him, to imitate the Lord in wisdom, kindness, self-sacrifice - this is the meaning of Christian life.
It is interesting that the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, as the first Christian icon and as the most important expression of the teachings of Christ, is obligatory for student icon painters. In many schools, this is the first independent work for students.
What do people pray for to the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands?
The life of the Son of God on Earth, the mystery of the Incarnation are described in detail in the Gospel, interpreted in many books of the Fathers of the Church. The Lord gave himself as a sacrifice for human sins and defeated death itself, returning the entire human race to paradise in His Resurrection. That is why, despite the importance of our prayers to the saints - our holy helpers - and the Mother of God, turning to God Himself is necessary daily prayer. Let us remind you that the Church blesses the daily reading of the morning and evening prayers, turning to the Lord and the Heavenly Powers.
They pray to the Lord in all their needs:
- About recovery from illnesses;
- About God's mercy in the needs of you and your loved ones;
- About the health of yourself, your family and children;
- About help in business, well-being;
- About the right choice, making the right life decisions;
- About deliverance from sins and vices.
Conduct a prayerful dialogue with God, measure your actions with the example of Christ, more often - imagine what God Himself would say, seeing your deeds and hearing your thoughts - after all, He is Omniscient. Do not despair at any mistakes, rush to the temple for Confession and unite with God (with proper preparation, which is better to read about in Orthodox literature) in the Sacrament of Communion. Under no circumstances should icons be used in spells, divination, or rituals. Communication should only be with God and His saints, His Angels - psychics, “traditional healers” and sorcerers communicate only with evil spirits, No one can command angels.
Thank God for His help in your life: He responded to your requests, expressed and unspoken - remember the many happy incidents in life. The Lord really controls our lives for the better, showing our capabilities, leading to gratitude to God for everything. And humility in the face of difficulties, turning to God with prayer and without anger at this time is the key to our salvation and education of the soul, personal growth. We must strive for a life pleasing to God, attend church, pray during divine services, help people, forgive the sins and mistakes of our neighbors, and behave calmly in conflicts.
The Lord is the great Power and great love, you just need to believe - and that means trust Him with your life and your soul. Christ, being the Almighty, voluntarily, in order to erase the past and future sins of mankind from the history of the universe, went to humiliation, torture and terrible suffering on the Cross. The teaching of the Lord Jesus is a call to repentance, to the love of all people for each other, compassion and pity even for terrible sinners.
You can pray to the Lord Jesus Christ in front of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands both in your own words and in church prayers. It is worth reading more often before this image the Lord’s Prayer, recorded in the Gospel from the words of Christ Himself - “Our Father.” You can read it in the morning and before bed, before meals and before starting any task.
You can pray to Jesus Christ in front of the icon “Savior Not Made by Hands” in Russian online using the text below:
Our good Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! Are you in ancient times, during Your earthly life, Your flesh, Your face was washed with holy water and wiped with rubble, Your Face was miraculously depicted on this towel, You blessed to send it to the King of Edessa Abgar to heal his illness.
So now we, Thy sinful servants, suffering from mental and physical illnesses, seek Your Face, Lord, and with the psalmist King David we pray with a humble soul: do not turn away from us, but take away Your anger from Your servants, be our Strong Helper, do not reject us and don't leave us alone. O All-Merciful Lord, our Savior! Dwell Your grace in our souls, so that living on earth in holiness and truth, we may become true sons and Your daughters, and the heirs of Your Kingdom, where You, all the mercies of our God who gives us, together with the Beginning Father and the Holy Spirit, we will not cease to glorify forever.
God! I am Your vessel: fill me with the gifts of Your Holy Spirit! Without Your help I am empty and without grace, often full of all kinds of sin. God! I am Your ship: fill me with a load of good deeds. God! I am Your ark: instead of passions, fill me with love for You and for Your image - my neighbor. Amen
May the Good and Merciful Lord protect you!
