Transfer of a miraculous image from Edessa to Constantinople. Transfer of the miraculous image of Jesus Christ

Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image not made by hands (ubrus) of the Lord Jesus Christ in 944.

Tradition testifies that at the time of the preaching of Jesus Christ, King Abgar ruled in the Syrian city of Edessa. He was stricken all over with leprosy. The rumor about the great miracles performed by Jesus Christ spread throughout Syria and reached Abgar, who believed in him as the Son of God and wrote a letter asking him to come and heal him. With a letter, he sent his painter Ananias to Palestine, instructing him to paint an image of the Divine Teacher. Ananias came to Jerusalem and saw Jesus Christ surrounded by people. He could not approach him because of the large crowd of people listening to the sermon. Then he stood on a high stone and tried to paint the image of Jesus Christ from afar, but he never succeeded. Christ himself called Ananias, called him by name and handed over a short letter to Abgar, in which he praised the faith of the ruler and promised to send his disciple for healing from leprosy and guidance to salvation. Then the Lord asked to bring water and ubrus (canvas, towel). He washed his face, wiped it with rubbish, and his Divine Face was imprinted on it.

Ananias brought the ubrus and the letter of the Savior to Edessa. Abgar accepted the shrine with reverence and received healing; only a small part of the traces of the terrible illness remained on his face until the arrival of the disciple promised by the Lord. He was the apostle of the 70, Saint Thaddeus, who preached the Gospel and baptized the believing Abgar and all the inhabitants of Edessa.

Describing this in his Church History, the 4th century Roman historian Eusebius of Caesarea cites as evidence two documents he translated from the archives of Edessa - a letter from Abgar and a response from Jesus. They are also quoted by the 5th century Armenian historian Moses of Khorensky.

And in the 6th century, Procopius of Caesarea in the book “War with the Persians. War with the Vandals. Secret History” describes the visit of Abgar by the Apostle Thaddeus.

Having written on the Icon Not Made by Hands the words “Christ God, whoever trusts in You will not be ashamed,” Abgar decorated it and installed it in a niche above the city gates. For many years, residents maintained the custom of worshiping the Image Not Made by Hands when they passed through the gate.

One of the great-grandsons of Abgar, who ruled Edessa, fell into idolatry. He decided to remove Ubrus from the city wall. Christ appeared in a vision to the Bishop of Edessa and ordered him to hide his image. The bishop came to the gate at night, lit a lamp in front of the image and covered it with a clay board and bricks.

In 545, during the siege of Edessa by the troops of the Persian king Chozroes, the Bishop of Edessa Eulalia was given a revelation about the location of the Image Not Made by Hands. Having dismantled the brickwork in the indicated place, the residents saw not only a perfectly preserved image, but also an imprint of the Most Holy Face on the ceramics - a clay board that covered the holy lining. After this miraculous discovery and after a citywide prayer service before the icon, the enemy troops unexpectedly lifted the siege and hastily left the country.

In 630, the Arabs took possession of Edessa, but they did not interfere with the worship of the Image Not Made by Hands, the fame of which spread throughout the East.

The miraculous image became the main shrine of the city of Edessa, remaining there until 944.

In 944, Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912-959) wished to transfer the image to the then capital of Orthodoxy, Constantinople, and bought it from the emir, the ruler of the city. With great honors, the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and his letter to Abgar were transferred by the clergy to Constantinople. On August 16, the image of the Savior was placed in the Pharos Church Holy Mother of God.

There are several legends about the subsequent fate of the Icon Not Made by Hands. According to one, it was kidnapped by the crusaders during their rule in Constantinople (1204-1261), but the ship on which the shrine was taken sank in the Sea of Marmara. According to other legends, Miraculous image was transferred around 1362 to Genoa, where it is kept in a monastery in honor of the Apostle Bartholomew. It is known that the Miraculous Image repeatedly gave exact imprints of itself. One of them, called “on ceramics,” was imprinted when Ananias hid the image near the wall of Edessa. The other, imprinted on the cloak, ended up in Georgia.

The veneration of the Image Not Made by Hands came to Rus' in the 11th-12th centuries and became especially widespread starting from the second half of the 14th century. In 1355, the newly installed Moscow Metropolitan Alexy brought from Constantinople a copy of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, for which the temple was founded. Throughout the country they began to build churches, monasteries and temple chapels dedicated to the Image Not Made by Hands and receiving the name “Spassky”.

Dmitry Donskoy, a student of Metropolitan Alexy, prayed in front of the icon of the Savior after receiving news of Mamai’s attack. The banner with the icon of the Savior accompanied the Russian army on campaigns from the Battle of Kulikovo until the First World War, and these banners began to be called “signs” or “banners” - so the word “banner” replaced the ancient Russian “banner”.

Icons of the Savior were placed on fortress towers. Just as in Byzantium, the Savior not made by hands became the “amulet” of the city and the country and one of the central images of Russian Orthodoxy, close in meaning and meaning to the cross and crucifixion.

Among the people, the Savior not made by hands began to be called “The Savior on the Canvas” or the Third Savior - the holiday that ends the Dormition Fast (the transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands to Constantinople, which historically coincided with the Assumption, was decided to be remembered the next day, so as not to confuse these two celebrations). On this day, homespun canvases and linens were blessed and bread was baked from the grain of the new harvest.

They called it the Third Spas and Orekhovoy, since by this day hazelnuts ripened and their collection began.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image not made by hands (ubrus) of the Lord Jesus Christ in 944.

And in the 6th century, Procopius of Caesarea in the book “War with the Persians. War with the Vandals. Secret History” describes the visit of Abgar by the Apostle Thaddeus.

In 630, the Arabs took possession of Edessa, but they did not interfere with the worship of the Image Not Made by Hands, the fame of which spread throughout the East.

The miraculous image became the main shrine of the city of Edessa, remaining there until 944.

There are several legends about the subsequent fate of the Icon Not Made by Hands. According to one, it was kidnapped by the crusaders during their rule in Constantinople (1204-1261), but the ship on which the shrine was taken sank in the Sea of Marmara. According to other legends, the Icon Not Made by Hands was transferred around 1362 to Genoa, where it is kept in a monastery in honor of the Apostle Bartholomew. It is known that the Miraculous Image repeatedly gave exact imprints of itself. One of them, called “on ceramics,” was imprinted when Ananias hid the image near the wall of Edessa. The other, imprinted on the cloak, ended up in Georgia.

They called it the Third Spas and Orekhovoy, since by this day hazelnuts ripened and their collection began.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

August 29/16 (Old Art.) – celebration in honor of the Image Not Made by Hands.

During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, a prince named Abgar lived in the Syrian city of Edessa. He suffered from leprosy. Having learned about the miracles of Jesus Christ, he decided to ask Him for healing. Unable to personally travel to Judea, he wrote a letter in which he outlined his request and sent it with the painter Ananias, instructing him to remove the portrait of the Great Healer in the event that Jesus Christ Himself was not soon able to arrive in Edessa. To Abgar’s request, Jesus Christ answered that He would not come to Edessa. Knowing Abgar’s desire, the Lord washed His face and dried it with a towel, on which miraculously His most pure face was depicted. The Savior gave this image to Ananias, ordered him to take it to Abgar and tell him that one of His disciples would come to heal him. Abgar with piety accepted the Image brought to him, bowed to it, kissed it and felt relief.

After the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven, the holy Apostle Thaddeus arrived in Edessa with a gospel sermon and fulfilled the Savior’s promise, completely healing Abgar from his illness, teaching him the faith of Christ and baptizing him along with many residents of the city. Residents of the city showed the greatest honor to the Image Not Made by Hands. Having written under the Image Not Made by Hands the words: “Christ God, whoever trusts in You will not be ashamed,” Abgar decorated it, installed it over the gates of the city, and commanded everyone entering the city to worship the Image of Jesus; and people came from distant countries to worship him.

The descendants of Abgar retreated from the faith of Christ, and one of them decided to remove the Image and hang an idol instead. The Bishop of Edessa, having received divine revelation, at night he came to the city gates, lit a lamp in front of the Icon and covered it with a marble slab so that this place did not stand out in any way on the stone wall. Thinking that the Christians had removed the Image, the king did not put an idol in its place. After a long time, in 515, Edessa was attacked by enemies with a large army. Christians remained in the city, led by Bishop Eulalia. Having received a revelation from above, he and the Christians opened the Image, which turned out to be completely unharmed. On the same day, a religious procession was held inside the city near the fortress walls. By divine power the enemy was forced to retreat.

In the tenth century, this Image was bought from the Mohammedans, and on August 16, 944 it was solemnly placed in the Pharos Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1204, the Icon was stolen by the Latins, the “crusaders,” who captured Constantinople, and then it was kept in one of the churches at the court of the King of France until the French Revolution (late 18th century).

The further fate of this great shrine is unknown.

The image of the Savior not made by hands, like on ceramics(or on the scoop, i.e. tiles). It was miraculously imprinted in the city of Hierapolis on the tiles with which the painter Ananias covered the Image Not Made by Hands while on the road; transferred to Constantinople in 965 or 968; its current location is unknown.

Transfer of the Miraculous Image of the Savior. Story

During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, there was a prince named Abgar in the Syrian city of Edessa. He suffered from leprosy. Having learned about the miracles of Jesus Christ, he decided to ask Him for healing. Unable to personally travel to Judea, he wrote a letter in which he outlined his request and sent it with the painter Ananias, instructing him to remove the portrait of the Great Healer in the event that Jesus Christ Himself was not soon able to arrive in Edessa. To Abgar’s request, Jesus Christ replied that He would not come to Edessa. Knowing Abgar’s desire, the Lord washed His face and dried it with a towel, on which His most pure face was miraculously depicted. The Savior gave this image to Ananias, ordered to take it to Abgar and tell him that one of His disciples would come to heal him. Avgar reverently accepted the image brought to him, bowed to it, kissed it and felt relieved.

According to the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Thaddeus arrived in heaven in Edessa with a gospel sermon and fulfilled the promise of the Savior, completely healing Abgar from his illness, taught him the faith of Christ and baptized him along with many residents of the city. The inhabitants of the city showed the greatest honor to the Image Not Made by Hands. Having written on the image not made by hands the words: “Christ God, whoever trusts in You will not be put to shame,” - Abgar decorated it and installed it over the gates of the city, commanding everyone entering the city to worship the image of Jesus; and people came from distant countries to worship him. The descendants of Abgar retreated from the faith of Christ, and one of them decided to remove the image and put up an idol in its place. The Bishop of Edessa, having received a divine revelation, came to the city gates at night, lit a lamp in front of the image and covered it with a marble slab so that this place did not stand out in any way on the stone wall. Thinking that the Christians had removed the image, the king did not put an idol in its place. Much time later, in 515, Edessa was attacked by enemies with a large army. Christians, led by Bishop Eulalia, remained in the city. Having received a revelation from above, he and the Christians discovered the image, which turned out to be completely unharmed. A religious procession was held near the city walls inside the city. By divine power the enemy was forced to retreat.

In 630, the Arabs took possession of Edessa, but they did not interfere with the worship of the Image Not Made by Hands, the fame of which spread throughout the East. In 944, Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912-959), the future successor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, wished to transfer the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands to Constantinople and bought it from the emir - the ruler of Edessa. On August 16, 944, the Image Not Made by Hands was solemnly placed in the Pharos Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1204, the image was stolen by the Latins who captured Constantinople, then it was in one of the churches at the court of the kings of France until the French Revolution (late 18th century). The further fate of the shrine is unknown.

Troparion and kontakion for the holiday

Troparion, tone 2

We worship the Most Pure Image of You, O Good One, asking forgiveness for our sins, O Christ our God: by your will you deigned to ascend to the Cross, so that you might deliver what you created from the work of the enemy. Thus, thanks to Ti’s cry, our Savior, who came to save the world, was filled with all joy.

Kontakion, tone 2

The indescribable and divine Ti to man's gaze, the indescribable Father's Word, the image of the unwritten and divinely written, is informative, seeing the true incarnation of Ti, we honor Him with a kiss.

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The miraculous image of the Savior. Iconography

Icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands came to Rus', according to some sources, already in the 9th century. The oldest surviving icon of this iconographic type is the Novgorod Savior Not Made by Hands (second half of the 12th century).

The following iconographic types of the Image Not Made by Hands can be distinguished: “ Spas on the ubrus"or simply "Ubrus", where the face of Christ is placed on the image of a board (ubrus) of a light shade, and " Spas on the Chrepii"or simply "Chrepie" (meaning "tile", "brick"), "Ceramide". According to legend, the image of Christ appeared on the tiles or bricks that hid a niche with the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Occasionally, on this type of icon, the background is an image of brick or tile masonry, but more often the background is simply given in a darker color (compared to ubrus).

The most ancient images were made on a clean background, without any hint of material or tiles. The image of a smooth rectangular or slightly curved lining as a background is already found on the fresco of the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa (Novgorod) from the end of the 12th century.

Ubrus with folds began to spread from the second half of the 13th century, primarily in Byzantine and South Slavic icon painting, on Russian icons - from the 14th century. Since the 15th century, a draped cloth can be held by the upper ends by two angels. In addition, various versions of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands with deeds are known, when the image of Christ in the middle of the icon is surrounded by stamps with the history of the image.

The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands received special veneration in Veliky Ustyug since 1447, when the icon was created by the holy monk isographer Serapion, which later became one of the main city shrines, repeatedly mentioned in historical sources. According to available information, this icon was first located “on the Gorodischenskaya tower on Priluts”, and then, in the 17th century, it was placed in the church that was cut down above the gates. In the 20s of the 19th century, it was moved to the specially erected All-City Spassky Church, where it remained until 1921, when the church was destroyed. Currently, this icon (or a copy of it fairly close in time) is in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. In addition to historical sources, the veneration of the ancient miraculous image is evidenced by numerous icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands from Veliky Ustyug of the 16th–18th centuries, which includes an icon from the mid-16th century.

On the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands (Rybinsk), angels carry the top corners. This motif has become widespread in Russian art since the 16th century. The icon originally belonged to Konstantin Ivanovich Mikhalkov, the steward and bed-keeper of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the governor of a third of Moscow. In 1630, according to the Contribution Book of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, 300 rubles were given to the monastery for his repose. Consequently, the icon of the Savior was painted earlier than this date. Slight asymmetry of the face, the characteristic shape of the nose, lips touched with cinnabar, gaze turned to the side (the irises are shifted to the left of the center) - all these features are found in Moscow icon painting of the last quarter of the 16th century. The precious silver and gilded frame of the icon was probably commissioned from a Novgorod master. Its ornament is close to the frame of the Novgorod work on the icon of the Savior from the Deesis of the late 16th century from the collection of Pavel Korin.

Temples in Rus' in the name of the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands

In the name of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hand, the main cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow was consecrated. Initially Spassky Cathedral was built of wood. After the fire of 1368, in which the original wooden cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery burned down, the stone Spassky Cathedral was built from plinth, from which white stone reliefs with fragments of zoomorphic and plant compositions, archaic in their style and execution, were preserved. In 1420-1427 The Spassky Cathedral was rebuilt again, and the white stone church of that time has survived to this day.

In 1552, the Spasskaya Church was built in Kazan. Subsequently, it was moved to the gates of the new Spasskaya Tower, which began to be built of white stone in 1555. It was located on the Kremlin side, on the northern side of the tower. Previously, there was a passage along the wall between the church and the tower, but after numerous fires and alterations, the passage was built up to expand the temple. The Spasskaya Tower has another attraction - the veche “alarm” bell - the only bell in the city that has not left its place. And once upon a time, smaller bells of the Spassky Military Church hung near it.

In Pskov, in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, the church with Zhabya Lavitsa was consecrated. The temple was built in the far part of Zapskovye, not far from the Ilyinsky Gate and the Obrazskaya Tower of the Okolny Town. The name “Toad Lavitz” comes from the name of the wooden floorings that were laid for access to the temple through marshy, toad swamps. The wooden church was erected in 1487 during the great epidemic. The stone building of the temple was built on the site of an ancient wooden church in the second half of the 17th century.

In Moscow 1635-1636. a cathedral was built in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands on the Top. Previously it was called the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands on Senya, on Verkhova, Verkhovaya and the New Savior. The cathedral was renovated in 1678-1680. The cathedral also suffered damage in 1917. Currently, the two-height quadrangle of the Spassky Church, covered with a closed vault with strippings, can only be viewed from the inside.

Folk traditions on the Feast of the Translation of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands

The people call the holiday of the Translation of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands the third Savior. In the language of the peasants it was called “Spas on canvas” or “walnut” Spas. The last name was given because by this time hazelnuts ripen in the central zone of Russia, and the first indicates the very idea of the holiday (“Savior on canvas”, i.e. an image, an icon). But the third Savior was not known throughout all of Russia; where it was celebrated, this day hardly stood out in any way among village everyday life, except for church prayers and the custom of baking pies from new bread. On the third Spas, birds were noticed flying away, especially swallows and cranes. It was believed that swallows fly away to three Spas. If the crane flies to the third Spas, then it will be frosty on Pokrov. At V.V. Dahl's interpretation of the farmer's calendar, compiled according to folk signs and observations, the following is given: “ The winter flask on the trees promises, as they say, good harvest for bread; the harvest for nuts promises a bountiful harvest of bread for the coming year, at least it has been noted that a strong harvest for nuts and bread never happens together; that, in addition, there is never a large harvest for nuts two years in a row; therefore, with an abundance of nuts, there won’t be any next year, but there will probably be a harvest for bread" The people celebrated the Third Savior as a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for their daily bread, which was reflected in folk proverbs and sayings: “The Third Savior stored up bread”, “It’s good if the Savior is on the canvas, and the bread is in the threshing floor!”

We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, asking forgiveness of our sins, X Christ God, by the will of thou didst deign to take the flesh to the cross, that thou mightest deliver and even you created it from the work of the enemy. Thus we cry out to You in gratitude: Thou art filled with all joy, O our Savior, who came to save the world. (Troparion, tone 2 )

No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He revealed(John 1:18). Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of a perishing man, took upon Himself his image, accepted and renewed him. The miraculous Image of the Lord is a reminder to man that his goal is to renew the Image of God in himself.

There are several assumptions about the origin of the Image Not Made by Hands. According to one legend, the Edessa ruler Abgar, struck by a terrible incurable disease (presumably leprosy), learned about the miracles of the Savior, he sent a message asking him to visit and heal him. Jesus Christ took the cloth and wiped his face with it, imprinting His Bright Face on the cloth. Prayer before the Face of the Savior brought significant relief to the suffering prince. Complete healing came after the Ascension of the Lord, when, according to the promise given by Christ, the Apostle Thadeus appeared to Abgar and healed him.

According to another version, Abgar sent his painter Hannan the archivist to paint a portrait of Christ, and he gave him healing. According to some sources, the artist depicted the Savior in the best colors, and Avgar placed the Image in one of the rooms of his palace. Prayer before the image gave him relief from his illness.

Here, too, there are discrepancies, since according to other evidence, the artist was unable to capture Christ, and then the Lord took the cloth and wiped his face with it, after which the Face of the Lord remained imprinted on the cloth.

In literary monuments different countries their own versions of the legend are captured, but they all agree on one thing: this is a real image of Jesus Christ, be it a portrait or an Image not made by hands.

The holiday that we celebrate today is associated with the solemn transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa in 944, where it was kept as the main shrine of the city, to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. The Miraculous Image was kept in the palace temple of the Mother of God for 270 years. After the sack of Constantinople in 1204, evidence of it is lost. At the end of the twentieth century, scientists came to the conclusion that the Shroud of Turin, found in 1357, and the Image Not Made by Hands are one and the same object.

The celebration in honor of the transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands, the “third Savior,” is celebrated on

the next day after the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, since on this day in 944 the Image was transferred to Constantinople. The icon “Savior Not Made by Hands” is one of the most common icons in Russian icon painting Orthodox Church. This is the first icon that people who have just graduated from icon painting school can paint on their own.

The spiritual meaning of the holiday is to remind the believer of the Image of God that was placed in him by the Creator, that the distortion of this image by a sinful life leads to destruction, salvation is possible only through deification, achieved by repentance, that not with one’s own hands, but only with the help of God, not made by hands man can be transformed so as to be truly created “in the image and likeness.”