A nominal icon is an icon that depicts a saint in whose honor a person is baptized. Personalized icons have always been revered in Rus' - every believer had an icon with the image of his patron saint. Parents always placed such an icon over the crib of a baptized newborn baby, because they understood how important it was from the first days to surround the child with sublime, pure images of saints, and even more so, a patron saint - the intercessor of a baptized person before God for life.

About deep reverence patron saint in former times, it is also evidenced by the fact that Orthodox parents often remembered not the child’s birthday, but the closest day of the celebration of the saint in whose honor the baby was baptized (it could coincide with the child’s birthday). Therefore, when it came to the child’s date of birth , one could often hear: he was born on Michaelmas, she was born on Anastasia the Pattern Maker. Parents considered this day the birthday of their child.

When the child grew up and became an adult, he kept a personal icon dear to his heart in the Red Corner, prayed to his patron saint for help in work, in family matters, in sorrows. Through the prayers of the person asking before the image, at the intercession of the patron saint before the Throne of God, hope was strengthened in solving life’s problems.

Now it often happens that an adult does not know in honor of which saint he was baptized in childhood - after all, there can be even up to 40 saints with the same name. In this case, the saint in whose honor a person will celebrate his name day is the one whose celebration will be closest to the person's birthday. This information can be found in the church calendar.

In our time, the veneration of our patron saints is being revived. Now, as before, Orthodox Christians strive to have a personal icon. To purchase it, you can go to a church shop, where they sell personalized icons printed or painted by icon painters. However, church shops often stock images of only famous saints, and more rare, needed by the person image, no. Or sometimes you are not satisfied with the style of writing the image. In this case, it is better to order an icon from an icon painting workshop.

Usually a personalized icon is written on a board 6x7, 4x8 (this image is convenient to take with you on the road), 11x13, 14x18, 17x21, 24x30. They even order a personalized icon measuring 30x40, 40x50 or more. The icon board can be made with or without the ark. At the request of the customer, the icon painter can depict a half-length or full-length image of the saint on a personalized icon. The saint can be painted in a half-turn, praying to the blessing right hand of the Savior, which is depicted either in the upper right or left corner of the icon. The clothes of a saint, within the framework of the canon, can be more rich, elegant, or less rich, ascetic.

At the request of the customer, the icon can be decorated with engraved ornaments and enamels.

You can order a personalized icon not only for yourself, but also as a gift to a believer - for a name day, birthday, Easter, Christmas or other celebrations.

In order to make it easier for a person to pray and concentrate on sacred words, the Church advises doing this in front of the faces of the Heavenly saints. God is inaccessible to the senses and is outside of space-time relations, so it is easier for a believer to establish a connection with the Lord through these images.

There is a certain pious tradition that connects a person’s date of birth with a certain patronizing icon. Let's try to figure out what kind of relationship this is.

Match by date of birth

There is a widespread belief that a strictly special icon corresponds to a certain date of birth. It comes to the point that icons are distributed according to zodiac signs - a lot of pseudo-Orthodox sites write similar information. Of course, true Orthodoxy has nothing to do with such classifications, and horoscopes and zodiac signs in general are a heresy and are not recognized by Christianity.

Icon Holy Mother of God"The Omen"

There is a pious tradition of special veneration of those icons, the date of remembrance of which is as close as possible to the date of birth of a person. So, for example, on July 21 the miraculous phenomenon is celebrated. People who were born close to July 21 can consider Kazan as their icon.

However, one should not betray too much of great importance coincidence of dates. No one bothers you to pray or especially venerate any other icon that you prefer. Some images can be passed down from generation to generation, as an inheritance. Such icons can patronize not only one specific family, but the entire clan.

Read other interesting articles about Orthodoxy:

You need to understand that an icon is not an amulet, not a magical artifact, not a “board” for the fulfillment of desires. An icon is an image, but we pray not to a physical image, but to a prototype. Ultimately, all our prayers should be addressed to the Lord.

If you feel that your prayer comes most from the heart in front of an icon, the date of veneration of which does not coincide with the date of your birth, this should not bother you at all. There is no need to pay any special attention to this issue. It is not a sin to venerate an icon that coincides with your date of birth, but if this coincidence is given special significance, sacred meaning, if the opinion arises that this particular icon is particularly “strong” - this contradicts Orthodox faith.

Icon of the Mother of God “Iverskaya”

How to choose the right personalized icon

The tradition of giving newborns the names of certain saints appeared in Rus' in ancient times. The heavenly saints became persistent patrons and protectors of man; from birth they provided divine help in difficult moments. Currently, this forgotten tradition is being restored in Russia.

Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

Every Orthodox believer is under the heavenly protection of a certain saint. A personalized icon with the image of the heavenly patron has the ability to set one in a prayerful mood and reminds that a person is never left alone.

• To find out the name of your patron, you need to look in church calendar. Often a child receives the name of the saint whose date of birth is closest to the day the newborn is born.
• Parents often name their child after a great ascetic, whom they especially reverence and glorify.
• You can also find out the name of the Divine Patron in the cathedral where it took place. If in the church calendar there is no name by which the person was called before this sacred ritual, he is given a second name, consonant or suitable in meaning to the first.
• There are no strict rules regarding what name to baptize a child and who to choose as his patron. If a certain saint is revered in a family, a child born on any day of the year can be named after him, and not just on the eve of the day of veneration of this saint.

In a church shop, a person buys personalized icons, where the patron is most often depicted half-length. Such a face is hung in the holy corner, next to the images of the Savior and the Mother of God.

On a note! Sometimes a tradition is practiced when a measured icon is made for babies, having a size identical to the height of the newborn. Heavenly patrons on such relics are depicted in full height. A similar icon is placed above the baby’s crib, this helps protect the newborn.

The meaning of personalized icons

Having a person’s heavenly patron can strengthen one’s faith, cut off despondency, and instill peace. By praying daily in front of the icon, an Orthodox believer is able in due time to feel the presence of the Heavenly Father, His endless love and forgiveness.

Articles about icons of famous saints:

The patron saint should not be confused with. A patron saint is a person who once lived on earth, made of flesh and blood, who served the Lord with his life in such a way that he was honored to become famous. After their death, saints are able to greatly help living people by praying for them before the Lord. But the Guardian Angel is an incorporeal being of the spiritual world; he has never been a person. We receive a Guardian Angel in the Sacrament of Baptism and we can also pray to him and ask for help.

Important! Saints and angels assigned to a person according to church traditions of names and dates of birth help make it easier to get through difficult earthly path, filled with temptations, misfortunes and mistakes. Only holiness knows the right path; this path must be trusted.

However, sacred images are only intermediaries between direct contact with the rays of the Holy Spirit. Gradually adapting to prayers in front of the paintings, the believer becomes more righteous and discards selfish desires.

How to understand who my patron is

Personalized icon - an icon with the image of your patron saint.

There are many saints in Orthodoxy, they all have names. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition to consider, among many saints, as your patron the one with whom the names coincide, i.e. your name and the name of the patron saint must be the same. Such a patron is called “namesake”.

In ancient times, in Rus', there was a tradition of choosing and naming a newborn according to the calendar. Saints are a church calendar where the days of remembrance of saints were indicated. The name of the child was given in honor of one of the saints, whose memorial days are celebrated on the birthday of this baby. Those. a person received a name in honor of a certain saint, who became his patron for life.

Currently, the name at birth rarely agrees with the calendar. But despite this, the patron saint is still identified by name and date of birth.

What is a patron saint for?

From the moment of baptism a person acquires unbreakable connection with his patron saint. The patron saint becomes for the believer a spiritual mentor, assistant and protector throughout his life, a messenger of the Will of God, one who helps bring his prayers and petitions to God.

The patron saint, as a teacher and elder brother (“sister”), constantly cares for you before our Father, lifting up prayers to Him for you and your petitions. Therefore, it is believed that by turning prayers to your patron saint, there is a greater chance of being heard faster.

Our heavenly protector protects us from troubles, leprosy and temptations of the evil one, protects us from bad deeds, helps in illness and difficult life circumstances. People often turn to Him for blessings before starting long and difficult tasks and making important decisions.

Is the Guardian Angel a patron saint?

The Guardian Angel and the patron saint are different beings.

Every person has a Guardian Angel from birth. Patron saint - begins to patronize a person from the moment of baptism.

Guardian Angels are disembodied beings, disembodied forces, inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven, Messengers of God. They only sometimes, if necessary, appear in reality in our visible world, although they constantly help us.

Patron saints are beings to whom, as a result of spiritual deeds and deeds, the door to the Kingdom of Heaven was opened. Those. these are people in the history of the Earth who had their own names and their own lives. After repose (resignation to the Lord), their souls continue to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven, continuing to serve Him and helping us - other creatures who have chosen the path of returning to God.

How does a personalized icon differ from a dimensional icon?

A measured icon is a kind of separate type of nominal icons. Both depict a named patron saint. The differences lie in the size and scale of the image of the saint. Thus, a personal icon of a saint can be of any size - from pocket and travel to lectern. A measured icon, according to the tradition of the old times of Rus', is always made in height to the height of the child at birth. In very ancient times, our ancestors often made a measured icon not only in height, but also in width of the baby (over the shoulders). This attitude towards measures came from a worldview - measures were not an absolute value, but a relative one and were correlated with the proportions of the person himself and his body parts (palm, span, inch, elbow, etc.).

On dimensional icons, the patron saint is depicted only in full length (from head to toe); nominal icons suggest a different scale of depiction of the saint: full-length, waist-length, shoulder-length, head-length.

How to choose a personalized icon by name and date of birth?

How can you recognize your patron saint? - It’s not uncommon for even an Orthodox person who has lived a long life to ask such a question. People also face this question when they purchase a personalized icon for themselves or their loved ones.

It's not as difficult as you think. Although, of course, there are special cases and exceptions.

The patron saint will be the saint who bears the same name.

However, most often, if you take the name of a saint, it turns out that in Orthodoxy there are several saints with that name. So, for example, the widespread name Oleg - there are two saints Oleg: the Venerable Oleg of Bryansk and the holy Prince Oleg of Ryazan. There are even more “confusing” cases - the name John (“Ivan”). There are 69 saints with this name. How then to choose your saint?

There is a rule for determining a personalized icon by date of birth (and not just by name). The date of birth is compared according to the calendar with the days of remembrance of the saints of the same name, and the saint whose memorial day will follow the person’s birthday will be the patron saint.

Example:

Among the Orthodox there are 2 saints with the name Oleg: the Venerable Oleg of Bryansk (memorial day October 3) and the holy Prince Oleg Ryazansky (memory day July 18).

Patron Saint in in this case Oleg Ryazansky will be considered, since his memorial day comes after his birthday (after April 5).

What features are there when determining the patron saint?

• It is necessary to take into account that the date of the saint’s memory can be indicated in two (or one of 2) forms - according to the new style and according to the old (Julian calendar). Often in Orthodox sources the date exactly corresponds to the old style (church calendar).
• The spelling of names has changed over the centuries, but the names of the saints have remained in the old spelling. For example: Tatyana is old. Tatiana, Ivan - old. John, Yana - old. Joanna, Julia - Julia, etc.
• Some names, although they have “derivatives”, are church names pronounced in only one way, for example: Yuri-Georgiy, Sofia - Sophia, etc.
• There are people with names that are not in the calendar, for example Yaroslav, Timur, etc. In these cases, the patron saint will most likely be considered one of the saints who bears a different name, but whose feast day falls on the person’s birthday or baptism.

There are also a few other features. So, for example, if Vladimir is baptized on July 28, then regardless of when the birthday was, the patron saint will most likely be Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, since baptism takes place on the day of remembrance of this saint.

In any case, if you have doubts about how to identify your saint and how to choose a personal icon by name, then it is best to contact a priest in the church who will help you understand all the details and features.

I know my patron saint, but I can’t find his icon. What to do?

Considering that there are thousands of saints in Orthodoxy, this situation occurs often.

It happens that a saint has been revered for many centuries, but it is not possible to find at least any description of his life, there is only a date of memory and nothing more, not even iconography.

In addition to such “little-known” saints, over the last century many new martyrs have appeared who, for example, lived and died for the Faith during persecution Soviet power. Moreover, such people are most often revered saints, i.e. They are venerated, for example, in the Cathedral of the New Martyrs of some Smolensk diocese.

There is little information about such saints; it is even more difficult to find descriptions of what such a saint looked like or a photo of a personalized icon of this saint.

In any case, if you have difficulty finding the icon of your patron saint, please contact us. We have a large accumulated archive of photographs of personalized icons, and most likely we will be able to find what you have been looking for.

What size of personalized icon should I choose?

When choosing, consider the following:

• The price of a personalized icon depends greatly on the size.
• Future location in the house (or other room) - are you going to put it on a shelf, chest of drawers, bedside table, or hang it on the wall, how much space do you have free to place the icon.
• The plot of the icon itself - if a personalized icon with a half-length image requires a small size - from 9x10 cm, then icons with a full-length image or plot (landscape) or complex design require a larger size, otherwise the details will be very small and invisible. For handwritten icons, there are also limitations, because it is not always possible to clearly write down the details on the small size of the icon board.
• Will the icon be “clothed” in an icon case - depending on the complexity and shape of the icon case, its size can be much larger than the icon itself, and then the dimensions of the entire “structure” (the icon in the icon case) can take up much more space and space.

How to design a personalized icon.

When ordering a personalized icon, you can provide different designs for the icon. So, when painting an icon, you can gild the entire background with gold leaf, add characters, carve on gesso, paint the fields of the icon with a pattern, etc. This creates uniqueness; such an icon looks more festive and beautiful.

Among the external decoration of icons, we offer icon cases. They not only preserve the icon for centuries from external environmental influences, but are also an element of icon decoration. Thus, a correctly selected icon case can emphasize the plot of the icon, making it brighter and more elegant

Find out your patron saint, indicate your name and date of birth and you will see the image of your Heavenly patron, and we will send more detailed information about him to the e-mail you specified.

Below you can see name icons by selecting the first letter of the name you are interested in.

MALE NAMES	A B IN G D E Z AND TO L M N ABOUT P R WITH T F E YU I

FEMALE NAMES	A IN G D E AND Z AND TO L M N ABOUT P R WITH T U F X E YU I

Only from us you can order a personalized icon in the form of a folding icon with an image and a prayer

The saint of the same name to your name, that is, your heavenly patron, is the first assistant in your appeal to God. Having an icon with his image in your house, honoring it and praying to the saint imprinted on it, you receive his protection and patronage. The icon helps you throughout your life. Before her, you ask God for intercession in an hour of sadness and thank your saint for the joy you have experienced, since true joy is in life Orthodox man is accomplished, of course, with his assistance through his prayers to the Lord. You turn to the icon for a blessing before a difficult and important task. Heavenly Protector will protect you from troubles and troubles, will help you avoid actions that are not necessary for your spiritual growth, and will also protect you from evil and disease or, if this is not possible, will soften their impact. Thus, with Higher guidance, you can live a more joyful and harmonious life and, with constant work in this direction, be healthier and happier.

On our website you can see reviews of those who became the owner of the Yuri Kuznetsov icon. The icon painter says: “In ordinary writing, only one event can be shown. Using the Kuznetsov writing technique, you can show not only the entire action from beginning to end, but also be present...”

Painting a personalized icon takes from 10 days, depending on the size and complexity of the plot. You can order it on the page order an icon

Personalized icon - great spiritual value

The need for a constant feeling of the invisible Lord's protection and connection with the Highest world gives rise to the need in us to bring the icon into our home, assigning it a worthy place in its space. These can be images, when choosing which we are guided by the name given to us at baptism. Also, the saint of the same name is often considered the heavenly patron, especially revered in the family, regardless of the time of the name day celebration. A personalized icon has great spiritual value for a person, since it depicts his heavenly patron and intercessor. To each Orthodox Christian It would be nice to have in the house an image of the saint in whose honor he received his name. On his memorial day, we, as Orthodox Christians, go to church for Divine Liturgy, put candles in his face, bring flowers.

The historically established iconography (that is, the image diagram) of a nominal image is as follows: the image can be in full height or waist-deep. Sometimes a guardian angel is written together with the saint; the saint can be depicted in prayerful admiration of the Lord or the Most Holy Theotokos, under Her Holy Veil or the Image Not Made by Hands. At the same time, let us mention that in the home iconostasis there must certainly be images of the Savior and to the left of Him - the Mother of God. All others are located next to them at the request of the household. Usually the home iconostasis is small - the current size of our homes does not always allow us to make it the way we would like. Therefore, if there is not much space allocated for the iconostasis, it is better to choose the namesake images first.

Previously, in Rus' there was always space reserved for icons in the house. special place- the so-called “red corner”, where they were all located together, and a lamp or candle was always burning. Nowadays, with the loss of this tradition, everyone determines the place at their own discretion. It is important to remember that this place should not be located near heating devices and be away from drafts, since the icon is painted on wood - a natural material and is therefore very sensitive to changes in its environment.

Since 1994, Yuri Kuznetsov has painted more than 1,400 icons, the bulk of which are personalized icons. The number of people wishing to have a personal icon of Kuznetsov’s writing is growing every day. Each icon is unique and has its own unique ornamental and color embodiment. Color and ornament, like scenes from life, symbolically convey the essence of the saint’s earthly deed and the place at the throne of God, which is now established for him by God forever and ever...

Look at the icon of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Bright rich colors. Courageous purple, bright as the sky blue, scarlet - a sign of beauty and valor; with his left hand he holds a light shield interspersed with pure greenery - evidence not of the desire to attack, but of the defense of the world of his Motherland. The halo shines in gold with the same scarlet color - like gold, which is called red. How many tones, how many shades, seemingly incomparable otherwise! However, thanks to a unique technique, they do not cross, do not merge, do not crowd each other, but create a magnificent harmonious chord of line and color. It contains everything – both a civil feat and a spiritual feat.
And how different, but just as expressive, the artist chose for three images of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen, uniform in canonical execution, but different in palette, only five female saints were awarded this high title! One image is predominantly scarlet hot tones, showing us the impulse of a soul loving the Lord, another image is made in cooler colors, the icon is more transparent, heavenly, for the third the icon painter used contrasting blue, scarlet, golden tones - rubies, sapphires and gold. It is clear that the icons were painted for three different individuals, three human souls, each of which needs its own spiritual healing. And the saint turns to each of them with that side of his Divine fullness that meets the needs of this particular human soul...

Spiridon is a rare name in Russia today, almost never seen, but popular in Hellas, where this amazing Christian saint comes from. However, despite the fact that we are now talking about a personalized icon, I would like to talk about it as an example of Yuri Kuznetsov writing an icon for a specific person. Based on the canonical model, the icon painter nevertheless created an image addressed to a specific person. This female soul - the icon painter created an icon for a woman - was sorely lacking external spiritual warmth, some kind of warm pre-evening peace, strengthening in Love. And in this work - she herself spoke about this to the author of these lines - looking at it every morning, she draws warmth, compassion, and support flowing from the image. Feels the prayerful intercession of the icon before God. And now she has a need for a personalized icon. You can also purchase a ready-made, copied one - the miracle of the icon as such is also in the fact that their copies do not lose their wonderful heart-healing effect - what can we say about the amazing Kuznetsov letter! – but intended for a specific person, it is even more healing and effective.

You can buy or order a personalized icon by Marira Filippova on our website. Just select your saint, click on the frame with the inscription “Order an icon”, and you will have all the information on how to do this.

All parents planning to baptize a child are interested in the definition of the patron saint. Now a new tradition has emerged among Orthodox believers - personalized icons based on date of birth. A Christian can have many patron saints, and the church approves of the sincere desire of the parishioners.

When my daughter and I approached the church bench, our eyes ran wide with the number of images. It is extremely difficult to navigate directly when purchasing a holy image, so you need to inquire in advance about your patron saint. In the article I will tell you about the images of the Virgin Mary and saints that can be personalized.

In Rus' about heavenly patrons learned in the 4th century. Babies were specially named as a saint, so that he would protect and guide the baby along the path of truth. However, saints are mistakenly confused with a guardian angel. An angel is acquired after baptism, and a patron saint can be chosen.

Angels are disembodied beings who help the believer, and saints are simply people in the flesh. They are also sometimes called angels, but they were still people. IN Orthodox Church There are calendars, in which all the saints and martyrs for the Christian faith are written.

The Church venerates saints on a specific day of the year, but sometimes the dates of veneration of saints coincide. And then parents have a choice of which saint to take as their child’s patron. After this, you must definitely buy an icon of your saint and constantly pray to him. First, parents pray for their child, and then the child himself, as he grows up, can pray to his saint.

The tradition of naming a child after a saint has ancient roots and special meaning. It is believed that the name of a saint has a positive effect on a person, since it belonged to a righteous Christian. The name, as it were, guides a person through life, determining the choice of the right path. Just as the saint was God-fearing during his lifetime, so the namesake under his care will also be an exemplary Christian.

If the church kiosk does not have an icon of your patron, you can order it from an icon painting workshop.

How to determine a name day if the name of another saint is given at baptism (not the one who was honored on this date)? Then you need to look at the calendar for the day of veneration of your namesake, following the day of baptism. For example, if a girl was baptized Anna on November 21, then her name day should be celebrated on December 3 - the day of veneration of St. Anna. And 21.11 is celebrated as the day of the angel.

Icons based on the person’s date of birth and name will be constant companions, a talisman against diseases and difficult circumstances.

Such icons have powerful force, capable of protecting against terrible life events and sudden death. A believer must spend his life with a personalized icon until the last minute. Personalized icons differ from others in that the saints are depicted from the waist up. The images are framed in a wooden frame and are accompanied by prayer appeal to his patron.

A short prayer to your saint:

Measurement icons

Measuring icons are sometimes ordered for baptized babies. The patron is drawn in full growth, and the size of the icon corresponds to the height of the baby. These are also personalized icons based on date of birth and name. The image is placed above the baby's cradle so that he remains under the constant protection of the heavenly patron.

When the child grows up, parents should tell about his patron. After all, it is necessary that a child, from childhood, establish a spiritual connection with his saint and establish a trusting relationship. Reading stories about the life of a saint is intended to guide the child’s steps along the path of righteousness and holiness.

Date of birth and icons

The tradition of choosing an icon by date of birth has appeared recently. For a Christian, it is the icon whose day of veneration coincides with his physical birthday that seems closer and dearer to him. Which patroness icon is considered the strongest by date of birth? The church fathers advise choosing the image that you like best.

The people especially reverence the image of the Mother of God, because the believer intuitively feels support from her and trusts more.

Winter months

• 23.11 - 21.12: Tikhvinskaya. The Omen. (St. Pleasant, St.).
• 22.12 - 20.01: Sovereign. (Blessed Sylvester and Venerable Sarovsky).
• 21.01 - 20.02: Burning Bush. Vladimirskaya. (St. and Athanasius).

Icon of the Sign helped the Novgorodians save the city from enemy invasion. This happened in 1170. The arrow hit the eye of the Virgin Mary, from which blood flowed. Having seen this miracle, the Novgorodians, with faith in their hearts, were able to drive the enemies away from the city walls. The second time the icon saved the city from the Swedes was in 1611. She surrounded the city walls with an invisible shield, which the enemy troops could not overcome.

Image of Tikhvinskaya was written during the life of the Virgin Mary by the Evangelist Luke. This image can be chosen to protect children and heal illnesses. They say that the icon was transported on a plane over Moscow when the Nazis stood at the walls of the city. Thanks to the defense of Tikhvinskaya, the enemy was defeated, and Moscow was saved from the invaders.

Icon of Our Lady Sovereign traces its history back to the moment of abdication of Nicholas II from the reign. On it the Mother of God is depicted with attributes royal power, sitting on the throne. This image was found in the basement of a church in the city of Kolomna on the exact date of his renunciation. Believers found protection in the person of the Mother of God, who said that she would not leave the Russian people and would protect them.

Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God very revered in Rus'. According to legend, the prototype was painted on a tablet from the table at which the Mother of God herself, her faithful husband and the Infant of God ate. The evangelist drew the image. When the Most Pure Virgin saw her image, she blessed everyone who looked at it.

Image of the Burning Bush Since ancient times it has been revered as a talisman against fires and lightning strikes. Also, the icon can protect against any natural disasters and diseases. The symbolism of the image goes back to Old Testament times, when Moses saw a bush burning with heavenly fire. This bush is symbolically depicted in the form of paired four-pointed stars, in the center of which St. with the Divine Child.

Spring months

• 21.02 - 21.03: Iverskaya. (Venerable Milentius of Antioch and St.).
• 21.03 - 20.04: Kazanskaya. (Innocent of Irkutsk, Confessor, St. Sophronius).
• 21.04 - 20.05: Iverskaya. Helper of sinners. (St. and, Theologian).

Image of the Iveron Mother of God was painted by the evangelist during the life of the Mother of God. This icon is distinguished by a wound on the face of the Most Pure One. The legend says: this wound appeared when a certain pagan warrior pierced the image with a spear. Then the Holy Face was thrown into the river, and the current brought it to the Iveron monastery. This monastery is located on the holy Mount Athos in Greece. The icon became the patroness of the monastery and repeatedly protected the monastery from harm.

Image of Our Lady of Kazan preserved after a big fire in Kazan. The Virgin Mary appeared to little Matrona and indicated that she needed to find her image under the rubble. The discovered icon was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the city. Unfortunately, the prototype of the icon has not survived to this day. But numerous copies have the same miraculous powers as the original. The image of Kazanskaya helps to overcome not only external, but also internal enemies. The image is healing.

Face of the Helper of Sinners has its own history. One day, many believers from the Oryol province began to have identical dreams that in a dilapidated chapel there was the face of the Virgin Mary, forgotten by everyone. The image was found and updated. The icon brings relief from serious illnesses; many Orthodox Christians have recovered from it.

Summer months

• 21.05 - 21.06: Recovery of the dead. Burning bush. Vladimirskaya. (St. and Moscow).
• 22.06 - 22.07: Joy to all who mourn. Kazanskaya. (St. Cyril).
• 23.07 - 23.08: Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Prophet, Nicholas the Wonderworker).

Icon of the Recovery of the Dead takes care of parishioners who find themselves in desperate situations. Numerous testimonies describe avoiding premature death. The icon defeats the dark forces that haunt the soul.

Image of joy to all who mourn helps everyone who finds themselves in difficult living conditions. This applies to illness, sorrow, poverty, addictions. The Mother of God sees every heart and will not leave anyone to perish.

Image of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary We especially honor the Orthodox. The history of the icon goes back to the beginning of our era, when, through the prayer of Christians, the Veil of the Mother of God herself was thrown over the city of Constantinople. This cover protected the city from enemy invasion.

Autumn months

• 34.08 - 23.09: Burning Bush. Passionate. (St., Apostle).
• 24.09 - 23.10: Burning Bush. Pochaevskaya. Exaltation of the Holy Cross. (St. Radonezh).
• 24.10 - 22.11: Quick to Hear. Jerusalem. (St. Paul).

Image of Our Lady of Passion teaches humility and submission to the will of the Creator. On the list we see that the Mother of God humbly carries her child to suffer. Among the symbols of the icon one can highlight the instruments of torture that Christ will have to endure.

Image of Our Lady of Pochaev revered as a miracle worker. The prototype is located in the Pochaev Lavra; pilgrims come to it for deliverance from terrible life situations and illnesses. According to believers, the icon resurrected dead people.

Image of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross captured the fact of finding the tree on which he received the crucifixion. The image helps to receive healing, find inner harmony, and strengthen faith.

Image of the Jerusalem Icon was written by the evangelist Luke after the resurrection of Christ from the dead. This image is considered miraculous, since many Christians received healing through it. The icon also saves from black magic and the affairs of sorcerers.

The prototype of the icon of the Quick Hearer is located on Athos. According to legend, a monk with a torch was making his way in the dark to have a meal and suddenly heard an order “not to smoke near the icon of the Mother of God.” Not paying attention to what he heard, the monk instantly lost his sight. Only the fervent prayer of the Mother of God healed his eyes. The image is called Quick to Hear, since the Mother of God promises quick help to all sufferers.

Bottom line

Now you know how to choose personalized icons. I would especially like to note that we must not forget about the dates of honoring our patron saints. Write it down in a notebook, circle it on your calendar. These days should not be confused with Angel Day - this is the date of your baptism. The name day coincides with the time of honoring the saint whose name you were named at baptism. If the day of baptism coincides with the time of honoring the saint whose name you were named, then the name day and namesake are celebrated on the same day.