Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God featured in Presidential Library’s rare materials

2019 marks a significant date associated with the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, the day of which is celebrated on July 9: 15 years ago, after a long absence, the relic was returned to Russia. The Presidential Library’s collections contain materials that tell not only about the icon itself, but also about miracles and legends associated with it.

The image of the Virgin Odigitria, emerged in Rus’ in the XIV century, was named Tikhvin at the place of its appearance. Ya. I. Berednikov in his work “Historical and statistical description of a first-class Tikhvin Mother of God large monastery consisting of the Novgorod diocese in the city of Tikhvin” (1859) with reference to the authors of ancient manuscripts reports that the shrine was transferred to our country from Constantinople.

According to the legend, the Tikhvin Icon was painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke during the life of the Virgin Mary. A detailed description of it is reflected in the book of Ya. I. Berednikov: “The Tikhvin miraculous-revealed icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Eternal Infant on his left hand, 1 arshin 2 inches in width and 14 inches wide, is placed in the right pillar of the cold monastery cathedral name of the Assumption of the Mother of God. Among the masses of gold, diamonds, brocade, an abundance of lighted candles and precious lampadas, the divine image of the Blessed Virgin represents the eyes of those praying surrounded by such majestic glory, which every upcoming testifies to the particular importance of the shrine before him, which for centuries has seen whole worshiped worshipers and praying people. The image is reinforced in a silver gilded frame, weighing 14 pounds, decorated with different images from the events of the sacred history".

A description of the miraculous appearance of the icon in our country is covered in the rare edition of 1888 “Tikhvin and its Shrine” by L. I. Grigoriev. The author says that then, in 1383, they saw the shrine in several places at once: “Fishermen who were fishing in Lake Nevo (Ladoga), saw in the sky a silent icon of the Mother of God, surrounded by an extraordinary light. <...> Following this, the same icon was visible on the Oyati River, at a distance of 102 versts from Tikhvin. Having stayed here for some time, the miraculous phenomenon is unknown where it disappeared, and a few days later it seemed again in the village of Vymochenitsy, located 100 versts from Tikhvin”. The icon was seen by residents and other villages, and everywhere she “granted healing to the sick and comforted the indignant in soul”.

The answer to the question of why the shrine remained precisely in Tikhvin is given by Ya. I. Berednikov: “Priests with private crosses and icons came from neighboring countries here with a lot of people attracted by the preceding events. The prayer services and the singing of the psalms did not stop for a long time, the sobbing people cried out loud and long: come to us to the Queen, come to us Lady, watch for us unworthy servants, send down the bounty of your humanity, visit us from above and enlighten us darkened by the sins of Thy holy adventures Due to such a fervent prayer, the Shrine slowly descended into the very hands of the people who kissed it and filled with lively joy, and was immediately offended to build a prayer temple”.

The image of the Virgin became the cause of pilgrimage to Tikhvin by Orthodox different classes. In 1547, the city was visited by the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich (the future Grozny). Arriving to worship the holy icon, he, on his return to Moscow, commanded that instead of the parish church in Tikhvin a monastery be arranged. Thus, in 1560 the foundation of the Tikhvin cloister was laid.

The shrine left Russia during the Great Patriotic War, it was taken to Riga, then to the USA, where it remained for the next 60 years. The return to the native land took place only in 2004, and today the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God is kept in the Tikhvin Mother of God Assumption Monastery.

The Presidential Library and the Tikhvin Diocese have been successfully cooperating for many years. Among the projects implemented are video lectures, exhibitions, the opening of the children's multimedia studio “In the beginning was the Word” for students of Sunday and remedial schools. Today, a remote electronic reading room is opened in the building of the Tikhvin Spiritual Education Center, where everyone has access to unique digital collections of the Presidential Library. Separate materials form electronic collections that are devoted to the Russian Orthodox Church. In particular, one of them includes books telling about its origin and formation, including the fundamental works belonging to the pen of significant church leaders and historians of the Church. The collection “Orthodox Russia. Monasteries and Icons” features materials from the period of the XIX - early XX century, which describe the history of individual Orthodox monasteries located on the territory of our country, and especially revered icons.