Throughout the history of Orthodoxy, many iconographic images of the Mother of God have received special veneration The day of celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God falls on November 4 (new style) Along with the important date of discovery (July 21), the autumn holiday glorifies the intercession for Rus' in 1612 from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders The miraculous announcement of the icon took place in Kazan in 1579, thanks to the vision of the girl Matryona, and immediately began to be accompanied by reliable healings The Moscow Patriarch of that time, Hermogenes, in 1594 described in detail the appearance of this icon and 16 miracles from it during the lifetime of contemporaries and eyewitnesses At that time, he headed the Kazan diocese, personally participating in the transfer of the icon to the nearest church A copy of the image, whose appearance received such a resonance, was sent to Ivan the Terrible in Moscow But the icon gained widespread veneration a little later, and the reason was the Time of Troubles that came to Rus' after the death of Ivan IV Not only political reasons were to blame for this: the struggle for power after the suppression of the Rurik dynasty, the claims of the boyars who tried to maintain personal interests at any cost Natural disasters and abnormal weather of 1601-1603 provoked famine and impoverishment, and further aggravated the difficult socio-economic situation The enemies of the state took advantage of this, and the period of impostors - the False Dmitrievs - began The moment came when the threat of the Polish king being in power became real Part of the population, who did not want to see a Catholic and a foreigner as ruler, was forced to swear allegiance to False Dmitry II But Polish troops were already in full control of the territory of Rus', which caused the first wave of militia The national liberation movement, formed by 1611, also included supporters of the impostor, who was killed at that time, but was defeated Hermogenes, by that time already elected chief Patriarch, always put the interests of the people and Orthodoxy first He was actively involved in suppressing the plans of the Polish king Sigismund, who managed to firmly strengthen his power in Moscow with the help of unprincipled boyars who allowed the chancellor and governor of the Poles, Zholkecki, into the Kremlin The calls of Hermogenes, which he sent to Russian cities, hoping to stand up for the Fatherland and Orthodoxy, found a response Many Volga and Siberian cities were included, and not just those closest to Moscow - Ryazan, Vologda, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod The latter gave the Russian land real heroes - headman Kuzma Minin and Prince Pozharsky In February 1612, the formed army advanced to Moscow, stopping in Yaroslavl to gather and strengthen its forces At this time, there was already an image there that had been brought back during the time of the first militia It was with his help that the decisive battle was won in August near the walls of the Novodevichy Convent, although the forces were not equal Then the image of the Queen of Heaven accompanied the army to Moscow On October 22 (old style), after a prayer appeal and procession with an icon around the Kremlin, negotiations began on the surrender of the interventionists blocked there, and 5 days later the Poles signed a complete surrender The All-Estate Zemsky Sobor ended the turmoil and gave birth to a new dynasty of rulers - the Romanovs, electing Mikhail Fedorovich as tsar His representative, Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1649, in honor of the birth of the heir, approved the celebration everywhere This iconographic image is the most frequently reproduced and belongs to the “Hodegetria” type, symbolizing the path to Christ The shoulder version does not allow you to see the hands of the Virgin Mary, but the infant Christ blesses everyone with his gesture The prototype had relatively small dimensions (267 x 223 cm), and it has not been fully established where it is now The secular, state holiday Day of National Unity is also celebrated on November 4 (since 2005), which allows us to once again recall the difficult historical path that Russia has passed through with the help of heavenly patronage Special celebrations take place in Kazan - the religious procession after the Divine Liturgy has become a tradition and attracts a huge number of followers On this day, thanks to the joint activities of the government and the Patriarchal Council for Culture, everyone can visit interesting forums, historical exhibitions and expositions Public figures are awarded Patriarchal awards for their contribution to the affairs and assistance of the Russian Church Good deeds in honor of the Kazan Icon do not stop - not only on the territory of the Russian Federation, but even far beyond its borders, churches are built and revived in her honor, so that everyone can receive grace-filled help in their affairs Atheists and everyone skeptical about the possibility of miracles cannot deny the fact that only a sacred image can evoke and strengthen patriotic impulses The visible expression of the Incarnation, such as an icon, is capable of much, and is deservedly considered the greatest spiritual asset