Resurrecting Russia

According to legend, circulated among admirers of the image, on October 14, 1998 (the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin ), a resident of Pyatigorsk named Olga Pavlenko was at home and listened to the Akathist to the Virgin. At this time, she experienced a certain spiritual experience, during which, according to Pavlenko, the Mother of God appeared to her and showed pictures that formed the basis of the image. The Mother of God ordered to write the image and name the new icon “Resurrecting Russia”, after which to place it the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo monastery . Pavlenko, receiving, according to her, the blessing of the elders Nikolai Guryanov from the island of Zalit and Jerome from the Sanaksar Monastery , turned to the icon painter Natalya Koshevarova, who created the first list of the icon in 1999 . Although Pavlenko did not like this list, she took it and took it to Diveevo , where the icon was placed in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the monastery. The image stayed in the cathedral for ten days, then, as is affirmed in the circles of admirers of the image, “at the direction of Moscow,” it was ordered to be removed. Where the "Koshevarov" list is currently located is unknown. After that, several more lists were created (in particular, by icon painters Ekaterina Ilyinskaya and Vladimir Kurilov) ^{[5] [6]} .

Since the early 2000s the image (simultaneously with the brochure of authorship of Galina Andrianova describing its appearance) began to spread in the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church (MP) and at the processions , messages appeared about the myrrh-streaming lists of the icon and healing from them ^{[7] [8] [9]} . Archimandrite Cyril (Pavlov) blessed the image for private worship ^[7] . Among some parishioners there was also an opinion that the icon “Resurrecting Russia” is the “successor to the grace” of the icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign” ^[9] .

A group of believers from among the worshipers of the icon in 2003 filed a petition for the canonization of the image with the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints , but the Commission did not find any reason to consider this icon miraculous ^[10] .

The image is known in various lists, differing in details from each other ^[11] .

According to the initial plan of Pavlenko (what she, according to her statement, saw in the vision), the image should have looked like this. The Mother of God in white vestments, located in the center of the image and as if soaring in the sky, exudes bright white light. In the hands of the Virgin the white cover that She holds above the ground. From the veil to the earth, small crosses fall, which fall on the people located on the earth: part of people from this enlightens and turns to God, and part - shrinks and turns black. The Virgin Mary is surrounded on two sides by seven virgins in white robes with crowns on their heads, above Her head at the top of the icon is the God of Hosts , and a little lower - Seraphim of Sarov and Nikolai the Wonderworker . At the bottom of the icon, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra , the Diveevsky Monastery and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl are symbolically depicted ^[5] .

However, the existing lists do not always correspond to Pavlenko’s visions: the images of the hosts are often replaced with images of Jesus Christ , the Old Testament Trinity or the icon of the Fatherland ; sometimes the number of virgins surrounding the Virgin Mary varies ^[5] .

Speaking on October 4, 2004, at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church , Patriarch Alexy II specifically dwelt on the problem of “new icon-making”:

This assessment remains to this day. The icon did not receive a single blessing from any bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church ^[13] . There is evidence that the Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail Agafangel blessed to bring one of the lists of icons in the Orthodox churches of Odessa ^[14] .

Supporters of veneration of the icon note the facts of her blessing by such authoritative elders of the Russian Orthodox Church as Nikolai Guryanov and Jerome (Verendyakin) ^[15] (inaccessible link) .

There is evidence of miracles ( myrrh-streaming , fragrance) of the lists of the icon and the faithful receiving miraculous help from them ^[16] (inaccessible link) ^[17] .

According to one of the most active supporters of veneration of the icon, Colonel of the Military Medical Service A.V. Golovkov:

The miracles from her were amazing! During the processions, rainbows appeared, the sun played. Many saw on the solar disk the letters that appeared, which formed the word "Virgo" ... ^[7] .

The religious organization "Orthodox Church of Russia", which is not canonical and standing on the right and monarchist positions, recognizes this icon as miraculous. On July 11, 2004, the “Metropolitan" of this church Raphael consecrated a church in the Moscow Region in honor of the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary "Resurrecting Russia" ^[18] ; the patronal feast of the icon was also established - December 12 ^[19] (inaccessible link) .

The founder of the so-called. The Church of St. John the Evangelist , considered by the Russian Orthodox Church as a sect, Oleg Uryupin , also known by the name Molenko, believes that “this phenomenon is true and the icon is miraculous,” and the fact that the Moscow Patriarchate does not recognize the image is evidence the graciousness of MP ^[2] .

Admirers of the image compiled him a service ^[20] .

Critics of veneration of the icon note, first of all, the unreliability of the circumstances of its appearance. So, according to the hieromonk from the Saratov Temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Soothe My Sorrows” by Nektarii (Morozov), “the history of the appearance of the icon itself is very strange, and the language that describes the whole story gives people who do not understand church life well. And the iconography is too wonderful! ” ^[6] .

According to other critics, Pavlenko’s vision (even if it was in reality) could be explained by her state of spiritual charm ^[9] ; at the same time, Pavlenko’s extrasensory past is also indicated ^[8] .

Some scholars see the creation of the icon as a provocation of the “Mother of God Center” ^[7] , indicating that the Virgin on the icon is likened to God and looks like a kind of “goddess”, which is typical for the iconography of the “Mother of God” ^[9] . Others point to the similarity of the Virgin, depicted on the icon, with images characteristic of the "White Brotherhood" and paintings of Nicholas Roerich ^[5] . The deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church Pavel Sergeant directly calls the image of “Resurrecting Russia” “New Age” ^[21] . In particular, the white garment of the Mother of God is noted, which is unusual for traditional Orthodox iconography , but characteristic of occult images of the “Mother of the World” ^[5] .

In the symbolism of the falling crosses that is present on the icon, the influence of Masonic symbolism can be seen ^[22] , in addition, according to the Orthodox icon painter Rostislav Motspan, the very image of the cross as an instrument for destroying people in Orthodox iconography does not seem permissible ^[13] .

According to the priest Vasily Petrov, the icon “Resurrecting Russia” is a product of “practically heresy ”, in which “the Mother of God takes the place of Christ the Savior” ^[8] .