Apostles' Fast

The Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

23 June / 6 July

More than once, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God has miraculously saved Russian forces from seemingly certain and inescapable defeat. In 1395 Tamerlane and his Tatar forces entered the Russian land and moved against Moscow, with forces possessing incomparable power and experience and outnumbering the Russian armies by several times. Moscow's only remaining hope rested in fortune and God's help. Thus, Great Prince Vasily Dimitrievitch of Moscow sent to Vladimir for the Miraculous Icon. Over the course of the Vladimir Icon's ten-day journey from Vladimir to Moscow, people stood on their knees along the road and implored "O Mother of God, save the Russian land."

The Icon was welcomed into Moscow on August 26, "and the entire city came before the Icon to greet it.…" At the time of the meeting, Tamerlane was asleep in his tent. It is said that in a dream at that moment, he saw a high hill, from which there descended toward him holy hierarchs with golden staffs. Above them was a "radiant Woman," standing in the air, radiating bright rays of light, and surrounded by a host of angels, countless in number, armed with swords. In the morning Tamerlane summoned his wise men. "You won't be able to handle them, O Tamerlane, for it is the Mother of God who intercedes for the Russians," said a seer to the undefeated Khan. "And Tamerlane ran, pursued by the power of the Most-holy Virgin…."

In thanks for their preservation, the Russians erected the Sretensky [Meeting] Monastery on the site of the meeting of the Icon. After 235 years in Vladimir, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to Moscow and was installed in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most-holy Theotokos.

Less than a century later, in 1480, Khan Akhmet of the Golden Horde set out to attack Moscow. He had already reached the Ugra River. Great Prince John III of Moscow was waiting for the Khan on the opposite bank. Chroniclers relate that suddenly, unexpectedly, and for no reason, the Tatars were struck with an unexplainable primal terror, paralyzing both their physical strength and their strength of will. Khan Akhmet found himself incapable of calming the demoralized troops, and was forced to retreat.… In commemoration of the event, on June 23rd each year until 1917, a Procession of the Cross with the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God would go from the Dormition Cathedral to the Sretensky Monastery.

Russian princes and tsars would pray before this Icon before setting forth on military campaigns. In the selection of metropolitans - and later, patriarchs - of Moscow, the lots would be put within the Icon's veil. It was before this Icon that the most eminent people of Moscow would vow loyalty to their sovereign rulers.

In 1547, there was a great fire in the Moscow Kremlin. People intended to remove the Miraculous Icon, and several of the strongest and bravest men were dispatched to remove it and take it to safety beyond the Kremlin walls. However, nothing they did could move it from its spot. According to eyewitnesses, at that very moment a vision of a "radiant Woman, illumining the Church" could be seen over the Dormition Cathedral.… Soon the flames abated. In the midst of the ashes stood the Dormition Cathedral, unharmed by the fire.

From that time on, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God remained in the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin. Before that Icon, tsars were anointed to the throne, and first-hierarchs were elected. In Soviet times, the Icon was installed in the Tretyakov Gallery, and fortunately, unlike so many Orthodox holy things during the years of persecution of the Church, it was not lost.

In September 1999, one of the principal Orthodox holy treasures of Russia, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, was given to the Church of St. Nicholas at the Tretyakov Gallery. There it has remained to this day, resting behind bullet-proof glass, in a special temperature and humidity controlled case.

There are three feast days celebrating the Vladimir Icon of the Most-holy Theotokos, in thanks for three times that she saved our homeland from the foe: June 3 NS/May 21 OS, July 6 NS/June 23 OS, and September 8 NS/26 August OS. However, there are a great many more miracles, worthy of celebration, connected with this Icon.