Icons. What signs are coming true? The return of the icon Two small icons disappeared from the house

There is a small town in Portugal - Fatima. In tourist guides, it is noted as one of the most important pilgrimage centers for the entire Iberian Peninsula. But surprisingly, it turns out that the shrine in Fatima is directly connected with Russia, and most importantly, no guidebooks write about this! - the Orthodox Church is adjacent to the Catholic Church, which is woven into the history of one of the most mysterious disappearances of the 20th century ...

... Having turned around the temple on the right and walked several tens of meters through the park, I suddenly saw an Orthodox onion rising from behind the trees. A couple of minutes later, a church appeared in front of me - judging by the architecture, not very old construction. More precisely, not a church, but a rather impressive building, over the central part of which there was an onion-shaped dome. Not far from him, on the roof, a satellite dish was looking into the sky.

This is the building of the "Blue Division" - explained the guide.

What is the Blue Division? Where does the Orthodox church in the Catholic pilgrimage center come from? The questions, alas, remained unanswered so far.

We went inside. On the second floor, under the dome, there was a church. Really Orthodox. Among the icons I found the image of the Monk Herman of Alaska, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the most revered in America. It was not possible to learn more about the temple: the corridors and staircases of the building were deserted, and downstairs, in the lobby, at the kiosk where icons, postcards, religious literature and video tapes were sold, there was a sign: "I'll be there in half an hour."

But before we left the temple, the guide told me the most amazing thing: for many years, until recently, the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was kept here, which has been considered missing for many decades! Later, this information was confirmed to me by the Portuguese journalist Jose Miliases Pinto, who spent many years in Russia and knows our country well. Jose himself also saw the icon in Fatima - an old one, in an expensive gold setting, adorned with precious stones ...

... In 1579 in Kazan, which had only recently been recaptured from the Tatars, a powerful fire broke out that destroyed a significant part of the city. Not far from the place where the fire started, there was the house of one archer, which burned down along with others. When the archer wanted to start building a new house on the ashes, the Mother of God appeared in a dream to his nine-year-old daughter Matrona and ordered to announce to the spiritual and secular dignitaries of the city that they take Her icon from the bowels of the earth, and showed her a place on the ashes of a burnt house where the icon was hidden ... The girl at first did not tell anyone about her dream, then she told her mother, but she did not pay attention to the words of the child. When the dream was repeated for the third time, Matrona still made her mother listen. And on July 8, Matrona found an icon in the ashes, which the Mother of God pointed out to her.

The icon was wrapped in a sleeve of shabby clothes, but at the same time it was not damaged at all. The copy was removed from the icon and sent to Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who ordered to found a nunnery at the place where the icon was found ...

From that time on, the icon was in the Mother of God Monastery in Kazan, where Matrona, who found it, became a nun. At first, the icon was revered only as a local one. But in 1611, in the Time of Troubles, her list was brought from Kazan to Moscow, together with the Kazan militia, to the camp of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky by order of Patriarch Hermogenes (who died a martyr's death the following year and was subsequently canonized). On October 22, 1612, Dmitry Pozharsky had this list during the battle with the Poles. The prince, as you know, won a victory, and Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich ordered to honor the miraculous icon twice - on July 8, on the day it was found, and on October 22, on the day of the victory of Russian arms associated with it.

The original icon remained in the Kazan Monastery of the Mother of God, becoming for three centuries the most important shrine not only of the city, but also of Russia. Pilgrims from all over the country specially came to Kazan to worship the holy face, which continued to work miracles.

Even during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the icon was dressed in a robe of red gold, and Catherine II in 1767, when visiting the Mother of God Monastery, put a diamond crown on the icon. Nobles and merchants competed in decorating the icon with precious stones and pearls ...

But on June 29, 1904, the icon disappeared. From that moment on, the amazing story of her searches begins, her unexpected appearances in various places, hoaxes and mysteries.

The case of the disappearance and search of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan is one of the most famous in Russian pre-revolutionary criminalistics. The investigation was conducted intermittently for more than ten years. The archives of the Police Department contained two extensive volumes "On the abduction of the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God from the nunnery in Kazan", which cover the period 1910-1917.

The disappearance of the icon excited the whole country and was discussed at the highest level, right up to the Emperor Nicholas II. The volumes of the case contain a lot of letters and telegrams from such people as Chairman of the Council of Ministers Stolypin, Minister of Justice Shcheglovitov, Minister of Internal Affairs Khvostov, Director of the Police Department Vissarionov, member of the State Council, chamberlain of the court Prince Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, Moscow Governor-General Gershelman, Prince Obolensky , head of the Moscow detective police Koshko, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna, church hierarchs ...

The loss of the shrine was discovered in the early morning of June 29, 1904. The door to the temple was broken open, the church watchman Zakharov was tied up. Two icons disappeared: the Kazan Mother of God and the Savior Not Made by Hands.

The police immediately got to their feet, and in hot pursuit the kidnapper was quickly found. It turned out to be Bartholomew Chaikin (also known as Stoyan), a twenty-eight-year-old peasant, recidivist and specialist in church theft. In 1903, he stole a miter and other church things from the Spassky Monastery in Kazan, in Kovrov from the cemetery church - a robe from an icon, in 1904 he stole in Ryazan, in Tula (then a robe was stolen from an icon of Our Lady of Kazan worth 20 thousand rubles) , in Yaroslavl. Moreover, he did not steal the images themselves, but only ripped off the vestments from them. And this time he claimed that he had sold the jewels and the frame of the icon, and that he had split the icon and burned it in the oven.

On November 25, 1904, the trial began. There were six defendants on it: Chaikin-Stoyan himself and a certain Komov - the perpetrators of the theft, the church watchman Zakharov, who was suspected of complicity, the jeweler Maksimov, accused of assisting and buying gold and pearls from the icons, Chaikin's cohabitant Kucherova and her mother Shilling, who were accused in harboring perpetrators of theft and stolen valuables.

It is noteworthy that Chaikin denied the destruction of the icons during the preliminary investigation. But the concubine, her young daughter and mother testified that they saw him chopping the icons into chips and burning them in the oven. During a search in the furnace, 4 charred pearls, gilding primer, 2 wires, 2 carnations, 17 loops were actually found, which, according to the testimony of the witness nun, were on the velvet lining of the icon. According to Schilling's testimony, the ashes from the icons were thrown into a latrine, where they were found by the police.

As a result, Chaikin was given twelve, and Komov - ten years in hard labor, Maksimov - two years and nine months in correctional detention units, Kucherova and Schilling - five months and ten days in prison. Zakharov was acquitted.

However, the search for the icon and the elaboration of other possible versions continued. The famous icon had a painfully great value for all Russians, not to mention the cost of its salary, this kidnapping caused a painfully powerful resonance. Moreover, in addition to traces of the burning of the icon and some details of the frame, as well as the testimony of the defendants, the police did not have any other evidence. It is also worth remembering that two icons were stolen, and the ashes could belong to only one of them - the less valuable Savior Not Made by Hands. In addition, the frames for both icons were never found. Therefore, a version arose that Chaikin resold the icon of Our Lady of Kazan to the Old Believers for a huge amount - they really were engaged in a wide purchase of pre-Nikon icons, in particular, they took them from ancient Moscow churches during the devastation of Moscow during the invasion of Napoleon.

On November 12, 1909, a secret report appeared in the bowels of the police. A special official was sent to Kazan, as the ministry received "serious information about the preservation of the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God." Comrade Minister of Internal Affairs Kurlov removed the Kazan governor and the head of the Kazan gendarme department from the search, entrusting him to the author of the report, Prognaevsky. And Koshko sent two of the most experienced agents to help him. One of them reported on the sale of the icon to the Old Believers.

Chaikin at that time was in prison in Yaroslavl. Spies were sent to him, through whom the police hoped to find out about the location of the shrine. But now he only kept repeating about the burning of the icon, and not about the sale. However, rumors about the resumption of the investigation were already spreading throughout the empire, and not bypassing the prisons.

And now, unexpectedly, Hieromonk Illiodor receives a letter from the prisoner Korablev from the Saratov prison, in which he says that he knows where the icon is. Illiodorus immediately reports this to Bishop Hermogenes of Saratov, who comes into contact with Korablev.

Korablev reports that the icon is allegedly in the possession of the Old Believers, and promises to help return it. He even hints that he may have to commit a crime to rescue her, but he is ready to do anything if his fate is mitigated and transferred to another prison, where he could come into contact with other participants in the "case." However, if fathers Hermogenes and Illyodor believe Korablev, Prognaevsky, experienced in detective affairs, soon becomes convinced that the prisoner does not have any data, and he just wants to organize an escape.

But Korablev's "version" has influential supporters. Gershelman, for example, spoke of the possibility of mitigating Korablev's fate even at an audience with Nicholas II. But the most remarkable thing: he believed that "it is important to restore the shrine", since for the church and the Orthodox "it is not so important whether a really stolen icon or some other one is received."

Nevertheless, after the conclusion of Pronaevsky, the investigation begins again. This time already in St. Petersburg - by this time Chaikin is in the famous Shlisselburg prison.

The famous criminologist Mikhail Garnet, the author of many works on the history of Russian forensic science, believed that the evidence of Chaikin's burning of the icon was undeniable. In his opinion, this is confirmed by the testimony of the convict during interrogation in Shlisselburg on June 29, 1912. Chaikin then said: "I really wanted to prove to everyone that the icon is not miraculous at all, that it is vainly worshiped and honored in vain."

However, the search for the icon continued. And then Korablev's "understudy" appears - a convict from the Chita prison, Blinov. And everything goes according to the same scenario. Blinov asks for mitigation of fate, for transfer to another prison. His version is supported by Bishop John of Chita and even the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna, who is informed about the prisoner's proposals and who, through intermediaries, enters into negotiations with the thief. In 1915, despite the already ongoing world war, a special meeting was held in Kursk to develop a new version. However, investigators discover that Korablev only wanted to make a copy and pass it off as a real icon, and he is again shackled. The final truth could not be obtained from Chaikin either.

So the search for the missing icon in Russia led nowhere. And then the revolution began, the civil war. It was no longer up to the icon ...

Was the icon burned? If not, where is she? And if it was really destroyed by Chaikin, then where did her precious robe go? These questions remained unanswered for many years. Of course, Stoyan's specialization in the theft of salaries alone, the testimony of himself and of witnesses confirms the version of the destruction of the icon. But, on the other hand, the hardened recidivist perfectly understood that the cost of the image itself is much higher than the cost of her vestment. And it is hard to believe in his destruction of the holy face only for "ideological reasons".

If the icon of Our Lady of Kazan was actually burned, then what image was hanging in Fatima? Fake? Or maybe an old list?

Indeed, it would have been much easier to trace the possible path of the icon from Russia to Portugal if several copies had not been made from it back in the 16th - the very beginning of the 17th century, and traces of some of them are also lost.

Recall that immediately after the icon was found in Kazan, a list was made from it and sent to Ivan the Terrible. It is also known that in 1611, together with the Kazan militia, another list came to Moscow to Dmitry Pozharsky from Kazan. After the decisive victory over the Poles, he belonged to Prince Pozharsky and was in his parish church - Introduction on Lubyanka, and in 1633 he was personally transferred by the prince to the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square. This means that at the beginning of the 17th century in Moscow there were already two copies of the miraculous icon.

According to church literature, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, transferred from Kazan to Moscow in 1579 (probably the same list made immediately after the icon was acquired), remained there until 1721. Then, by the will of Peter I, it was moved to St. Petersburg, to a temporary stone church, which stood on the site of the current St. Andrew's Cathedral on Vasilyevsky Island, and from there - to the Trinity Cathedral, which is on the St. Petersburg side. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, a wooden church was erected in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin on Nevsky Prospekt near the present Kazan Cathedral. There in 1737 the icon, adorned with precious stones by the order of the empress, was transferred. Since the time of Paul I, the cathedral was called Kazan. On September 15, 1811, after the construction of a new building of the cathedral (currently existing), the icon was moved and placed in its iconostasis. It is also known that Empresses Maria Feodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna added many precious stones and pearls to the icon's frame, and a blue yacht of rare size was received from Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna.

The book by Semyon Zvonarev “Forty forties” says that the “Petersburg” copy at the beginning of the 19th century was made from an icon kept in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, especially for the Kazan Cathedral in the “northern capital”. This means that the list itself, made for Ivan the Terrible, remained in the capital.

But no matter what icon gets to St. Petersburg - the original, made in 1579 for Ivan the Terrible, or a copy of the image belonging to Pozharsky, which was made at the beginning of the 19th century, one thing is certain: after the closure of the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospect, this image was moved to the Vladimir Church, which is still in operation today.

And what happened to the icon that was in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow? After the closure of the cathedral on Red Square, its temple image was first transferred to the Epiphany Cathedral in Dorogomilov (now destroyed), and from it, after the closure of this temple in the 1930s, the icon disappeared ...

It is curious that in Moscow, in the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhov, there is now another copy of the Kazan icon, which was also in the Kazan militia in 1612.

It is rather difficult to understand all this, since in church literature the lists are also called "miraculous icons", and it is impossible to understand whether we are talking about the original or about copies.

The following is probably known. The list made for Ivan the Terrible (1579) is either in St. Petersburg, or it has disappeared. One list (no later than 1611), which arrived in Moscow with the Kazan militia, is in the Yelokhovsky Cathedral in Moscow. Another list (no later than 1611), also from the militia of Prince Pozharsky and kept in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, has been lost. Accordingly, we are dealing with more than one loss: in 1904, the original disappeared in Kazan; in the 1930s, a copy from the Kazan Cathedral disappeared in Moscow. It is possible that the very first copy, made in 1579, also disappeared (although it is not known when and where). This means that if Chaikin burned the original, then one of the old lists could appear in Fatima. So we need to look for traces of not one, but several images. And if so, it is easier to search from the end, that is, from Fatima.

The time of the disappearance of one of the ancient copies of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan - the 1930s - unwittingly suggested the possible involvement in the appearance of the image on the Iberian Peninsula of the famous collector Kalust Gulbenkian, whose name is the most important art museum in Portugal. The fact is that at the end of the 1980s, the Ogonyok magazine published a large article about art treasures sold in the 1920s and 1930s from Soviet museums abroad, which also spoke about the oil magnate Kalust Gulbenkian.

Referring to John Walker's monograph on the Washington National Gallery, the author of the article in Ogonyok writes that in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Gulbenkian, an Iraqi Armenian, head of the Iraq Petroleum Company, helped the Russian communists sell oil on the world market. and persuaded them to sell him a number of works of art from the Hermitage in order to increase the reserves of hard currency. To do this, he asked a young German art historian to be his agent for the acquisition of works of art in the USSR. But he refused his offer.

However, the article goes on to say, Kalust Gulbenkian managed to acquire something and significantly replenished the cultural fund he founded in the Portuguese capital - "a kind of branch of the Hermitage", opened by Gulbenkian in the 1930s. Therefore, I thought, could the list, which disappeared in the 1930s, somehow end up in his collection in Lisbon, and from there migrate to Fatima?

However, it turned out that the article in Ogonyok contains a number of significant inaccuracies. A visit to the Gulbenkian Museum and making the very first inquiries immediately ruined this version. The Kalust Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon is part of a private foundation set up by an oil tycoon who was granted refuge and tax breaks by Portugal during World War II. In gratitude for this, Gulbenkian donated his art collections and the lion's share of his myriad state in the form of a cultural fund to his country in 1955.

Thus, in the 1930s, Gulbenkian could not create a "branch of the Hermitage" in the Portuguese capital. In addition, Gulbenkian, while actually buying works of art in Soviet Russia, did not know that they were selling masterpieces from museums to him. And, having learned this, he refused to continue to acquire paintings in the USSR. This is evidenced by a letter written by Gulbenkyan on July 31, 1930 to Georgy Pyatakov, the head of the USSR State Bank: “You know, I have always been of the opinion that things that have been kept in your museums for many years cannot be sold. They are not only a national treasure, but also a great source of culture and national pride ... I am sincerely convinced that you should not sell anything even to me ... "

So the accusations against the founder of Portugal's richest museum of deliberately devastating Russia's art collections are unfair. It is curious that the text of this letter is also quoted in the "Ogorkovsky" article. However, its author for some reason does not take it into account. But for our search, the main thing is different: Gulbenkian was interested only in the works of the classics of Western European painting and the art of the East. In general, be that as it may, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan did not come to Portugal through Gulbenkian. But how then?

Therefore, I decided to find out what kind of organization "Blue Division", which built an Orthodox church next to the Catholic shrine, where the icon was kept?

And then Jose Milliases Pinto helped me. First of all, he told me about the Orthodox Church in Fatima and the Blue Division.

It turned out that the "Blue Division" is an anti-communist Catholic organization that was created after the Second World War in the United States in order to prevent the spread of communism in the world. Its positions are especially strong in Latin America, as well as in Spain and Portugal. And at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God in Portugal - and the prophecies given by Her in 1917 directly related to the fate of Russia - the "Blue Division" and decided to place the famous miraculous icon from Russia. The "Blue Division" built its building in Fatima in the 1950s, and the Orthodox Church under it, called "Byzantine" there, was specially designed for the famous icon. So the icon came to Portugal from the USA. And that means that traces of the missing image from Russia lead to America.

Milyazesh Pinto was able to trace the path of the miraculous image from Russia to Fatima. According to him, the icon with Wrangel's troops, which disappeared in 1904, was transported to the Crimea, from there to Romania, and then ended up in the United States. And there the icon passed from the Russian emigres to the "Blue Division".

This story looks very plausible, but it's amazing how nothing has been heard about such a famous icon for several decades!

Interestingly, in the 1960s, information came from England that one collector had discovered "an ancient Kazan icon of the Mother of God, which in many respects resembled the original one." She - as the book "Forty Forties" says - was transported to the United States, where Archbishop John Shakhovskoy of San Francisco tried to organize a fundraiser for the acquisition of the shrine, but it was not possible to raise the required amount. There is no information about how the icon ended up with a collector in England (they say he exhibited it at the famous Sotheby's). But the main thing is that according to this version, Our Lady of Kazan ended up in America! But what was this icon? The original (surviving, not burnt by Chaikin)? One of the old lists? Fake?

Regarding the icon, which arrived from England, experts found out that its setting is genuine, from the most miraculous image from Kazan, stolen by Chaikin, but it itself is a wonderful copy of the 20th century. The further fate of this image in the book "Forty forties" says the following: "In the end, the icon was acquired by the Catholic Church and placed in the famous place of the appearance of the Mother of God in Portugal in 1917 - Fatima, in the Eastern Center of Catholics."

Which version is closer to the truth? According to Miljazesh Pinto, the icon ended up in Fatima in the late 1950s. In England, the icon "surfaced" only in the 1960s. Moreover, she allegedly completed her journey in Portugal. What icon came to the Iberian Peninsula from the United States? Maybe another "double"? But then what about the setting of the icon hanging in Fatima, which, judging by the descriptions of the Portuguese journalist, was old and, perhaps, really belonged to the original icon? So it is necessary to look for traces of the icon after all in the USA of the 1950s – 1960s.

The only thing that can be said with almost certainty is that the setting of the icon kept in Fatima was genuine. But there is no clarity about the icon itself. Was it an original icon from Kazan, a "Moscow" copy from the Kazan Cathedral that disappeared in the 1930s, or a "beautiful copy" of the 20th century?

It would be easy to answer this question if one could see the icon itself. But she disappeared from sight again. True, this time it was no longer lost. And the traces of the icon were not lost: it ended up in the Vatican.

As Jose Milliases Pinto found out, according to the conditions of the previous owners of the icon, she was supposed to return to Russia after the fall of the communist regime. Perhaps the icon would have returned after all the troubles to its homeland. However, one very significant obstacle arose.

Who should I return the image to? Russian Orthodox Church or Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia? Unfortunately, the two churches are still struggling to come to an agreement. Therefore, instead of Russia, the icon from Fatima was transported to the Vatican, where it is to this day. And when Russia will regain it, it is still unclear.

So the fate of the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kazan is still surrounded by mysteries. Many questions could have been shed by an examination of icons and salaries that surfaced in England, the United States, and then Portugal, but until recently neither the Vatican, nor even more so organizations such as the Blue Division were available to our specialists ... And the current (as well as the former) holders of the holy image, naturally, would not very much want the icon, around which there was so much noise in the 20th century, to turn out to be a fake as a result of the examination. It would be appropriate to recall here that even in pre-revolutionary Russia, Moscow Governor-General Gershelman, who had an audience with Nicholas II, believed that “it is important to restore the shrine,” and “it is not so important whether a really stolen icon or some other one is received”.

An icon is not a simple object, and, of course, it is not an interior decoration.

Icons always stand in the homes of believing Christians, they are an obligatory attribute in the home of a religious or even just a baptized person.

Our ancestors considered it their duty to keep in the house, in a special place, at least one image of a saint. And in our time it is difficult to find a house that does not have at least one icon.

This is a sacred attribute of faith, a very valuable and important thing that has a mystical connection with higher powers, protects the house and everyone living in it. And prayer in front of images can greatly ease suffering and bring happiness.

What signs are associated with images? There are not so many of them, and in general it is worth understanding that priests do not recommend believing in omens.

However, almost all people are superstitious to one degree or another, and if an icon in the house suddenly fell for no reason, or you suddenly happened to find it on the street, then it is always interesting to know what it is for.

Naturally, such events do not just happen, and thus higher powers send you a sign. It is not difficult to find the answer, what kind of sign it is, and what the signs say about this.

What to expect?

Few events can happen to this thing - after all, we do not use it in any way in the physical sense. The icon always stands in its place, it is not customary to carry it or even pick it up.

But there are some options, for example, if it suddenly fell in the house, by itself or by your accident, or you happened to lose the icon or find it right on the street. What is it all about?

1. Finding an icon is a good and kind omen. There are some small icons, pocket ones, that many people carry with them - for example, in a wallet, for protection.

And if someone lost such an icon, and you happened to find it, it means that you need it. Consider that she herself has found you, and will protect and protect you. It is this saint who is depicted on the icon that will be your patron and protector.

However, if you are lucky enough to find someone's lost icon, do not rush to carry it to your home. After all, this item stores a lot of information and carries the energy of the former owner. And who knows what the person prayed in front of her, what sins he atoned for, and in general, what he was thinking about.

So that the icon that you managed to find by chance does not bring trouble, but protects and cherishes, you should immediately find a temple nearby and be sure to consecrate it in this temple. After that, you don't have to worry about anything.

2. If you have lost an icon, do not worry. It may seem that this is a bad omen, but in reality it is not. Superstition says that if you have lost the little icon, it means that he has already done everything for you, as if he did his job, and left you.

Do not be discouraged, go to church, pray, and get a new icon for yourself. It must be consecrated, and after that it will become a talisman and amulet for you.

3. And if an icon has fallen from its place in your house - you yourself understand, this is a bad omen. Firstly, icons never fall without reason, even a person who does not believe in omens should understand this.

If she fell, it means that it portends something bad. Do not panic and fear - everything will be fine. When the icons fall, in this way the higher powers warn you, indicate that you need to be careful, perhaps even this is a hint that you have gone astray.

To prevent troubles and troubles, you need to carefully lift the icon that has fallen, kiss the image of the saint and ask for forgiveness from the bottom of your heart. After that, you need to put it in place and pray, ask for protection.

And by the way - it's worth checking whether the icon is securely standing, and why it falls - maybe the wrong place has been chosen for it? Treat this thing very carefully and anxiously.

What not to do

There are several rules on how to handle images, what you should never do with them, and how you should behave around them. These rules must be memorized by every believer.

1. They do not pray to an unconsecrated icon. If it is new, the first thing to do is to consecrate it in the temple - this is a prerequisite.

In general, there is no place for an unconsecrated icon in the house, it will be of little use, and according to church rules it is not customary to keep such a thing at home, and even more so to pray in front of it and be baptized.

2. You can not be in front of images in a headdress - this is not just a sign, but a rule that has existed for many centuries. If you visit a church, you know that a woman or a girl must cover her hair with a modest scarf, and men must take off their hat.

Today many women come to church in winter wearing hats instead of headscarves - this is hardly appropriate in relation to the saints. If you are a believer, at least sometimes go to church and keep images at home, you should adhere to simple rules. Moreover, they are quite simple.

3. Few people know, but images cannot be hung on the wall - they need a special shelf. This is because Jesus hung on the cross, atoning for the sins of people, and suffered - so the hanging itself has a clear association.

Hanging the images of saints on the wall is unacceptable. Highlight a special place in the house where your images will stand, or at least one.

There may also be church candles. There should not be any unnecessary items and decorations for the interior on this shelf!

4. Of course, in the room where the faces of the saints stand, one must not swear, scold, swear and spit. It's not even worth talking about it - but, alas, some people sometimes forget about such seemingly elementary things.

5. There are many contradictions regarding the donation of such things, but it is true that only the closest and dearest people can donate images. It is also not worth accepting icons from people who are not close, unfamiliar, or just friends.

Such a gift can be given to parents by an adult son or daughter, it is quite acceptable, or a grandmother can give it to grandchildren. Then it will be a reliable amulet that will protect and protect from harm. Do not forget that it must be consecrated in the temple.

Superstitions, omens and customs are closely related to the culture of the ancestors, and everything related to icons should be taken seriously. These are not just signs, but rules that must be respected so as not to incur trouble and not pay later.

Treat faith with respect and you will have peace and security in your home. Author: Vasilina Serova

Why does the icon fall in the house, does the omen want to warn about the sinfulness of the owner, future misfortune? And if the glass breaks on it, the frame breaks?

Popular rumor assures: the fallen icon is a warning from above. Maybe your personal "top bodyguard" strongly recommends thinking about some mistake made recently, or being very careful in the future.

• If the image of God seems to have fallen from a carnation on the wall for no reason, this is a bad omen, warning of a serious illness and even the death of a loved one.
• Sometimes the fall of the shrine says: difficulties are coming, "strength tests". Be careful: you must pass them with dignity without sinning!
• If the icon has fallen on its back, this may mean: the owner of the house, in a sinful way, is sinking lower and lower. It's time to repent and do good deeds, or at least stop staining your soul with constant sins.
• If, on the contrary, you are going to do something godly, and suddenly an image falls in your house, this evil spirit is trying to prevent you from doing good. Do not give up your plans, because in this case you will follow the lead of the evil one! Dress yourself with the sign of the cross and hit the road, God will be with you.
• To calm the soul after such a fall, lift the icon from the floor, run your hand over it, respectfully touch your lips to the holy face, and then hang the icon in place.
• Knowledgeable people also advise: if there is a seriously ill patient in the family, you may be afraid that the fall of the icon promises his death. To "cancel" a bad omen, go to church, find there, if possible, a similar image, put a candle in front of it and pray (even "Our Father" will do).
• Finally, there is another opinion: you can ward off a bad omen from your home if you start praying and fasting every day. How long? Until the end of the current post. If it is not there, it is worth fasting until the end of the future fast. By the way, it is not necessary to completely exclude all meat: you can simply limit yourself to sweets, prohibit your favorite, but harmful drink, and finally, smoking.
• And if you dreamed about the fall of the icon? Through such a dream, your subconscious mind hints that you have recently “screwed up” a lot. If you saw the broken face of Christ, a dream warns: someone from your family will be seriously ill.
• If the icon stood on a smooth shelf and slipped off when children were too naughty nearby (or maybe it was touched by a cat, or you while cleaning), this fall does not mean anything bad. It only warns of one thing: make sure to secure the frame sufficiently, as next time you will be dealing with sharp fragments from broken glass.

She also crashed

• Most often, signs are scary: trouble will come to the house. But do not think that the Lord will certainly send her. Maybe someone from your family will be guilty, or even you yourself?
• Sometimes in the house the holy face falls and breaks from the intrigues of evil spirits (by the way, the brownie can be attributed to the otherworldly guests - he is not an enemy to the owners, but he cannot be called another church).
• Old grandmothers say: the spirit of the previous owner can stay in the house, jealous of the new inhabitants to the usual walls. Do you have everything falling out of your hands, children often get sick? It will not be superfluous to light a candle in the church for the repose of the former inhabitants, order a prayer service for their souls, or even consecrate your home.
• The canvas remained intact, only the glass shattered? Replace it and the icon can be hung in place. The same should be done with the frame: glue, repair, replace.
• Do not forget: after the fall, the icon is still a consecrated object! Even if it is badly broken, it is impossible to throw such things into the trash can, it is considered sacrilege. Take it to the church, they know what to do with it.
• Some people believe that a scratched, torn icon should be given to fire. But this is also a sin. Remember the communists who threw sacred relics into the fire?

You found an icon dropped from someone on the street

• This means that you need the protection of this particular saint. Or it’s just a sign from above: turn to faith.
• But do not rush to pray to this icon, and even more so to carry it into the house - some of the energy (as well as sins, among which there may be mortals) of its past owner, may remain on it. But you shouldn't throw it back on the pavement either. Take the small icon to the church, ask to consecrate it - now it is completely clean and can be yours.
• Did it fall out of your pocket and get lost? This is not a bad omen. Your personal protector says: he has already saved you from troubles, now he has gone to another person.

Other folk signs associated with icons

• Only the closest people can give and receive an icon. In our time, it has become fashionable to buy images in an expensive salary, or even old ones as a gift to the boss. It looks presentable ... and vicious. But if a mother blesses her daughter, her son with an image, endows them with this icon - this is right.
• For a birthday, you can give a personalized icon (it is especially important if the godfather or godmother will present such a face to the godson). If a person is sick, an image of a holy healer is brought to his home.
• It is also believed that men are presented with male saints (Jesus Christ, St. Nicholas, Panteleimon), and female saints (Virgin Mary, icons with the Great Martyrs) to girls and women.
• If an embroidered icon has been presented to you, ask if it has been consecrated. If not, be sure to take it to the priest. The fact is that it is impossible to put at home, to pray on an icon that has not been in the temple of God.

An important point! Many people hang icons on a hook or carnation. This cannot be done, for the faces of the saints you need to allocate a special shelf.

And what can the priest say about all this?

Among the church commandments there is one: "Do not make yourself an idol." It reminds us: praying to the icon, in fact, we communicate with higher powers. Therefore, you should not endow the painted canvas with too high "powers" - yes, it is consecrated in the church, but it cannot create someone's destiny, bless or curse.

Any priest will say: sometimes beliefs are closely intertwined with faith, and true believers should think well which of the laws was written by the Lord and which by people. Therefore, obey the commandments, the sermons of the priest, based on the Scriptures, but popular beliefs - no. The official church treats them only as folklore, nothing more.

Priest Krysanov will tell you more about this in this video:

Occupying an important place in human life, icons are no exception for all kinds of signs. In general, signs with icons can be divided into those that can significantly affect a person's life and those that seem to be not so significant, but their observance is still necessary.

Let's start with the most serious ones. You cannot burn, break, cut and generally deform icons in any way. For such a sin, a severe punishment awaits, up to death. You cannot pray for an unlit icon. It is worth buying an already consecrated one or taking it to a priest to read a special prayer.

Needless to say, you bought the icon. Better to think about it in such a way that you made an exchange. Finding a man in the same room with icons is fraught with deprivation of memory, or even completely reason.

You can shorten your age if you swear or spit near the icon. In case of a fire in the house, the first thing to do is to take out the icons. It is believed that by going around the house with the most important icon, you can contribute to a quick extinguishing.

Sign: Is it possible to give icons as a gift?

Can I give icons as a gift? The one who decided to donate the icon should have pure thoughts. Consider this step carefully because it is not a simple gift like a souvenir or trinket. Such a gift is of particular importance, and the church is very sensitive to the tradition of giving icons.

Most of the gifts come on the occasion of a holiday or some occasion that is of no small importance to the donee.

On your birthday, you can present an icon with a guardian angel or with the face of the patron saint of the person you are gifted. Before that, you should definitely find out the name given to the person at baptism.

Two icons will be appropriate for the sacrament of the wedding: the Lord Almighty and the Most Holy Theotokos. Make sure they are the same size. After the end of the sacrament of the wedding, the icons should be placed at home in a prominent place and subsequently passed on from generation to generation as a symbol of love, fidelity and mutual understanding. The icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia is also perfect for a gift on this day.

In addition to holidays, there are times when there is a need for protection and patronage.

A pregnant woman will need the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos: "Assistant in childbirth." The one that recently became a mother will need the icon "Mammal".

Students will never be disturbed by the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh or the Most Holy Theotokos: "Adding the mind". The size is desirable small so that you can easily take it with you to the exam or study.

It is worth giving up the idea of ​​giving an icon only if you assume that the person will not treat it with due attention and respect. The icon is a shrine, but not a souvenir. And of course, it is unacceptable to give the symbol of the Christian faith to a person of another religion.

To what does the icon fall?

The opinion of the clergy on this issue is unanimous. First of all, they advise not to panic and remember that true believers know that all signs are from the evil one. Accordingly, it is not worth looking for some deep sacred meaning in the fall of the icon. First of all, it is necessary to turn on the logic and check the very fastening of this shrine.

If it was hung on a carnation, this is an unacceptable violation, since the icons must stand firmly and confidently in their proper place. This is due to the fact that the traitor of Christ - Judas, hanged himself. Not a good analogy, right? Therefore, it is worth looking for a more suitable place for the shrine. However, if you did not know about such a prohibition and the icon was hanging on the wall, then first check how firmly it was fixed and remember, maybe just some blow shook the wall and the icon fell. When it comes to an icon that has fallen from a safe place, it is also worth checking the reasonable versions of why the icon fell first.

Despite the disapproving attitude of priests to the belief in omens, people for centuries observed the causes and consequences of various events, noticed patterns and consequences. So it is with icons. It is believed that such a fall portends misfortune and misfortune, and a more deplorable outcome is not excluded.

However, maybe the point is that the icon thus pushes a person to confess and atone for sins. Remember whether you have committed any sinful deeds before the face of the saint and whether you have offended the saint with your behavior or word.

Why did the icon fall and break?

When an icon just falls, it inspires less fear than when it falls and breaks or cracks. However, even in this case, you should not immediately tune in to the negative and wait for trouble. Most likely, the face of the saint broke to warn you about something. Perhaps there was a big sin on your part recently or you have deviated from your true path.

Why did the icon of the Mother of God fall?

Such an icon most likely falls to great troubles and trials in the family. You should carefully analyze current and future events and understand where the threat might come from. The icon should be lifted, kissed, asked for forgiveness for everything that you could have done wrong, and then go to church and light candles for the health of all family members living in the house where the icon fell. Do not forget to light a candle and pray to the very image of the Mother of God.

Why did the icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker fall?

Nicholas the Wonderworker, with his fall, can warn of health problems or unexpected material difficulties. Be careful not to take any risky actions. Ponder things more carefully than usual, and be alert to other possible signs or hints.

Why did the Seven-shot icon fall?

The seven-arrow icon is designed to protect the house and the people living in it from any evil that can penetrate inside. Therefore, if this image falls, it should be assumed that she saved you from the negativity that tried to get into the house. Thank the saint for this and be sure to put the icon in its place.

The icon has fallen - why this may be, the question is, of course, difficult, and therefore it should be considered taking into account the specific aspects of this event. In order to fully explode what happened, you should turn to the priest and ask him for advice, telling about all the attendant circumstances. If the glass or frame is broken or cracked, it is worth replacing them with new ones, just do not throw them in the trash, wrap them in a cloth, take them to the priest along with the icon. He will tell you what to do. Most likely, he will advise you to clean them with water, and the icon itself should be asked for forgiveness by lighting a candle to the saint whose image has fallen.

Sign: find an icon

It is a contradictory omen - to find an icon on the street. On the one hand, this may mean that the found icon was waiting for you, but on the other hand, there is a possibility that this object is full of negative energy. Remember that damage cannot be transmitted through consecrated objects, but when you see an icon on the street, you cannot be sure that it is consecrated, which means that it could easily become an object of damage.

Therefore, having seen an icon on the street or in another place where it is not possible to find its owner, one cannot pass by the icon. Pick it up, but mindful of the possible negative impact, do not pick it up with your bare hands. Take a scarf and, having wrapped the icon in it, pick it up.

It is impossible to carry such an icon directly into the house, but you also cannot pass by, because suddenly you will pass by the help that the Almighty wanted to offer you. Finding an icon is a good omen for the most part, you just have to do the right thing after finding the image. Take the icon to the church and consecrate it.

After consulting with the priest, decide whether to take the icon home for you or leave it in the church. You will no longer be able to dispose of the icons presented to the temple, so think carefully about everything right away.

Based on materials from the site "Psychic"

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If you dreamed about an icon, then you consider your relationship with your partner sinful and wrong. What then, in your opinion, they should be and whether it is necessary in this case to be guided by some rules.

Nostradamus said: “The icon is a symbol of spirituality, prophecy, repentance.

A dream in which you pray in front of an icon means that you pay too much attention to material problems and forget about spiritual ones.

Seeing a crying icon in a dream is a bad omen.

If in a dream you are holding an icon in your hands, in reality you will receive the long-awaited news.

To see in a dream how you put a candle in front of an icon is to feel remorse over past mistakes.

The fallen icon is a symbol of a fatal mistake. "

And the Bulgarian soothsayer Vanga interpreted dreams in which an icon appears: “We saw icons in a house in a dream - such a dream predicts that a conflict will break out in your family.

If you dreamed of icons in the church, it means that your only salvation in difficult times will be faith, and even if you are not a very religious person, you will come to church as a prodigal son, and God will not turn away from you. "

D. Loff wrote: “Dreams about icons often reflect either strength or unity. You want to feel oneness with the Universe, and icons are the right link to bring about that oneness. Sometimes you may dream of a situation in which you need supernatural power to resolve the conflict. Icons in this case will serve as a guide or symbol of such power. There is a huge number of images-icons available to all people. Those that you find in your dreams will also be related to your life experience (for example, crucifixion, full moon, Star of David, Stonehenge, Buddha). "

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Dream interpretation - Icon

The dream in which you see the icon is a sign of providence, which will put you in front of a test, either you choose a dishonorable path that promises you material benefits, or you prefer decency to easy money. Seeing many icons in a dream at once - in reality you will experience joy in the family. To light a candle or an icon lamp in front of an icon - you will have to endure hardship and humiliation.