August: Day 19: Teaching 1: Feast of the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God

August: Day 19: Teaching 1:
Feast of the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God
 
(The History of the Feast and the Moral Lessons It Teaches: 
a. One Should Never Lose Faith, and 
b. Prayer Has Great Power)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Wonderworking Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God, which is celebrated today, is in the Donskoy Monastery, near Moscow, named after the icon itself and built in its honor. The distinctive feature of this miraculous icon of the Mother of God, in comparison to other miraculous icons of hers, is that it depicts the Infant Jesus Christ holding a scroll, symbolizing divine wisdom. The identity of the artist of this holy icon and the exact date of its creation remain unknown. It is only known that it was painted long ago, that it existed in the second half of the 14th century, and was originally located in the Don region in the Church of the Annunciation, in a place called Syrotino, and was already deeply venerated in the hearts of the Orthodox believers.

From the town of Syrotino, this icon was taken by the Don Cossacks to their camp when, at the request of the Grand Prince of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, they went to aid him against the formidable Tatar hordes and their fearsome leader Mamai in the year 1380. The campaign against Mamai, as is well known, was the first resolute and extraordinary attempt by the Russians to overthrow the terrible and oppressive Tatar yoke that had burdened the Russian people for about one and a half centuries. This campaign was undertaken with the blessing of the great hierarch of the Russian land, Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow, and the renowned servant of God of that time – the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. The chief commander of this campaign, Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, embarked on this extraordinary endeavor with only hope in God and under the protection of the Queen of Heaven.

The Don Cossacks went on this campaign with great faith in the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, and therefore, instead of a banner, they carried in front of them on a high pole the revered icon of the Mother of God, taken from the town of Syrotino, from its Annunciation Church. Throughout the war with the Tatars, the Donskoy Icon was among the Russian Orthodox troops; it was present with the Russian warriors during the terrible Battle of Kulikovo (between the Don and Npryadva Rivers). Thanks be to God, by the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, victory remained with the Russians; the Tatars were defeated for the first time by the Russians and driven back; their dominion over Russia was shaken. Attributing their success to the power of God and the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, the Russians, with feelings of the deepest joy, thanked God and the Mother of God for the victory won over their enemies; they approached the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God with particular reverence, before which they fervently prayed throughout the war.

In honor of the great prince of Moscow, Dmitry Ivanovich, nicknamed Donskoy for his victory on the banks of the Don River, the people of Don offered the great prince their icon of the Mother of God as a gift. Naturally, the icon was received by the Great Prince and the people of Moscow with great honor and gratitude. This icon was solemnly transported to Moscow and initially placed in the Dormition Cathedral; upon the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral, it was moved to this latter cathedral. Since then, this icon has become known as the Donskoy Icon and has always been revered by the entire Orthodox Russian population. Both common folk and nobles, as well as princes, prayed fervently before it, especially during difficult circumstances in life. One of these difficult moments occurred nearly 200 years after the Battle of Kulikovo against the Tatars, during the reign of the pious sovereign Feodor Ioannovich, in the year 1591.

In that year, the Crimean Tatars, led by Murad Giray, unexpectedly launched an attack on Russian territory; in great numbers, they approached Moscow and encamped near it on the so-called 'Sparrow Hills'. Tsar Feodor Ivanovich, without hope of repelling the enemy with his own forces, turned in prayer for help to the Most Holy Protectress, the Queen of Heaven. He commanded a procession with the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God and other icons to circle the city, and then to place the Donskoy Icon in his tent, located among the hastily assembled troops, in sight of the enemies. On July 4, 1591, a dreadful battle erupted on the plains before Moscow. The Muscovites watched its outcome with trepidation. The most composed was the devout Tsar, who relied on the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, before whose Donsko Icon he prayed day and night. "Be at peace, tomorrow there will be no Khan," said the pious sovereign to a boyar who expressed concern about the outcome of the battle. And indeed, the next morning, July 5, there was no Khan before the walls of Moscow. Deceived by some false news, which suggested that a strong army had arrived to aid the Muscovites and that the Russians were planning a strong attack in the morning, the Tatars fled during the night, and in such haste that they abandoned their wagons and weapons. The pious sovereign and the Orthodox people justly attributed their salvation solely to the intercession of the Heavenly Queen, manifested through Her Wonderworking Donskoy Icon.

In grateful memory of the salvation, in the same year, the Sovereign ordered the foundation of a monastery to be laid on the very site where the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God stood in his field chapel, and he commanded that this monastery be named the Donskoy Monastery. A stone church was constructed in the monastery, and the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God was transferred there. By the resolution of the Synod of Russian Hierarchs, an annual celebration on the 19th of August was established in honor of the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God, "held in gratitude for Her mercy from Her holy icon." This celebration is still solemnly conducted in Moscow today and is usually accompanied by a procession from the Dormition Cathedral to the Donskoy Monastery.

II. What does the current feast in honor of the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God teach us?

a) Firstly, to never lose faith in the salvation of the fatherland, no matter what temptations and disasters the fates of the Most High may wish to subject it to. The wisdom of God loves nations pleasing to it, as well as people dear to it, to tempt with disasters, in order to purify, strengthen and exalt them even more. The Russian people, as its history shows, are one of such peoples. How many times it has apparently approached the end of its existence, and always resurrected with glory! And always, at this resurrection, the Holy Wonderworkers of Russia appeared with their intercession, like angels of God; the Mother of God Herself appeared. After this, is it possible to lose any hope for the salvation of the fatherland?

b) Secondly, this day teaches us all the power of fervent prayers before God, and especially the prayers of the saints for us. Without earthly prayers, heavenly prayers would not be heard; just as without heavenly prayers, earthly prayers would not, of course, be accepted. Therefore, in all difficult circumstances of our fatherland, or of our own, prayer must be the first and last means of salvation: praying ourselves, we must raise up the saints of God to prayer, remembering that “the prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). All the more should we flee under the protection of the most blessed Virgin, Who has always been and will remain the comforter of all who come with faith to Her intercession and act according to this faith.

III. But whoever wishes to be honored with Her gracious protection must offer Her, together with prayer, if not his good deeds, then at least living faith, humility and repentance. This is the final lesson for all of us from our present feast! Amen.

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.