The watchful eye is an icon of what people pray for. Icon of the All-Seeing Eye of God - meaning, what it helps with, history

The heavenly world, full of various religious heroes, can be seen depicted on ancient religious shrines. Their artistic images, clearly presented on sacred canvases, can have different semantic meanings. One of these is the “All-Seeing Eye” icon.

History of the icon

According to some literary information, the supposed place of appearance of the God’s icon “The All-Seeing Eye” is considered to be the Vladimir region. It was there that local icon painters created such a wonderful masterpiece, the artistic elements of which evoke special delight among art connoisseurs and Orthodox believers.

What do the symbols on the icon mean?

Those who have seen the icon of the never-slumbering eye more than once remember its main distinctive features, clearly presented on this sacred canvas. The key details of the All-Seeing Eye icon fill the image with deep meaning, allowing people to form an important idea about the existence of the earthly world, which is under the influence of the almighty Jesus Christ.

The central figure of the icon is the image of Christ the Savior. Located in the circle of this iconographic composition, it emits a bright, blessed light that penetrates the souls of people praying for help.

The multiple eyes, which are represented in the inner part of the next, larger in diameter circle, are an expression of the relationship that can be traced between spiritual and earthly reality. Their numerical diversity represents ordinary people who, despite their individual and seemingly independent existence, are completely under the influence of Jesus Christ.

The last and perhaps most significant circle is dedicated to the Lord God. It is depicted at the top of this circle.

Being on a dais, he appears to be the main leader of the entire Kingdom of Heaven, which consists of various heroes of the Bible. From there, God extends blessings to all living and peaceful inhabitants.

Thus, the icon of the All-Seeing Eye of God allows us to emphasize the following important thoughts:

• Jesus Christ watches and observes all living people, some of whom he separately tries to help, radiating his beneficial light on them.
• Our Lady is the guardian and protector of people.
• The Lord God, the main peacemaker and world creator of all life on earth. At the same time, everyone submits to his authority.

How does the All-Seeing Eye icon help?

It should be said that the icon of the Mother of God “The All-Seeing Eye” cannot be found everywhere. However, this image, like other holy images, is fraught with great miraculous power.

The significance of the “All-Seeing Eye” on icons is extremely great.

It performs an important protective function, helping people remove negative publicity from themselves, reveal unique creative abilities, and protect themselves from loss of vision and complete blindness.

Any home place can serve as a separate place for the icon. The most important thing is that this shrine is clearly visible to all family members living in the house, and that it is convenient to say the words of prayer near this place.

Separately, I would like to add that if you completely focus your gaze on the icon of the all-seeing eye for some time, you can pay attention to the subsequent rotation of three circular spheres, which, merging together, will create the impression of rotation.

Prayer in front of the shrine

Prayer can be carried out both during an Orthodox church service together with other people, and independently. Her words are as follows:

Our Father who art in heaven!

Hallowed be Thy name;

Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The icon of the All-Seeing Eye of God, found in some churches, is considered complex in its symbolism. The Church prohibits depicting the Lord God on icons, and that is why the author of this image chose to depict Him in the form of signs and symbols, which is somewhat different from ordinary icon painting.

Despite this, the icon is an important relic, worth knowing and honoring.

History of the image This painting, a striking example of the possible popularization of folk art in religion, has been actively and furiously discussed at all kinds of theological meetings and sessions throughout its existence.

Despite the ambiguity of the icon, it has become extremely popular among the Orthodox people.

It is executed in ocher tones, which is typical for that area. The main distinguishing feature is its simplicity and at the same time beauty of the composition. But the whole complexity lies in the multitude of symbols contained in it. After all, it not only differs in its concept from the usual canonical iconography, but also in the way it presents all the keys that reveal the meaning.

Read about other icons of the Lord:

• "Savior not made by hands"

In addition, this is a fairly young image, whose age barely reaches 300 years, i.e. is a remake. Its creation occurred at the decline of traditional Russian icon painting, which may be why “The All-Seeing Eye” contains an ambiguous, at first glance, conceptual author’s meaning.

Interesting! A significant part of the clergy is usually skeptical about the icon, but its mysticism has not prevented its popularity from growing among believers.

Icon “The All-Seeing Eye of God”

Meaning and compositional features

The image is a composition rarely found in icon painting. Its meaning is the image of the Lord as light for the entire Universe, and His knowledge of man is equated to the eye, hence the name - “All-Seeing Eye”.

Throughout the existence of the icons, quite a lot of lists have already been created, so on some boards the compositional paintings may differ from the original, which is discussed below.

The compositional image is assembled from many smallest symbols in order to generally give a single idea of ​​the light of all existence - the Lord God. It is He (by symbol) who is located in the center of the board.

The board is divided into 4 circles, each of which contains several important elements:

1. The first central circle is where the image of Christ is located, from whom blessing and salvation come to every suffering sinner. Around Him there is an inscription: “My eyes are faithful to plant lands with me.” 4 rays emanate from it, which begin in the circle and end outside it. They denote the light that comes to the world from Christ and the Lord. At the ends of these rays, already at the edges of the entire image, there are images of the evangelists or their symbolic image;
2. The second one is larger in diameter than the first one and contains a human face, which consists of only 4 eyes, a nose and a mouth. There is also an inscription in Old Church Slavonic, which means “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God My Savior.” This circle reflects the relationship between the Divine Principle and the world of people, the mediator between which is the praying Mother of God, drawn between the 2nd and 3rd circles;
3. The third circle is marked by the inscription: “Isaiah’s coal revealed the sun from the Virgin’s womb, shining in the darkness and giving enlightenment to the lost.” It is crossed by several dense rays coming from the first circle, From Christ. from the center of the main thing - the Sun of Truth - Jesus Christ;
4. The most important and last, truncated at the bottom, is the fourth circle - it symbolically depicts God the Father, blessing all humanity. The figure of the Lord has raised blessing hands, and its bottom is hidden in a halo. Along the edges of Him there is an inscription: “God from heaven grant me His radiance.” The background for Him is the clear starry sky, where, according to Scripture, the Kingdom of Heaven is located. God the Father is always depicted surrounded by three seraphim or four angels with scrolls. The Holy Spirit flies from the Lord to the Mother of God in the form of a dove.

The meaning of this image lies in the depiction and interpretation of all the important symbols of Christianity, which help a person stay on the righteous path and not stray from it. Strive for the light that comes from the Lord.

Important! Lik sets the priorities of Christianity and helps the believer create the correct hierarchy in his head - the Lord is above everything and the beginning of everything, salvation comes from Christ, and the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God help people interact correctly with them.

Who does the image help and from what?

Why and why to pray to the “All-Seeing Eye” icon?

This is a universal image that has no limits in requests, because a person cannot limit the Lord, from Whom and by Whom everything is created.

The Lord is omnipotent: he saves a person from failures, bestows health and vigor, and sends spiritual joy.

That is why in front of this image you can pray and ask for everything - the Heavenly Father hears all prayers.

• The icon protects and helps:
• from negative influence and the evil eye;
• helps to reveal the hidden abilities of a person and help his spirit rise above hardships and sorrows in search of God;
• heals blindness and helps cope with vision problems;
• patronizes the clergy;
• protects ordinary people from sorrows and hardships, regardless of work, age, gender or nationality;
• keeps a person from sin;
• helps to cope with sinful thoughts;
• helps a sinner to strengthen his faith;
• gives parents wisdom for raising children;

It is worth remembering that the Lord is not a magic wand and does not fulfill all our desires. He is a sovereign God and only His will is important for every person. Everything that He sends into life is good for man.

Important! Icons are not a magical artifact of wish fulfillment. They only help a person tune in to the right mood and clear his consciousness so that the prayer is sincere and fervent.

Heavenly Father wants every person to first repent and change his heart. To come to God only for material blessings is to offend His person and disregard His will.

Prayers that are filled with reproaches and demands will most likely remain unanswered, since the Heavenly Father cannot go against His own laws, so if a person violates Divine laws and commandments, how can he count on Divine support?

It is worth reflecting on your heart before coming to the image of the “All-Seeing Eye”.

Icon on gesso “The All-Seeing Eye of God”

Orthodox online store Svyatsy - icons of the Lord “The All-Seeing Eye of God”.

Where to place the icon and how to pray

This image can rarely be found in the temple, because due to its ambiguity and non-canonical nature, not all clergy want to place it.

Nevertheless, initially the icon acted as a decoration for walls, domes, and simply as a temple painting. It can still be seen in such places in churches of the 18th and 19th centuries, but in more modern churches there is no longer such painting. Over time, it began to appear as a full-fledged image on the iconostasis in churches and homes.

Advice! The image can be purchased for a personal iconostasis either from collectors (meaning an older image) or in an icon store.

You can purchase such an icon only if your conscience and spirit do not condemn. For many believers, its controversial nature and the fact that the clergy does not have a single answer raises doubts and reflections. In this case, you should not purchase a board. Otherwise, after purchasing, you need to place it correctly among other images.

You can place a lamp on an open shelf and light it during prayer, on Sundays. The central place in the iconostasis should be occupied by the images of the Savior (Christ Pantocrator) and the Mother of God (optional). They should also be the largest in size. On the sides you can already place the remaining icons that the owners choose. These are images of saints, church holidays, Angels. The iconostasis should be located in such a way that nothing distracts from prayer.

Among other icons, the “All-Seeing Eye” should also be placed. It should be clarified that no special prayers have been written for her, but this does not mean that a person cannot pray to her in his own ordinary words and sincerely tell God about all the problems that tormented him and the passions that overcome him.

As a prayer, you can read before it “Our Father”, the canon of repentance, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus. Readings of glorifying and penitential psalms are perfect as prayers. You can ask God the Father for mercy, for a blessing to study the Scriptures, for having a kind and loving heart, for all spiritual problems.

Important! The icon should not be used for magical rituals, since the Church prohibits contacting sorcerers, grandmothers and witches. This in itself is considered a great sin, and using an icon for this significantly aggravates a person’s guilt.

Pray to the image of the “All-Seeing Eye” at home, asking the Heavenly Father for mercy.

Watch a video about non-canonical icons

In the city of Rybinsk, in the Mo-na-Styr chapel, set up not far from the Rybin-sko-Bo-lo train station. the gov-skaya iron road, the ancient miraculous icon named “The Wakeful Eye” is located . Her sacrificed daughter knows-no-about-know-any, about-that-e-reya Ro-di-o-na Pu-tya- Ti-na, who gave special blessings to this icon as a result of family traditions. The image has 10 vertices in shi-ri-nu and one ar-shin in vy-so-tu; he is written on a canvas, on a wooden board; His painting belongs to the Italian style. The Most Holy Virgin is depicted in a po-lo-vi-nu ro-sta; She sits in front of the table in a room with a scolded face on the left side behind the whole dark-green color -ta. Her head is covered with a white canopy, from under which no hair can be seen. Her pure face and sad gaze are lowered down and turned towards the lying God-la-den. The left hand of Bo-go-ma-te-ri, where-I-am-on-the-table, supports Her head, and the right hand sleeping God-la-den. The eyes of the Eternal Child are closed, and His head is turned to the right side; the right hand is on the right hand of Bo-go-ma-te-ri, and the left hand is on the bent knee of His left leg ; The middle part of the body is covered with white taffeta. At the bottom of the icon there is the following inscription: “I sleep, but My heart watches” (). This inscription testifies that the name of the icon “Waking Eye” has a symbolic meaning -name: she points out that the Savior and His Most Pure Mother are always vigilantly concerned about our salvation .

Another icon with the same name lives in the city of Ug-li-che, Yaro-slavl province, in Bo- Go-Yav-Len-skaya chapel, arranged under the so-bor-noy mo-na-Styr-skaya church-view. She was sacrificed in 1848 to a resident of Ug-li-cha A.V. Le-be-de-voy, who was granted I realized that this icon is very ancient and has long been considered miraculous. Iko-na has more ar-shi-na heights and 3/4 ar-shi-na shi-ri-ns and pi-sa-na on the board of Italian life vo-pee-sue. Bo-go-ro-di-tsa is a sconce-on-a-sitting room in a room with a window on the right side. Its head is facing the left side and is covered up to the shoulders with a blue-colored roof, from under something -ro-go-you-bi-va-you-sha-lo-sy. The eyes of Bo-go-ma-te-ri are open-closed and turned towards the sleeping Pre-eternal Baby. Her outer clothes are blue, and her lower ones are scarlet. The sleeping Bo-gom-la-de-nets is on the left knee and left hand of Bo-go-ma-te-ri; His head is turned to the left side; your arms are folded under your chest, and your legs are bent in your knees and lowered down. His whole body is dressed in a white-colored ro-bash-ku and a s-the-same white pe-le-nu, one edge is -the swarm is raised by the right hand of Bo-go-ma-te-ri to the level with Her right shoulder. Iko-na is decorated with a gilded robe and a crown. Other decorations on this icon are three silver images of legs and two silver crosses of sacrifice -tsa-mi, is-tse-liv-shi-mi-sya after mo-lit-you in front of this icon. Before this icon, as well as before the first howl, read the following prayer to Bo-go-ma-te-ri: “ Oh, Most Wonderful Lady, Vlady-chi-tse Bo-go-ro-di-tse! Bring us, who come to Your image; Look with your vigilant eye at the spiritual wounds of our sins; pray with your heart that your Son, Christ our God, is vigilant for us, so that we may come to Him with faith -those from the heavy sleep of sins and from all the enemy’s slander, and the spa-set of our souls, like a Che-lo-ve- co-love."

The icon has a symbolic meaning; and the words: “I sleep, but my heart watches,” from the Song of Songs of the Biblical King Solomon (Song of Songs: 5, 2) mean not only the All-Seeing and, therefore, the Never-Slumbering Eye of God, but also indicate the future resurrection of Christ from the dead, when the sleep of death could not fetter Eternal Life. Although Christ reclined in the tomb and was buried, he rose from the dead on the third day. And how God could not die, but descended into hell with His immortal soul, giving light and liberation to the prisoners of death, and according to His Divinity, His eyes never closed in the sleep of death. That’s why the iconography is called exactly that: “The Sleepless Eye.” In Greek, the iconography is otherwise called “Anapeson” or reclining, which also allegorically speaks of the resurrection of Christ; The Lion of Judah reclining regally, as if sleeping... If we remember the prophecy of Jacob, which he taught to his sons: “The young lion Judah, my son, rises from the prey. He bowed down, lay down like a lion and like a lioness; whoever will lift him up ? ...washes his clothes in wine and his garments in the blood of grapevines." (Gen. 9:10-11). Symbolically, the lion is the king of beasts, which indicates the Royal origin of Christ from the line of David, the reclining of the lion is the dream of Christ’s death, washing clothes in wine as in blood is death and suffering and the offering of Himself as a Sacrifice for the sins of the world, as happened on Golgotha; and this prototype also hides the Eucharistic meaning, as always when wine and blood are compared in Holy Scripture. "Who will lift it?" - none of the people, which implies the Divine dignity of Christ. Therefore, the icons “Christ Anapeson” or “Wakeful Eye” symbolically or in hidden images refer us to the death and resurrection of Christ, and thereby testify to His Divine love for the Church of the faithful, about the reciprocal love of the Church for His Bridegroom. “I sleep, but my heart (My love for you) watches,” that is, it never stops.

Origin of iconography.

Byzantine icons of the Mother of God holding the reclining God-infant Christ in her arms were inscribed “Anapeson”, namely “reclining”; the name itself prophetically reflects the death and mourning of Christ, the three-day reclining of His most pure flesh in the tomb. Remembering the prayer of the Eucharist: “Thou art the offering, and Thou art the offered,” - Prostrate in the arms of His Most Holy Mother, He died and rose again, becoming the Heavenly Bread, feeding the faithful into eternal life. Therefore, the Mother of God is the mysterious Divine Table, the Holy Eucharistic Throne, on which the Holy Gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ are offered and consecrated. On top of the maphoria of the Virgin is a scarlet cloth, indicating this analogy or supernatural reality. The scarlet cloth or cover of the Eucharistic Throne, where the Sacrament of the Sacraments is celebrated, is sometimes depicted on top of the mother of God and is often embroidered with gold or a gold border with precious stones and pearls.

Byzantine iconography "Anapeson" knew not only icons of the Mother of God, sometimes the Infant of God Himself was depicted, reclining on a scarlet bed. Scarlet color also means Resurrection. Such images are often found in temple paintings, these are mosaics and frescoes.

Sometimes, the Mother of God prayerfully stands before the reclining Christ, and on the other side there is an Angel with a ripida or fan, reverently protecting the sleep of Christ, fanning and thus comforting Divine grief.
The inscription, “... asleep like a lion,” refers us to the prophecy of Patriarch Jacob.

More complex compositions are also presented. The Most Pure Mother of God, reclining on the bed, embraces and consoles the Infant God. On the left are angels with ripida and instruments of the passions, and on the right is Patriarch Jacob with an unrolled scroll of his prophecy.

Byzantine miniature preserved on Mount Athos. The Infant Christ is depicted as a youth and as the Bridegroom of the Church in bright vestments; Christ and Mary the Mother of God both recline on green grass strewn with flowers, symbolically pointing to Paradise. Christ is full of sorrow, He turns His gaze to the Mother, Who embraces Him.

Already on ancient Russian icons the theme of Paradise dominates; the Tree of Life, scarlet birds of paradise and a scroll of the sky at the top of the icon with stars are depicted. Everything speaks of the Garden of Eden in the bright Heavenly Dwelling of God.
Pskov icon of the 16th century.

There is a dialogue between Christ and the Mother of God, which is recorded on scrolls unfolded in Their hands. Angels surround the Divine bed with a candle and instruments of the passions or with a ripida and a Cross. Most likely, one of them is Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly army; this is indicated by his larger size compared to the other angel.
Moscow. mid-16th century

All ancient Russian icons are written on white, symbolically WHITE COLOR has the same meaning as the primordial light, it is also the Light of Life, and the Divine uncreated radiance, and the Heavenly Dwelling, and the Paradise of spiritual sweetness, the coming Glory of the Future Age, Easter, Resurrection and immortality.
The Mother of God turns to Christ in prayer with sadness, love and hope. Comforting His Mother, the Son of God answers Her request with the words of Solomon: “I sleep, but My heart is watchful.” (Song of Songs: 5, 2) These words can be translated as follows: although I must die as a man in order to redeem and save the sinful race of Adam, but as God I always live, therefore, “I will rise again and exalt with glory, like God, by faith and the love of You who magnify." Glorifying You, My Mother, as the Mother of God.
Therefore, it is known that in ancient Russian icon painting from the 16th century this iconography received the name “Wakeful Eye”.

The iconography of the Sleepless Eye also serves as a visible image of the service of commemoration of Good Friday, when the canon of St. Simeon Metaphrast, which describes the Lamentation of the Virgin Mary, is read in the Church.

Images of the Mother of God related to the iconography of Anapeson.

Series of messages "

Events from the history of the icon

This is one of the rarest icons, but it has only a locally revered meaning, which is a pity, because the allegory contained in this beautiful composition is deep and multi-symbolic. The icon came to Russia from St. Athos, where it was created approximately at the turn of the 13th - 14th centuries by the Greek icon painter Manuel Panselin, who worked in the Macedonian school, whose brushes belonged to the paintings of such St. Athos monasteries as Vatopedi, the Assumption Cathedral in Protata in Kareia (ibid. , on Athos). Also, some Western researchers suggest that Manuel Panselin painted frescoes in the main churches of the Pantokrator and Great Lavra monasteries. He also owns icons and many other ancient icon-painting masterpieces in the monasteries of St. Athos.

In Russia, in the city of Rybinsk, there is a monastery icon not far from the Rybinsk train station, known for its miraculous powers. For information on how to get to the place where it is located, see the section “Which churches have the icon.” It was donated to the Rybinsk chapel by the daughter of the famous preacher, Archpriest Rodion Putyatin. Only the name of this icon is “Savior, the Watchful Eye.” This is where some confusion begins, which arises, for example, when indicating the pictorial difference between the icons of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows”, or “Softening Evil Hearts”. They differ in details, but their typology and meaning are practically the same.

In Uglich, in the Epiphany Chapel of the Epiphany Monastery, there is an icon of the Savior, the Watchful Eye, which in 1848 was left as a gift by a resident of the city A.V. Lebedev, who certified that this icon is very ancient and has long been considered miraculous. The list of icons is kept there to this day.

Another icon with the same name is located in the city of Uglich, Yaroslavl province, in a chapel built under the cathedral monastery church. It was donated in 1848.

Meaning of the icon

“Savior the Watchful Eye”, in Greek “Christ-Anapeson” is an iconographic type that has few canonical versions. The plot of the “Watching Eye” icon is based on the legend about the earthly life of the Mother of God. On the way from Jerusalem to Nazareth (according to other assumptions, on the way to Egypt, but then Christ was still just a child), the Youth Christ, tired from the road, lay down to rest, and the Mother of God protected His sleep. During the rest, the angels announced to Her about the future suffering of Her Firstborn on the Cross, which is why Her face is so mournful and Her slender figure is gently and sadly inclined towards the Son’s bed. Parallel to rest - repose - is a symbol in the image, where instead of the throne, the bed on which Christ rests, a shallow cross is depicted, and on the icon there is the inscription “The Lord Almighty, the Unsleeping Eye, exalted on the cross.”

In later lists, one of which the icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov took as the basis for a list in the style of Kuznetsov’s writing, two angels are depicted on the icon. The one hovering above him holds a ripida 1 in his hands. This ancient church utensil takes part in the liturgy, when the consecration of gifts takes place before communion: bread and wine - the body and blood of Christ, they cover the paten on which lie the prosphora bread, a symbol of His body, and the chalice - a cup of wine, a symbol of His blood. Overall, it was a bloodless sacrifice. Here, on the icon, the ripida sways in the heavens above the young Christ, who has not yet set out on the path of preaching; but this is a proclamation of Him as a lamb to the slaughter, as mentioned by the Old Testament prophets.

At His feet stands an angel with a cross, a spear and a cane with a sponge: the cross is a symbol of the Tree on which He will be crucified, the spear will pierce His chest, the sponge on the cane - He is finally given vinegar to drink at His request: “After this, Jesus, knowing, that everything has already been accomplished, that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he says: I thirst. There was a vessel full of vinegar. The soldiers filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop and brought it to His lips. When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit” (John 19; 28–30).

In the meantime, He is just a tired boy who sleeps and does not sleep, like a young lion, whose Mother already knows everything about the future of the Son and every time, looking at him in following Him along His path, she remembers in advance both His torment on the cross and His Resurrection. But, despite the knowledge of the Resurrection, about the great quality of the event that will turn the entire spiritual existence of humanity upside down, opening the path to Immortality to everyone who follows the Son of Man, Her maternal heart suffers, for the hours of His torment are the torment of Her Divine Firstborn, Her CHILD. Only She, the Mother of God, knows all the bitterness and all the shock from the loss of her only Child, and the joy of His Easter Resurrection. Is this why, when we say the words: “O Mother of God, Virgin, Hail, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with you...”, there is a lump in our throats, because we put into the words of this most beautiful and tender of the Theotokos prayers the meaning of great sympathy for deliverance from Mother's torment for the Son and the eternal joy of being with Him, and what could be more beautiful than the sacred fate of a mother than existence next to her beloved child...

The Youth Christ knows all this, and His feat, with a careful, ardent, heartfelt examination of this icon, becomes even more majestic, higher, and, if you want, more touching for the soul, even more exalting the essence and meaning of what Christians believe in.

Here is the inaudible dialogue between Mother and Son, which theologians suggest and which is quite real and logical: “Lord Almighty, my Son and my God, listen and hear the prayer of Your Mother, which asks for Your holiness.” The son answers: “Why, dear mother, are you afraid, seeing that I rested on the wedding bed, crucified and laid in a coffin? I will rise in glory and punish the forces of hell."

Now, knowing a little more about the icon “Savior the Watchful Eye” and looking at it, created in Kuznetsov’s letter, in its joyful, radiant colors, won’t you think that, of course, you can and should come to worship in the places where this rare , overshadowed by time and many prayers - dialogues with the Lord and Mother of God - a list. But in order to see this sacred image, amazing in its ambiguity, every day - shouldn’t we include it in the series of our home icons?

Look at this icon again, anew, after what you have read about it, about its meaning. Rejoice in the fact that, if you wish, if you have her at home, you will be able to approach her every day, if required by a soul yearning for Love, seeking Faith, striving not to lose Hope. We all, who have believed in Him, now forever stand before His Unsleeping Eye, which will always protect and guide us, and the Mother of God will now and forever be our Intercessor and Intercessor before Him.

___________________________
1 Ripida (from Greek - fan, fan) - in the Orthodox Church, liturgical utensils in the form of a metal or wooden circle, rhombus or star on a long handle.