Probably, there is no more amazing phenomenon in the Christian religion than the myrrh-streaming of icons. And for priests, and for connoisseurs of icons, and for scientists, this phenomenon has always been a subject of controversy and great discussion. But the answer to the question of why such a phenomenon occurs has not yet been found. It is quite possible that humanity will never be able to solve this mystery.
What is the myrrh-streaming of icons?
This is the appearance on their surface of oily moisture, which is called miro. In addition, this myrrh has a very pleasant fragrant smell, which can be felt at a fairly large distance. Moreover, myrrh can be both thick and liquid, and can have a very different color.
But there was once an icon in our world that streamed myrrh for 15 years. And the name of this icon is the Myrrh-Streaming Iberian-Montreal Icon of the Mother of God.
This icon was painted in 1981 on Mount Athos. And it was written by Hieromonk Chrysostomos. In 1982, the Orthodox Canadian Joseph Munoz Cortes saw this icon and asked the creator of the icon to sell it. But got rejected.
Joseph spent several days in the monastery, and on the day of his departure he received the image of the icon as a gift. Before leaving the monastery, he attached the received icon of the Mother of God to the original in the Iberian Monastery.
Joseph returned home to Montreal, and the received icon took its rightful place in his “red corner”. A few days later, a real miracle happened - the icon began to stream myrrh. This event took place on November 24, 1982. And it went on for 15 long years. The myrrh of this icon had a very strong aroma of roses, and it was even collected in special vessels.
During these 15 years, the icon has traveled to many countries around the world. And everywhere the Orthodox just could not tear their eyes away from such a miracle. And its keeper Joseph was incredibly proud and rejoiced that this icon entrusted its fate to his hands.
But in 1997, on the night of October 30-31, Joseph Munoz was killed in Athens, and the Myrrh-streaming Iberian-Montreal Icon of the Mother of God simply disappeared without a trace. Her true fate is still unknown.
But in September 2007, a miracle happened again. A simple paper copy of the missing myrrh-streaming icon again began to stream myrrh, but already on the other side of the world - in Honolulu in Hawaii.
We are all earthly people and we want to shove all miracles into the framework of a rational explanation. So it happened with the myrrh-streaming icons.
There are 3 versions of the origin of myrrh:
- Deception and fraud for the sake of profit and popularity.
- The natural process of moisture formation when the icon is kept under certain conditions.
- Miro is nothing but the oil with which the believers are anointed. When kissing the icon, part of this oil remains on it. In addition, oil from the lamps that hang in front of it can get on the icon.
Of course, all these explanations can easily be considered true. But in our gray and everyday life, we so lack miracles, we so want to believe that the myrrh-streaming of icons actually happens, that icons are not just pictures, they are holy things that can not only stream myrrh, but also heal many illness.
Laboratory analyzes have shown that miro is a liquid of organic origin. How it appears on shrines remains inexplicable. As a result of the study of moisture taken from one of the weeping icons, it was found that "these are real tears." Miro appears on the icon literally "out of nothing". It happens that moisture appears and swells on the glass of the icon case covering the image, or appears on the icon itself under it. The antiquity or novelty of the icon, its material does not matter; can stream images on wood, paper, glass, etc.
The history of the Orthodox Church has about a thousand images, famous for miracles. Most of them are images of the Mother of God. The main reason for venerating the image as miraculous was the certified gift of concrete help to people: healing the sick, intercession from enemies, fires, and the elements. Sometimes this help was preceded or accompanied by a supernatural event: the Mother of God herself came in a dream or in a vision and told where and how to find Her image; the icons walked through the air, descended or ascended by themselves; from them a radiance was observed when they were found (Eletskaya-Chernigovskaya, Chestokhovskaya-Tyvrovskaya, Tsarevokokshayskaya, Zhirovitskaya, "Miluyushchaya", Akhtyrskaya, Galichskaya, Dubovitskaya), a fragrance emanated ("Uncle's Eye"), a voice sounded ("Skoroposlushnitsa", Yugskaya, Smolenskaya- Solovetskaya), the icon was updated by itself (Kasperovskaya) or the image on it came to life ("Unexpected Joy", Seraphim-Ponetaevskaya).
From some images, blood, tears, myrrh miraculously exuded. The outflow of blood ("Sacrifice", Dolisskaya, Chestokhovskaya, Iverskaya, Cypriot, Pakhromskaya, "Unexpected Joy"), as a rule - from a wound inflicted on the image, occurred to admonish people who insulted the shrine. Tears flowing from the eyes Holy Mother of God("Weeping", Tikhvinskaya-Afonskaya, Ilyinskaya-Chernigovskaya, Pryazhevskaya, Ryaditenskaya, Kazanskaya-Vysochinovskaya, Kazanskaya-Kargopolskaya, "Tenderness" - Novgorodskaya, Kaplunovskaya, Mirozhskaya, "Sign" - Novgorodskaya, Korsunskaya-Izborskaya), were perceived and as a sign of sorrow for human sins, and as a sign of the mercy of the Lady, crying for her children.
Until the 20th century myrrh-streaming or lachrymation of icons was a rare, exceptional phenomenon. Mass signs began to be observed in Russia in the 20th century. The first such period occurred in the early 1920s. 1991 - the beginning of the time of widespread signs from icons in Russia.
Icons are miraculously acquired, renewed, and myrrh-streaming in churches, monasteries, and homes. ordinary people. It's undeniable historical fact.
1991 marked the beginning of the dismemberment of Russia. The country was plunged into the abyss of trials. During Bright Week 1991, the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God from the Nikolo-Perervinskaya Convent in Moscow exuded fragrant myrrh. In the summer of the same year, in one of the ancient churches of Vologda, tears flowed from the eyes of the Lord on the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.
On November 22, 1991, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God shed a tear in the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral. “Tears of the Mother of God! A phenomenon that leads to awe and reverence,” Archpriest Mikhail Pomazansky writes about weeping icons. “It testifies how close the Mother of God is to the world. more grief how to see your mother weeping, then what a strong and terrible shock it must be for Christians to know that the Mother of God sheds tears about them and because of them! ..
We must accept the tears of the Mother of God as a reproachful for us and a warning, and a call to repentance!" For several years, icons have been flowing myrrh in the centers of Orthodox holiness - Optina Hermitage, the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage of the Riga Trinity-Sergius Monastery, in newly built monasteries, etc.
The number of reports of miracles from icons in Russia at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century broke all records. For example, in the Holy Vvedensky Monastery in the city of Ivanovo, from December 1998 to March 1999, 1047 icons streamed myrrh.
Pavel Florensky, a member of the commission for the description of miraculous signs in the Russian Orthodox Church, believes that there is nothing unusual in this: the mass flow of myrrh is caused by the fact that churches are being restored, and there are more icons. Many miracles are associated with the patron saints of Russia - the Royal Martyrs.
In September 1994, the Feodorovskaya Icon, the patroness of the Romanov dynasty, streamed myrrh in Tsarskoe Selo. In the Intercession Church of Marienburg (near Gatchina), built in memory of the miraculous salvation royal family during a train crash near the Borki station, the icon "Searching for the Dead" began to stream myrrh. This happened on February 17, 1994, on the eve of the celebration of this icon.
First, a thin light stream flowed from the eye of the Mother of God, then tears flowed one after another, then three strips of peace appeared from the left shoulder. Later, the entire surface of the icon became myrrh-streaming. The miracle lasted about two months. At one time, the story of the myrrh-streaming icon of the Holy Royal Martyrs also received wide publicity.
On January 31, 1997, in the house of a Moscow parishioner, a small paper icon of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas Alexandrovich and St. equally - app. book. Vladimir.
In 1998, the icon of Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich began to flow myrrh in the Moscow Church of the Ascension of the Lord on the Gorokhove field. The image was transferred here from the apartment of one of the parishioners, where the miracle was first recorded on November 7, 1998. The abundant outflow of the world occurred almost daily, and the wonderful fragrance did not stop for a single day, especially intensified during the memorial service for the Royal Martyrs.
Contrary to the laws of physics, the myrrh flowed along the icon lying on the lectern not down, but from four sides of the icon case to the image of the Tsar. Since then, the icon periodically exudes myrrh, which has been repeatedly recorded by movie cameras. This icon traveled around Russia, it was solemnly received in different dioceses.
The parishioners of the Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Stary Valovay, 200 kilometers from Penza, on the eve of Easter witnessed an unusual phenomenon: myrrh dripped from the icons, and blood appeared on them. “For the past year, we have had 27 icons streaming myrrh, but two weeks before Easter they began to “cry” especially hard. And six Icons bled altogether,” said Gennady Zalivnoye, head of the church.
“At first we watched how a red droplet appeared on the icon“ Crucifixion of Christ ”, on the forehead of Jesus, then it flowed in a trickle. After that, blood appeared on the palms, legs, ribs,” he said.
A little later, the "Savior Not Made by Hands", "Savior Blessing", "Savior Almighty", "Theophany", another "Crucifixion" - only those icons depicting Jesus Christ - bled. All of them stand either on the altar or next to it.
After the service, parishioners collect cotton wool and handkerchiefs from under the icons, on which myrrh flows. Then believers apply them to sore spots and are cured. “My son Vladimir has sore legs, they even had an operation. One leg hurt so much that he couldn’t sleep at night. I put a handkerchief soaked with peace on him, and the pain went away. Now he is much better,” said one of the parishioners. All myrrh-streaming icons of this church used to be in the homes of parishioners. And not a single one has ever bled myrrh, much less bled. And only in the temple a miracle happened.
The entire religious world is based on faith, and from time to time, significant phenomena and events appear in one or another, which either strengthen or completely eradicate people's faith. This category includes the phenomenon of myrrh-streaming icons, the scientific explanation of which has not yet been found. Although after each such case, scientists are trying to find an explanation for what is happening. However, they do not always succeed.
What does this mean and what does it portend?
To begin with, you need to understand that the term "myrrh-streaming" in itself is conditional. Miro is an oil-incense, which is made by combining more than fifty types vegetable oils, resins and fragrant herbs.
Myrrh is used when performing the sacrament of chrismation, and in cases where Catholic or Protestant Christians convert to Orthodoxy. This oil is brewed for only one week a year - during Holy Week.
The substance that is released from the icons during the myrrh-streaming only remotely resembles the traditional myrrh. They have a similar at first glance oily texture and fragrance. By the way, not always, and these two properties unite the real and the "wonderful" world. The color, smell and consistency of the substance that is released from can be different: from thick, viscous-resinous to transparent-watery.
Priests share this phenomenon into several types:
- Myrrh-streaming- when the icons emit an oily substance.
- Oil removal- when a thick dark substance is released, similar to resin.
- dewdrop- when the secreted liquid is clear and looks like ordinary water.
These three types of religious miracles are united by the term "myrrh-streaming". In Christianity, the allocation of liquids by icons is not a rare case. These events are also divided into three types:
- "Crying Icons". They are quite rare and are considered a formidable omen. The most famous “weeping icon” is considered to be the icon of the Mother of God, which has always predicted difficult times for Russia.
- "Myrrh-streaming icons". Here opinions differ. Some believe that the myrrh stands out in anticipation of important changes in history, while others are more pessimistic and argue that this phenomenon means future difficulties and trials that the people will have to endure.
- "Bleeding Icons". This is the rarest and most formidable sign in Christianity. Only a few cases of icons bleeding are known, and all of them were harbingers of terrible cataclysms, destructive wars and catastrophes.
scientific explanation
There are a lot of skeptics these days. There are many scientific and non-scientific explanations for the phenomenon of myrrh-streaming icons as a phenomenon.
For example, some believe that this miracle is just a scam on the part of monks and clergy, who deliberately sprinkle pre-prepared myrrh on icons, thereby increasing the popularity of a particular temple or monastery. This version gained particular fame after icons in Russia began to stream myrrh on a massive scale.
Due to the growing distrust, the church began to take any manifestations of myrrh-streaming more seriously.. Nowadays, before making the fact of the icon's myrrh-streaming public, many churches first seal the doors and arrange an internal check to exclude any human factor.
For several days the icons are under constant surveillance. and, if this phenomenon is confirmed, then the doors open again for pilgrimage and worship of the weeping icon.
There were also cases when the clergy "forced" the icons to stream myrrh, drilling small holes in them and hanging them with reverse side liquid bubbles. “Tears” were squeezed out of the bottles with various devices and appeared on the icon itself, as a miraculous phenomenon or a sign of God.
Sometimes the icon is mistaken for myrrh-streaming due to its simple fogging due to a sharp temperature drop.. This happens when people gather in church in cold weather. a large number of people and from their breath on the surface of the icons are formed droplets of water.
exposure
Nowadays there is a special "commission on miracles". It consists of believing scientists, physicists and representatives of the clergy. They go to the most famous and remarkable cases of miraculous phenomena and try to give each of the phenomena a scientific explanation.
As the members of such a commission say, most often the icons “stream” with the most ordinary vegetable oil, which is very convenient, because if it were water, it would simply glass down and there is a high probability that no one would have noticed this “miracle”. In those cases where the icons ooze myrrh, a chemical analysis of this blood reveals a simple mixture of glycerin and carmine, which can easily be made by mixing a little potassium and ferric chloride.
Oddly enough, when the control and checks on the phenomenon of “weeping icons” intensified, the icons simply stopped crying. For example, under Soviet rule, there were practically no statements about such phenomena. Nowadays, the church actively cooperates with the state, receiving support and recognition. Hence the frequent cases of such "miracles".
Icon of Matronushka in Belgorod
In 2017, one of the most famous cases of myrrh-streaming was the “weeping icon” in the temple of the Matrona of Moscow in Belgorod. According to media reports, this happened on the eve of March 8, but an official statement was made only on March 31, when the phenomenon was checked by a specially convened commission.
According to the clergy, myrrh flow itself took place on March 8 and 18, which in Orthodox Christianity are considered the days of finding the relics of the Blessed Martyr of Moscow and God's Hierarch Luke.
As soon as the clergy made an official statement, a huge queue of believers immediately lined up at the doors of the temple, who were eager to venerate and receive a blessing from the myrrh-streaming icon.
The second Belgorod miracle is the myrrh-streaming of the icon in the surgical building of the main city hospital, at which the temple, built in honor of the Crimean archpastor, is located.
According to eyewitnesses, trickles of an oily substance were noticeable on a simple paper icon, which exuded a pleasant smell. Interesting fact that all streams, except one, had a direction from top to bottom, and the topmost one first went a little to the left and only then went down.
Case in Gorelovo
Another miracle of 2017 is the myrrh-streaming of the icons of Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos in the St. Petersburg diocese in the church of the Hieromartyr Thaddeus in Gorelovo. According to the clergy of the temple, the myrrh flows through the icons there like streams. In order to collect this composition, a thick layer of cotton wool was laid on the lower frame of the icon, which changes every day.
Condensation was the first explanation for this case, but the icon is not under glass, and this possibility was quickly ruled out. Until now, no one can explain why the icon “wept”. However, the workers of the temple are filled with optimism and interpret this phenomenon only as the grace of God. Needless to say, every day a huge line of people who want to touch the miracle gathers at the door of the church.
During the time of Peter I
Peter the Great became one of the first Russian tsars who began to fight dishonest priests, in whose temples icons streamed myrrh with enviable regularity. During his reign, the king now and then organized raids on holy places to verify the authenticity of miracles. One of such demonstrative tests is well known in history, during which Peter appeared before the “weeping icon” of the Most Holy.
After carefully studying, this phenomenon did not make any impression on the Almighty.. Returning to the capital, the tsar sent a letter to the abbot of the monastery, in which it was said that from that day on, the Mother of God was forbidden to cry, otherwise "the backs of the priests will cry with blood."
At first, after such a statement, the Russian people spoke of the tsar in a not very pleasant way. But, Oddly enough, after that, the cases of myrrh-streaming icons decreased significantly.
According to historians, the priests of that time did not like the progressive policy of Peter the Great and they tried to resist it through various divine phenomena. For example, Peter ordered to shave off the beards - the icons wept. With the help of such methods, the clergy tried to turn the people against the king, however, he guessed their plan in time and all the miracles ended there.
Church considers icon as a special form of revelation of Divine reality.
All canonical icons in churches or houses are sacred due to their spiritual content and meaning. However, some are elected Providence of God for special signs. The inexpressible light, fragrance, myrrh emanating from them are material signs of the manifestation of the heavenly world, the Kingdom of God.
Laboratory analyzes show that myrrh is a liquid of organic origin, sometimes resembling olive oil, but how it appears on the shrines remains inexplicable. As a result of the study of moisture taken from one of the weeping icons, it was found that "these are real tears." Myrrh is not exhausted from the substance of the icon, but arises on it “out of nothing”. It happens that moisture appears and swells on the glass of the icon case covering the image, or appears on the icon itself under it. The antiquity or novelty of the icon, its material does not matter; can stream images on wood, paper, glass, etc.
The appearance, color, and consistency of the resulting liquid are varied: from thick, viscous resin to dew, so sometimes they talk about “unruining” or “diffusing”. It may have a fragrant aroma. The shape and size of the droplets are also extremely variable. Sometimes they cover the entire image, sometimes they seem to flow from certain points. In the broad sense of the word, myrrh-streaming means any miraculous appearance of moisture on icons and sacred objects. Often, through the anointing with the exuded world, healing of ailments occurs.
The history of the Orthodox Church has about a thousand images that have become famous for miracles throughout the history of Christianity. Most of them are images of the Mother of God, the Heavenly Protector of the human race. The main reason for venerating this or that image as miraculous was the certified gift of concrete help to people, whether it be healing the sick, intercession from enemies, fires, or the elements. Sometimes this help was preceded or accompanied by some supernatural event: the Mother of God herself came in a dream or in a vision and told where and how to find Her image; the icons walked through the air, descended or ascended by themselves; a radiance was seen from them when they were obtained (Yeletska-Chernigovskaya, Czestokhovskaya-Tyvrovskaya, Tsarevokokshayskaya, Zhirovitskaya,"Merciful", Akhtyrskaya, Galichskaya, Dubovitskaya), a fragrance emanated ("Still sharpening"), a voice sounded ("Skoroposlushnitsa", Yugskaya, Smolenskaya-Solovetskaya), the icon was updated by itself (Kasperovskaya) or the image on it came to life ("Unexpected Joy", Serafimo-Ponetaevskaya).
From some images, blood, tears, myrrh miraculously exuded. bleeding ("Slain", Doliska, Czestochowa, Iverskaya, Cypriot, Pakhromskaya,“Unexpected Joy”), as a rule, came from a wound inflicted on the image - to admonish people who offended the shrine. Tears flowing from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos ("Weeping", Tikhvinskaya- Athos, Ilyinskaya-Chernigovskaya, Pryazhevskaya, Ryaditenskaya, Kazanskaya-Vysochinovskaya, Kazanskaya-Kargopolskaya, " tenderness»-Novgorodskaya, Kaplunovskaya, Mirozhskaya, "Sign"-Novgorodskaya, Korsunskaya-Izborskaya), were perceived both as a sign of the Mother of God's sorrow for human sins, and as a sign of the mercy of the Lady, crying for her children. From April 16 to April 24, 1662, the Ilyinsky-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God wept. This happened four years after writing the image. Subsequently, this icon became famous for many wondrous miracles described by St. Dimitri Rostovsky in the book "Irrigated Fleece". In 1854, Bishop Melchizedek of Romansk became one of the eyewitnesses to the flow of tears from the icon, which later received the name “Weeping” (in the Romanian Sokolsky Monastery). Vladyka said that similar events took place in ancient times and that this "always foreshadowed severe trials for the Church of Christ and for the Fatherland."
Church tradition knows several icons from which holy myrrh emanated. Even in antiquity, in the VI century, on Pisidian oil flowed from the hand of the Mother of God to the icon. Subsequently, this miracle was confirmed in its truth VII Ecumenical Council. In the XIII century. after earnest prayer, Procopius and people about salvation from the stone city of Veliky Ustyug according to the icon Annunciation(“Ustyugsky”), myrrh flowed - a sign of the mercy of the Mother of God that had taken place over the city. On September 16, 1392, myrrh arose from the right hand of the Mother of God on Tomsk icon. In 1592 the image "Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos" was kidnapped from Athos by robbers. But when the icon was covered with fragrant myrrh, they repented and returned the shrine. On the fifth week Great Lent 1635 to Oransky Bogoroditsky Monastery Nizhny Novgorod diocese during the evening doxology with an akathist on Vladimirskaya- Orange Myrrh flowed from the head of the Infant Jesus to the icon, and the whole temple was filled with fragrance. In 1848, in Moscow, in the house of Colonel D.N. Boncheskul, there was a newly written list miraculous icon "Help of sinners". IN Easter the icon shone, and on it they saw drops that looked like raindrops. To the touch they were oily and fragrant. Through the anointing with miraculous moisture, the sick were healed. The image was donated to the temple, where it became famous for other miracles.
Up to the XX century. myrrh flow or lachrymation of the icon (in the book E. Poselyanina“Tales of the miraculous icons of the Mother of God and Her mercies to the human race” describe 6 cases of myrrh flow and 12 lachrymation, respectively, for almost 2000 years of the history of the Church) was a rare, exceptional phenomenon. Mass signs are observed in Russia only in the 20th century. The first such period occurred in the early 1920s, when, along with numerous icon updates myrrh-streaming also took place (for example, on July 25, 1921, drops of myrrh flowed from the eyes of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the Harbin Cathedral and remained visible for several months).
1991 - the beginning of the time of universal signs from icons. Although individual cases were observed before (for example, myrrh-streaming from the icons of the Kazan Mother of God and St. Ambrose in Optina Pustyn November 16, 1988), it was from 1991 that reports of miracles from icons began to arrive one after another from various places in Russia. In the following decade, hundreds of cases were recorded. Icons miraculously are found, renewed, myrrh-streaming - in churches, monasteries, in the homes of ordinary people.
Fateful for the history of Russia, 1991 marked the beginning of the dismemberment of the state that had been gathering for centuries. A huge country was plunged into the abyss of trials. On Bright Week 1991, the icon of the Mother of God exuded fragrant myrrh "Sovereign" from Nikolo-Perervinskaya monastery in Moscow. In the summer of 1991, in one of the ancient churches of Vologda, tears flowed from the eyes of the Lord on the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. On August 18, an ancient icon of the Mother of God wept in Georgia. On November 22, 1991, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God shed a tear in the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral (Smolensk is the closest Russian city to Belarus, on whose territory the Belovezhsky agreement was concluded two weeks later).
Several icons showed sorrow at once different ends Russia and beyond. "Tears of the Mother of God! A phenomenon that leads to awe and reverence, - Archpriest Mikhail Pomazansky writes about weeping icons. - It testifies how close the Mother of God is to the world. But - let these tears not be! If there is no greater grief in the family for children than to see their mother crying, then what a strong and terrible shock it must be for Christians to know that the Mother of God sheds tears for them and because of them! .. Do they testify that Heaven see sorrows, that they hear those weeping, and that the Mother of God, through her icon, broadcasts a consolatory: “I am with you”? Does the Mother of God grieve over the disorder in the Orthodox Churches? We don't know. But let us not divert from ourselves the thought of the great significance of these signs for all of us and for each of us, we will not allow the thought that "this does not apply to us." Reproachfully for us, and warning, and a call to repentance, we must accept the tears of the Mother of God!
As in previous centuries, signs from icons are most often given on the days of Great Lent - the time of the repentance and condolences about sins. Nowadays, blessed dew or myrrh often appears not on one, but on several icons of the temple, on crucifixes. It can disappear and reappear. Eyewitnesses seem to be called to imprint in the heart the action of the good will of the Lord, as if sanctifying the "house of prayer" with the sprinkling of the world. And - according to the Oros of the Ecumenical Council - "to raise honor to the archetypal", in a mournful and difficult time, once again be convinced that the Fatherland and the Church have not lost their heavenly host.
In the 1920s, icons were updated around the country in waves, affecting only certain areas. In the 1990s, the whole of Russia became a place of signs: urban and rural churches, monasteries, houses of pious people. Never before has the Russian Orthodox Church encountered icons crying and streaming myrrh everywhere. This unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the country is an undoubted historical fact of great spiritual significance. This is the clear voice of God addressed to the entire Russian people.
Nevertheless, in comparison with past centuries, among the clergy and laity, there is a decrease in love and attention to the shrine of the Lord. The canonical rules are far from always followed: drawing up an act with the signature of the rector of the temple and witnesses of the miracle, and then submitting it to the bishop, who appoints a commission to certify the authenticity of what happened. Sometimes the clergy remain indifferent to such phenomena, sometimes they fear an unhealthy hype. But practice has shown the unfoundedness of such fears. Even after reports in the press, on radio and television about the certified miracle, no one rushes to the temple to see it. Only a small part of the believing laity experience genuine reverence in the face of the mysterious sign of God.
For several years, icons have been flowing myrrh in the centers of Orthodox holiness - Optina Hermitage, the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage of the Riga Trinity-Sergius Monastery. They are captured in photographs and film. Myrrh-streaming, crying icons in the newly built monasteries - the monastery in the name of the icon "Skoroposlushnitsa" in the city of Pechory (Komi Republic) - in 1994, in the Pokrovo-Tervenichsky monastery of the St. Petersburg diocese - in 1994 - 95 and in the monastery skete - in 1997 and etc.
In July 1994, the myrrh-streaming of icons was observed in the church with. Puchkovo of the Moscow diocese, including a paper reproduction of the icon of St. New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Several icons stream myrrh at once in a number of Moscow churches (St. Nicholas in Pyzhy, St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy, etc.), in the St. Petersburg church of Sts. rights. Simeon and Anna, in the churches of Kazan, Kaluga, Naberezhnye Chelny and many others.
Myrrh-streamings are surprisingly diverse in their nature. On the first week of Great Lent 1996 in the church with. Nizhnyaya Baigora, Voronezh region the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God streamed myrrh: February 24, on the eve of Forgiveness Sunday, the myrrh from the image flowed like a stream, so that a towel was placed under the icon, and the temple was filled with an inexpressible fragrance. IN Clean Monday myrrh flowed from under the crown and from the brow of the Mother of God; on Tuesday - drops all over the icon; on Wednesday, the icon dried up, and tears flowed from the eyes of the Lady. The rector was most of all amazed at the lack of faith and indifference of the people: no one came to the temple even just to look at the manifestation of God's mercy.
Signs from icons in the North Caucasus marked the beginning Chechen war: On May 27, 1994, the icon of St. Nicholas in Stavropol, and on June 9, on a holiday ascension Lord, in the presence of hundreds of pilgrims in the church of the village of Zelenchukskaya, tears began to flow from the eyes of the Mother of God on two icons - Iverskaya and "Skoroshlushnitsa".
Many miracles are associated with the patron saints of Russia - the Royal Martyrs. In September 1994 in Tsarskoye Selo myrrh streamed Feodorovskaya icon - the patroness of the House Romanovs. In the Church of the Intercession in Marienburg (near Gatchina), built in memory of the miraculous rescue of the Tsar's family during a train crash near the Borki station, the icon " Recovery of the dead." This happened on February 17, 1994, on the eve of the celebration of this icon. First, a thin light stream flowed from the eye of the Mother of God, then tears flowed one after another, then three strips of peace appeared from the left shoulder. Later, the entire surface of the icon became myrrh-streaming. The miracle lasted about two months. The icon itself was also painted in memory of deliverance from the death of the Imperial family.
On January 31, 1997, in the house of a Moscow parishioner, a small paper icon of the Tsar Martyr began to stream with a transparent, fragrant myrrh. Nikolai Alexandrovich and St. equal to ap. book. Vladimir. In 1998, the icon of Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich began to flow myrrh in the Moscow Church of the Ascension of the Lord on the Gorokhove field. The image was transferred here from the apartment of one of the parishioners, where the miracle was first recorded on November 7, 1998. An abundant flow of the world occurred almost daily, and the wonderful fragrance did not stop for a single day, especially intensified during the memorial services for the Royal Martyrs. Contrary to the laws of physics, the myrrh flowed along the icon lying on the lectern not down, but from four sides of the icon case to the image of the Tsar. The icon is one of the lithographic copies of the image painted in California. The porphyry-bearing Anointed One of God is depicted on it in golden-red tones, an extraterrestrial radiance, with symbols of royal power - an orb and a scepter in his hands. “This holy icon was painted to glorify the Tsar-Martyr in Russia,” reads the inscription on the image. The myrrh-streaming of the icon is perceived by believers as another sign of the Sovereign's holiness, another evidence of the need for his speedy canonization in his earthly Fatherland.
Signs of myrrh-streaming and crying icons are given to everything Orthodox world in different parts of the earth.
The most famous myrrh-streaming icon of the 20th century. became the Iberian-Montreal image of the Mother of God. Painted by an Athos icon painter, a copy of the ancient Iberian icon was presented to Joseph Munoz, an Orthodox Spaniard, who placed it in his apartment in Montreal. Since 1982, this icon has constantly exuded holy myrrh, and in August 1991, for the first time, tears were seen on it. Quite a lot of cotton wool with wonderfully fragrant world was sent to Russia. Healing mercy poured out on people who resorted to the Intercessor in sorrow and illness. The families of pious Christian prayer books exude myrrh-paper reproductions and photographs of the Montreal icon. A number of circumstances indicated that the image was mystically connected with the fate of Russia, the feat of the New Martyrs. After Joseph Munoz, the keeper of the miraculous icon, was killed under mysterious circumstances in Greece in October 1997, the icon disappeared.
The weeping of the Mother of God in New York is known: a family of Orthodox Greeks living in New York bought a small paper icon of the Mother of God "Passionate". In the spring of 1960, tears flowed from the eyes of the Virgin, from which grooves formed on the paper. The icon of the Mother of God wept Hodegetria" in the church of st. Nicholas in Chicago.
In a small temple in the Australian town of Mount Prichard on a patronal feast Dormition of the Mother of God, On August 28, 1994, the one and a half meter crucifix began to exude myrrh. Drops appeared on the face, arms, chest and legs of the Savior. They were light, oily, and emitted a fragrance reminiscent of roses or incense. During prayers, myrrh-streaming intensified so that drops fell from the icon to the floor. The miracle, which lasted more than a year, produced spiritual fruits. Many eyewitnesses, previously indifferent to faith and God, repented and became true Orthodox believers.
In November 1996, in Bethlehem, in the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the image of the Savior began to cry. It is located at the top of a marble column, located on the side of the main altar, in front of the descent into the cave where the Divine Infant was born. The Basilica of the Nativity was built in the 4th century. St. equal to ap. queen Elena and in the past sixteen centuries its service has never been interrupted. The miracle is officially attested by the priests of the Greek Church, one of whom said: "Jesus weeps because the world is going the wrong way."
February 3, 1997, on the day of the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy and Consolation" in the Kykksky monastery in Cyprus, the list of this miraculous icon wept. From the eyes of the Blessed Virgin and the right eye of the Divine Infant at the same time began to stream tears. The archbishop called the people to repentance, so that the entire island would not suffer the fate of its eastern part, where thousands of Orthodox were exterminated by the Gentiles.
The abundance of miracles and signs from icons performed in the end of the 20th century is a sign of God for all of Russia. This is a harbinger of grandiose events in the history of all mankind, a sign of the eschatological era. But miracles are not performed by God in order to strike someone's imagination. In Christians, signs give rise to feelings of fear of God and joy in the Lord, induce to intense prayer and repentance.
There are many miracles in life, that's for sure. Some of them science finds natural explanations, some debunks as a trick, and there are miracles before which even pundits reverently bow their heads. One of them is crying icons. The phenomenon when the tomb of a saint, an icon or a crucifix began to exude a fragrant liquid - myrrh, has long been known. A few years ago, the myrrh-streaming of an icon was considered the rarest and most formidable sign from above, which plunged entire generations of people into awe. However, now, this minute, thousands of icons are weeping simultaneously in hundreds of Orthodox churches in Russia and abroad.
The general “weeping of the saints” began in the mid-90s of the last century with isolated cases of myrrh-streaming images, but by 1999 it had acquired such proportions that the clergy had to establish a special Commission to describe the miraculous phenomena taking place in the Russian Orthodox Church. The commission includes both theologians and scientists of an absolutely atheistic profile - physicists and chemists. The preliminary conclusions of the commission (precisely preliminary, since the wave of church miracles is growing rapidly) are as follows: something unprecedented is happening in the history of Russia, and perhaps in the entire two thousand-year history of the church.
Miro - wooden oil with red wine and incense, used in Christian rites. According to legend, the rite of chrismation was established by the apostles. The main components - oil and wine - are poured into cauldrons and boiled over low heat. At the end of the process, incense is added to the thickened mixture, the resulting myrrh is poured into consecrated vessels, sealed and sent to the dioceses. The chrism is kept in altars on the thrones, and is used by the church when performing the sacraments of chrismation of Christians after baptism, during coronation, and also during the consecration of the thrones of temples. So, the "heavenly" myrrh has nothing to do with the church and is named so only by analogy: it is oily, with a strong smell - usually roses or lilacs. However, this is not a rule - the "heavenly" world may not smell of anything. It also differs in chemical composition.
If before it was believed that only old, prayerful icons had the “right” to stream myrrh, now it has absolutely no meaning. Today, the metal casing, and the glass surface of the icon case, and reproductions, and photographs, and photocopies can stream myrrh. Repeatedly weeping icons were captured on a photo or video camera. Here are just a few examples that can outline the scale of events.
Near Orenburg, in the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Nizhnyaya Pavlovka, there are as many as five myrrh-streaming icons. The Tabynskaya icon was the first to “cry” Mother of God. There was a phenomenon on the holy keys of Bashkiria, where the parishioners of the temple made a pilgrimage with the icon, and this is recorded in the annals of the local monastery.
On the mountain during the divine liturgy, a bright ray of sun fell on the Mother of God, - says the rector of the temple, hieromonk Anatoly. - And she began to stream myrrh. The icon literally expired: one “tear” flowed from right hand Savior, the other - from the right shoulder of the Virgin, and the third appeared below. The icon streamed myrrh all day, we put saucers to it, put cotton wool. When the cotton wool was soaked with an oily liquid, it was divided into small pieces and distributed to believers.
Then the icons of the Mother of God "The Inexhaustible Chalice" and Vladimir's were streaming myrrh. "Inexhaustible Chalice" - a personal icon of Father Anatoly. But since there are too many people suffering from alcoholism in the village, he often brings her to the temple. Then the Minsk icon of the Mother of God wept, and behind it was the image of Tikhon the Wonderworker of Zadonsk. By the way, usually Tikhon is asked to solve some domestic problems, he also helps in getting a job. All icons during myrrh-streaming are fragrant in different ways. The icon of the Mother of God of Tabynskaya smells of roses, Tikhon of Zadonsky exudes sweet smell like caramel or cake. Minskskaya smells like coniferous forest.
On the day of the opening of the orphanage in the village of Raduzhny near Vladimir, its pupils received a gift from the Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Evlogy - an icon depicting the Blessed Matrona. Three days later, the icon released myrrh. A subtle, unusual aroma, as it turned out later, was felt by everyone who went up in those days to the third floor of the shelter, where a small altar was equipped. But there was a bouquet of white lilies nearby, and therefore no one paid attention to the smell. special attention. Two days later, the flowers were removed and the fragrance became even stronger. Soon one of the pupils found drops of moisture on the saint's face. According to the orphanage's teachers, the girl kissed the icon with her burnt hand, which healed almost immediately.
In Voronezh, the face of the Valaam Mother of God streams myrrh in the cave temple of Kostomarovsky convent. The ancient icon has its own difficult fate - it is in bullet holes. It is believed that this icon was shot at one time by drunken Red Army soldiers.
Recently, a bleeding icon of the Savior was transported all over Russia. The icon belongs to Antonina Efimova, a resident of the village of Derzhavino, Orenburg Region. The image began to exude blood drops with a characteristic smell of blood more than four years ago. Yes, so much so that the face of the Savior was covered with dried scabs, as it were, and became almost indistinguishable. Bishop Sergius of Samara said on this occasion:
The first time I heard about it, I had my doubts. The Church is always very scrupulous about such miracles, carefully checking their veracity. But when I saw this image, doubts disappeared. On the icon from the head of the Savior, straight from the thorns of the crown of thorns, red trickles flowed down, and I felt the natural smell of blood. When the Samara experts took this exuding red liquid for chemical analysis, it turned out that this was real human blood plasma, the fourth group.
It is impossible to list all the facts. Even from distant Chicago come similar testimonies.
Archdeacon Zacchaeus (Wood) spoke of the miracles taking place in America as follows:
In our diocese Lately The Lord revealed weeping and myrrh-streaming icons. The first apparition took place a few years ago in the Albanian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. We also know about another icon of the Mother of God from Cicero, a suburban area of Chicago. She began to cry on the feast of St. George the Victorious. Another icon, which belonged to a pious Arab woman, streamed myrrh in her house. Surprisingly, the icons that were applied to the Antiochian icon in Cicero and to this one, even paper reproductions, began to stream myrrh and cry, which was an extraordinary miracle.
And, of course, everyone knows about the famous Moscow weeping icons: the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II in the Nikolsky Church on Bolshaya Ordynka and the myrrh-bleeding icon of the Mother of God "Seven-arrows", which, although kept in a private collection, managed to procession go around half the country.
Naturally, both church hierarchs and scientists have certain questions about so many miracles. The thought of falsification in this case can be dismissed immediately. Studies have shown that myrrh is deposited on icons, crosses and oklads from the outside like condensate, so the humor about holes drilled by "cunning priests" is out of place here.
Here is the opinion of Vladimir PAVLOV, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Moscow Institute of Astronomy. V. A. Steklova:
The myrrh-streaming icon, on which the sacred myrrh is formed “out of nothing”, violates the scientific concept of the universe. After all, what happens with it? “Out of nothing” matter is formed - myrrh, tears, drops of blood on the icons. For a scientist, this is an amazing discovery! From the standpoint of modern science, this can only happen by converting energy into matter, a process that is the opposite of that in which matter is converted into energy in a nuclear power plant. It's easier to doubt and consider yourself deceived... There is, of course, the corpuscular-wave theory that a single matter can manifest itself both as a wave and as matter, a particle. Perhaps myrrh-streaming is one of such manifestations. You just need to remember: not all knowledge in the world is obtained by scientific means. There is knowledge about which we cannot say at all where it comes from. We just know that it is. But there are aspects in the manifestations of miracles that can be studied within the framework of science. For example, the chemical composition of the world. In Klin, the icons feature organic oil, which is similar in composition to sunflower oil. But, of course, knowing chemical composition does not bring us any closer to unraveling the phenomenon itself.
True, Christians around the world are not at all concerned about the scientific aspect of the problem, but for good or for worse, they cried en masse Orthodox icons. The official position of the church was expressed by the head of the communication service of the Moscow Patriarchate Viktor MALUKHIN:
Like this. And in general - wait and see.
R. S. In the biological laboratories of Kiev University, an analysis was made of the world exuded by the relics of saints resting in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Miro turned out to be a substance with a high protein content - but this is not at all important. Biologists found it difficult to classify, but they said firmly: only a living organism can exude such a substance.
The Expert Working Group deals exclusively with the scientific description of miracles. So, in numerous cases associated with "weeping icons", specialists are primarily interested in the substance released during myrrh-streaming. However, you need to understand the terms. In fact, myrrh is a specially prepared consecrated composition of oil (oil) and more than forty fragrant herbs and substances. The compilation and consecration of the world takes place once every few years in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, after which it is sent in special vessels to all the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. Is it right to say that the "weeping icons" distinguish precisely the myrrh? Rather, experts say. The miraculous event itself can develop according to different scenarios, but the result is always the same - drops of some oily liquid of organic origin appear on the surface of the icon. They may be few - one or two. And it may be that the entire surface of the icon will be moistened. Drops may be colorless or colored. They may be odorless, or they may be fragrant. For example, those people who had the opportunity to contemplate the "tears" of the miraculous Iberian (Montreal) Icon of the Mother of God, talk about an unforgettable fragrance. Pavel Florensky recalls such a case: “In the 90s, the Andrei Rublev Museum handed over an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos to one of the Moscow churches. Priests arrived, kindled a censer. an amazing event happened - the icon "came to life" before our eyes. The Mother of God clearly "appeared" on the icon. At some point, I caught an unusual fragrance, I would call it the smell of another world. But it was definitely not the smell of incense or rose oil. "At the same time, it is not quite right to talk about myrrh-streaming, experts say. Rather, this unusual process is appropriately called "oil appearance" or "oil condensation". To make it more clear, Pavel Florensky cites such a case as an example. One day, experts learned that a woman lives near Bryansk, in whose apartment all the icons begin to emit myrrh. Specialists went to the place to see for themselves the unusual nature of what was happening. The hostess greeted them cordially, neatly spread a tablecloth on the table, and placed the brought icons on it. After that, the invited priest asked everyone to leave the room and served a prayer service. After a couple of hours, the icons were covered with droplets of a golden oily liquid. But, strangely enough, the oil also appeared on the ballpoint pen lying next to it. If the process is sacred, then what does the pen have to do with it? Experts do not yet know the answer to this question. However, they do not vouch for the purity of the experiment, as they had to leave the room for a while. And yet. “The appearance of oil on an icon, when a sacred world is formed from nothing, violates absolutely all the laws of nature. This is a real miracle, which, by definition, contradicts science,” says Pavel Florensky.
But in science there is not and cannot be the concept of a miracle. “The world is arranged in such a way,” says Alexander Moskovsky, “that the laws of nature are carried out in it with inexorability, and any miracle is perceived simply as a very rare, almost unbelievable, but nevertheless an event. Once on the eve of the Easter service, Archpriest Alexander Trushin from near Moscow, the village of Lyamtsino, approaching the temple, he heard that wonderful singing was heard in it. At first, the father thought that he was late for the service, but, looking at the door, he saw a lock. This, of course, could be attributed to a rich imagination, but in his "In the temple, such cases occurred at least twice more. There was another case in the Volga region. People were walking in a procession from one village to another and heard bells ringing. Only there are no bells nearby. And there are a lot of such examples."
Executive secretary of the expert working group Candidate of Technical Sciences Boris Sokolov calls for restraint in assessing the phenomenon of myrrh-streaming. The teaching of the Orthodox Church about miracles and signs has already been expounded, for example, in the works of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). However, often in publications and in conversations there are facts of inaccurate and confusing use and interpretation of the concepts "miracle" and "sign". It also became obvious that it was necessary to bring together the signs of true miracles and signs, which was done for the convenience of understanding, discussion and practical use. “A true miracle is never anonymous,” says Boris Sokolov, “its creator is always reliably known. A miracle is given specific people, and its meaning should be perfectly clear to them. A miracle is performed only in a certain spiritual environment, that is, in the presence of faith. Signs were given not to believers, but to unbelievers, and for believers, prophecies are intended. The facts of any miracle and the circumstances accompanying it must be completely reliable.
But establishing the authenticity of an event is sometimes not so easy. After all, you need to analyze the evidence a large number witnesses and determine how accurate and consistent the details of the phenomenon are. For example, if we take the myrrh-streaming of icons, then, as a rule, a feature of these phenomena is the ambiguity of meaning. Agree, it is difficult to imagine that if the icon of the Mother of God is streaming myrrh, then the Mother of God works this miracle, and if the icon of the Savior or the Tsar-Martyr, then these are their signs. And how then to be, if in the same place at the same time the most diverse icons begin to allocate the "miro"? Perhaps someone wants to tell us something.
Perhaps, it’s just not clear what exactly and to whom specifically. But both wooden icons and those printed in a typographical way stream myrrh. There were even cases when myrrh appeared in photographs of icons. Therefore, it can be assumed that all these phenomena may not be signs at all, but have a completely different meaning and purpose. “True miracles happen where there is faith,” says Boris Sokolov. “In unbelief or lack of faith, only false miracles are possible, and therefore the mass appearance of mysterious myrrh streams in the Orthodox environment cannot but alert us. Yes, we know the facts of miraculous healing of people after anointing their secreted from the icon of myrrh. But we can give examples of how myrrh-streaming had a negative impact on the health of entire families. "
As statistics show, icons most often stream myrrh not in old churches, but in restored or newly built ones. Where church life is just getting better. And everyone perceives this miracle differently. Some have an occult-consumer attitude towards myrrh-streaming, directed, for example, to the desire to cure a disease. Others treat such miracles with indifferent indifference. “For example, when we turn to this or that priest with a request to fix the myrrh-streaming,” says Pavel Florensky, “we often hear in response: “Well, what is special about this?” And that’s true. We must not forget that a miracle is a common form of existence Orthodox Church". Many priests generally consider myrrh-streaming to be a kind of poltergeist. There was, for example, a case when, having come to the temple, the parishioners saw the inscription "Love" on the wall above the icons. Who and when could make it, and even so high and in a closed church, remains a mystery. After a couple of days, the inscription gradually blurred, and a second word appeared above it - "God". A couple of days later, myrrh began to flow abundantly from all the icons in this church. In this case, you can see a kind of poltergeist without elements of intimidation, but with the obvious goal of attracting attention.
If we give a brief assessment of all miraculous phenomena, - says Boris Sokolov, - then we must admit that they do not correspond to the formulated signs of true miracles and signs. Therefore, it seems necessary to further study and comprehend them. And, therefore, the main work is still ahead of us.
OPINIONS:
Supporters of the materialistic theory of their origin shared their opinion on the nature of church miracles:
Alexander Nikonov, Chairman of the Atheistic Society of Moscow:
Real miracles are done in the circus, and dishonest ones are done in the church. This phenomenon - myrrh-streaming - was still fought by Peter I. He promised to pull out the beards of everyone whose icon streams myrrh. And since then myrrh-streaming in Russia has ceased. Until liberalization came. Now the world is slowly going crazy, sliding into the Middle Ages. These are the consequences of the democratization of knowledge. It is good that academic scientists are trying to understand the origin of miracles. But it would be even better if an experienced illusionist or magician were added to them. Because fooling a scientist is like fooling a child. Scientists proceed a priori from the honesty of the experiment. When he is dishonest, they throw up their hands and don't know what to say.
Igor Dobrokhotov, researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Problems:
There are three versions of the appearance of myrrh-streaming: a miracle, natural causes, man-made way. A review of the facts allows us to conclude that the version of a miraculous origin is the most unlikely. Even in church sources, we find that "... in composition, the substance from the surface of the icon is identical to flavored sunflower oil." In principle, natural causes are also possible. For example, when a tree dries, resin comes out, and many country houses also "stream myrrh" in dry, hot weather. An oversight during the drying of the boards for the icon can contribute to such an outpouring.
The handmade method may be the easiest. For example, applying oil to an icon. This oil will long time spread and dry out, creating the appearance of prolonged myrrh flow.
You can tell stories about the revelations of myrrh-streaming for a long time, and I would like to recall the words of Metropolitan Nikolai (Kutepov): “We have a parish in the Bogorodsky district (Nizhny Novgorod region). one must have some kind of conscience! A commission was quickly created. All the icons were wiped down. The temple was closed and sealed. At least one drop appeared in a week." For those who are still sure that myrrh-streaming is a truly miraculous phenomenon, I advise you to contact CSICOP - the American Committee for the Scientific Research of Paranormal Phenomena, where fabulous money is promised for each proven miracle. There have already been addressed about myrrh-streaming, but falsification has surfaced.
