Holy Mother of God Virgin Mary. Life and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

10.05.2015

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of the Savior. In Christianity, it is considered the Mother of God, as well as one of the greatest saints. The name Mary in Hebrew sounds like Mariam, it can have different meanings, they include it - bitter, rebellious, beloved by the Creator.

The fact is that many scholars who are engaged in sacred writings trust the meaning of “beloved” most of all, and attribute this word to the ancient language of the Egyptians, which is explained by the presence of the Jewish people in African country over the course of several centuries.

Early Mary is not known to anyone

ABOUT early life Almost nothing is known to Mary for sure, in the Gospel the story of Mary begins from the moment when the Archangel Gabriel comes to her in Nazareth, who told that she was honored to be chosen, after which she should give birth to the Messiah. It is known that Mary became engaged to Joseph in those years, but remained a virgin, as evidenced by the words spoken by Mary - “How can I have a child if I do not know a husband?” The angel explained to her that the light and power of the Creator would come upon her, after which Mary agreed, saying: "Let it be as you say." After this event, Mary decided to visit her close relative Elizabeth, to whom the Archangel also came and said that she would have a son, although she was barren and she was many years old. Elizabeth had a son, John the Baptist.

When Mary was next to Elizabeth, she sang her a laudatory song, the Bible says that it resembles the song of Anna, the mother of Samuel, one of the revered prophets. Upon returning to Nazareth, her husband found out that Mary was having a child, after which he decided to let her go and not tell anyone. But the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him too, telling him about the Great Mystery itself.

Mary had to flee the city

In those years, there was a census, and the family was from the family of David, so I had to flee to Bethlehem. Soon a baby, Jesus, was born in the barn. Next, the magi came to the place of birth, who learned about the birth of Christ and walked in the direction of the Star in the sky. The shepherds saw Joseph, Mary and her child. Eight days later, a circumcision ritual was performed and the baby was named Jesus. Forty days later, the husband and wife went to the Temple to perform a purification ceremony in accordance with the law and dedicate the child to God. They sacrificed four birds. When this ritual was performed, Simeon, the elder in the Temple, decided to tell the future of the child to everyone present, after which he said that Mary would participate in the suffering of Jesus.

Mary was with Jesus for many years. Known fact When Mary asked her son to turn water into wine, a wedding was taking place in Cana at the time. Then she stayed with Christ in Capernaum. After Christ's execution, she also had to be in place, and Jesus told John to always be with his mother. After Christ ascended to heaven, she, along with those who were close to the Savior, waited for the Holy Spirit. They managed to see the descent of the Spirit, which took on a different form, it was fire. Further, nothing is said about the life of Mary anywhere.

Virgin Mary - the most holy of all women

Before the Council of Nicaea was held in the fourth century, clergymen and figures including Justina Martyr, Ignatius of Antioch, Cyprian and many others argued that Mary's role in the redemption of mankind was undeniable. If we talk about the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary, then she is considered the greatest woman of all that existed on Earth. According to scientists, in order to become the Mother of God, Mary needed to be honored with great divine favor. In Catholicism, the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary is considered as a logical condition that prepares the Virgin Mary herself for the coming of the Messiah.

Mary was saved from vice

If we talk about Pope Pius, he said that the Holy Virgin Mary became her even before the moment of the immaculate conception took place, everything consisted in the exclusive gift of grace. This suggests that the mother of the Savior was from the very beginning protected from sin, which alienates any creature from God, since the time of the first man, when the fall into sin occurred.

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From the Gospel we know little about Mary, the Mother of God: in addition to the story of the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus Christ and His childhood, She appears on the pages of Scripture in only a few episodes. But church tradition brought to us testimonies of the Mother of God of the first Christians, which were passed from mouth to mouth. Here are some of them.

Annunciation-Nativity-Christ-Meeting.-XII-c.-monastery-Saint-Catherine-Sinai

Do you know how old Joseph, Mary's husband, was?

Modern Western cinema likes to present Joseph the Betrothed as a man aged 30-40. Orthodox tradition says something else: “From the descendants of David, which was very honored by the Jews, twelve womanless elders were also chosen; and their rods were laid in the sanctuary. Among them was Joseph. And his rod vegetated during the night; and even on it, according to the testimony of blessed Jerome (340-419), a dove was seen flying from above. Hence was the knowledge that the Blessed Virgin was given to Joseph for safekeeping. Elder Joseph at that time was, some people think, about eighty years old” (Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)).

She had nothing stern in her eyes, nothing imprudent in her words.

Do you know what the Blessed Virgin was doing at the time of the Annunciation?

“The angel found the most pure Virgin not outside his house and chamber, not on the city streets in the midst of people and worldly conversations, not fussing at home in worldly cares, but exercising in silence, prayer and reading books, as the icon image of the Annunciation clearly shows, representing the Virgin Mary with a book placed before Her and open, as proof of Her unceasing exercise in reading divine books and contemplating God. At the very time when the heavenly herald appeared to the Virgin, She, as the God-wise Fathers of the Church believe, had in her mind the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the Virgin shall conceive in the womb” (Is. 7:14), and pondered how and when there will be that strange and unusual conception and birth for a girlish nature” (St. Dimitry of Rostov).

An angel came to preach to Mary. Do you know what and who is an angel?

“An angel is an entity endowed with a mind, constantly moving, free, incorporeal, serving God, by grace received immortality for its nature: only the Creator knows the form and definition of this entity. It is called incorporeal and immaterial in comparison with us. For everything, in comparison with God, who alone is incomparable, turns out to be both gross and material, because the Deity alone is in the strict sense immaterial and incorporeal” (St. John of Damascus).

Do you know why the Virgin Mary is called the "Most Honorable Cherubim and the Most Glorious Seraphim without comparison"?

“Because She received in Her womb the God-man, the Son and the Word of God, Who took from Her human nature and united with His Divine nature in His hypostasis” (Elder Ephraim of Philotheus).

Temple icon of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. XVII century.

Do you know why the Mother of God is depicted on the icon of the Annunciation with a lily flower?

The lily flower symbolizes purity. For her incomparable purity and chastity, She was chosen by God and was honored with a great miracle - she remained a virgin at the conception of the Savior and after His birth.

Do you know what the Blessed Virgin Mary looked like?
Description appearance The Holy Mother of God was given by the church historian Nicephorus Kallistos:
“The Blessed Virgin was of medium or slightly above average height, golden hair, quick eyes, olive-colored, arched and blackish eyebrows, an oblong nose, flowering lips, a face not round and not sharp, but somewhat oblong, arms and fingers long. She had nothing stern in her eyes, nothing imprudent in her words, - St. Ambrose testifies. In conversations with others, She remained calm, did not laugh, did not become indignant and did not get angry. Her movements are modest, her tread is quiet, her voice is even, so appearance symbolizes the purity of her soul.

Is there somewhere an icon of the Mother of God painted from Her during her earthly life?
The Most Holy Theotokos, just like the Savior, revealed her miraculous image in the city of Lydda during her lifetime.
The Apostles Peter and John preached in Samaria, where the new converts built a temple in the city of Lydda to the glory of the Blessed Virgin. Upon returning to Jerusalem, the apostles begged her to consecrate this temple with their visit and blessing. She agreed to this and, sending them back, said: “Go and rejoice: I will be there with you!” When the apostles arrived in Lydda and entered the temple, they saw on one of the inner pillars an image of the Mother of God written by an unknown person. Moreover, her face and details of clothing were made with amazing art and precision. Later, the Blessed Virgin also arrived there. Seeing Her image and the multitude of those praying in front of it, She rejoiced and bestowed miraculous power on the icon.

Do you know that the Theotokos came to the tomb of her Son?
The Jews, who hated Christians, did not want the Mother of God to come to the tomb of the Savior, who knelt there, wept and burned incense. The high priests posted guards and ordered them to strictly monitor so that none of the Christians dare to come to this place. If the Mother of Jesus violated the ban, She was ordered to be killed immediately. The guards vigilantly lay in wait for the Most Holy Virgin, but the power of God hid Her from the soldiers on duty at Golgotha. They never saw the Mother of God, although She kept coming there. In the end, the guards, under an oath, reported that no one came to the coffin and the guards were removed.

At the time of the Annunciation, Mary read and meditated on the words of the prophet Isaiah

Do you know how many years the Blessed Virgin Mary lived on earth?
Church authorities - St. Andrew of Crete, St. Simeon Metaphrastus, St. Demetrius of Rostov, His Grace Porfiry of the Assumption, as well as prominent church historians Epiphanius and Georgy Kedrin - assert that the Blessed Virgin lived "to extreme old age." According to calculations based on participation in the burial of the Theotokos Dionysius the Areopagite (57), by the time of the Dormition of the Mother of God, she was 72 years old.

Do you know why the parents of the Blessed Virgin suffered reproach for many years?
Parents of the Virgin Mary for a long time were reviled because of their barrenness. It was believed that this testified to the punishment of God for sins. Such a circumstance brought not only grief to parents who could not have children, but also a lot of inconvenience on the part of the people: Joachim was prevented from making sacrifices in the temple, believing that he was objectionable to God, since he did not create offspring for the Israeli people. Anna was also humiliated for infertility by those around her. Since it was known that the Savior would be born from the seed of David, each family hoped that this would happen through their descendants. And therefore, not having the ability to procreate meant losing this chance.

Do you know what craft the Mother of God owned?
According to Tradition, during the period of her life at the temple, the Virgin Mary worked on yarn and sewed priestly vestments. When She was given to the preservation of Joseph the Betrothed, it became necessary to make a new veil for the Jerusalem temple. Part of the work on this assignment from the high priest was performed by the Virgin Mary. After the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel, the Blessed Virgin went to her relative, Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56). According to legend, on the way She went to Jerusalem to give away part of the veil, which she had already made by that time.

By the time of the Dormition of the Mother of God, she was 72 years old

Did you know that Joseph, by law, had to judge Mary because she did not get pregnant from him?

The angel, in fact, announced to Mary a pregnancy for which there was no legal basis. And according to the law, it was supposed to be stoned for this, because there were no similar precedents for a virgin to conceive without a husband, and, accordingly, logically, such a pregnancy could only arise from adultery. In any case, Mary was in disgrace for life. But she just trusted God: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word"(Luke 1:38) . But Mary did not yet know how Joseph would react to such an event: he was engaged to a girl, and suddenly - pregnancy! At first, the elder just wanted to quietly terminate the engagement, without questioning his bride about anything and without trying to punish Mary in any way: “Joseph, her husband, being righteous and not wanting to publicize her, wanted to secretly let her go”(Matthew 1:19). But, by the way, the birth of a child out of wedlock would have placed Her outside society, Her further fate would have been terrible. And again, the appearance of an angel was required, but this time to Joseph, so that he would receive Her with the Baby in the womb and call Mary his wife: But when he thought about it,–Behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 1:20). It is not often that we have to talk about the courage and endurance of Joseph. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in the eyes of the entire Israeli society, Joseph was the husband of Mary and was considered the father of Jesus, and only Joseph and Mary themselves knew what kind of sacrifice the named father of Christ had to make.

The feminine principle, the image of a woman-mother, the giver of life, is revered in all world religions. Yes, in Ancient Greece thus became, in Asia they prayed to the goddess Cybele, in Egypt the supreme feminine personified. christian religion was no exception. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary contains both the divine miracle of the birth of life and the earthly path of an ordinary woman, whose fate turned out to be far from cloudless.

Childhood and youth

The father of the Mother of God was Joachim, a man of faith and righteousness. A mother named Anna, like her husband, always followed the letter of the Law of God. This family lived in complete harmony, only one thing overshadowed the existence of the spouses: the absence of children. For many years, Anna and Joachim prayed that the Lord would send them a child, but the prayers were in vain. The suffering of the childless couple was intensified by the ridicule of those around them, who did not miss a chance to slander over the grief of this righteous couple.

Anna and Joachim lived in marriage for almost 50 years and already despaired of having a child. But one day Anna, walking in the garden, saw an angel. He promised the surprised woman that she would soon become a mother, and her child would be known to the whole world. Anna hurried home to tell her husband about the vision. Imagine Anna's surprise when it turned out that Joachim also saw an angel announcing that the prayers for the child had been heard.

After some time, Anna really became pregnant. Then the couple made a vow that they would give the newborn to the service of the Lord. The daughter was born on time and received the name Maria (in Hebrew, this name is pronounced Miriam and is translated as “beautiful”, “strong”). The neighbors of Joachim and Anna began to gossip again, this time marveling at the miracle.

The couple raised their daughter and prepared to fulfill the promise. Three years later, they gave little Mary to be raised in the Jerusalem temple. Surprisingly, the girl easily overcame fifteen steps to the gates of the temple, which were sometimes difficult even for adults.

A few years later, the righteous Anna and Joachim died. Maria continued to live at the temple, studying with other girls in a special school. Here, young pupils were taught the basics of science, taught the Word of God, and also prepared for worldly life, housekeeping and raising children. Until the age of 12, Maria lived within the walls of this school. Best of all, the girl was given sewing. There is a legend that it was she who was entrusted with sewing a curtain and a coverlet for the temple sanctuary.

Given such an upbringing, an enviable bride should have grown out of Mary - hardworking, pious and educated. But such a fate did not attract the girl, and she took a vow of celibacy. This created certain difficulties: mature girls were not allowed to live at the temple, and the grown-up Mary had to leave God's house.

But it was impossible for her to live alone according to the laws of that time. The priests, who became attached to the pupil, found a way out: Mary was married off to the elderly widower Joseph, who, due to his age, had to keep the girl clean, allowing her not to break the word given to God.

At first, the elder was not happy about the young bride who fell on his head. In addition, the man was afraid of gossip behind his back and ridicule from relatives and neighbors - the age difference was so great. However, Joseph did not dare to contradict the will of the priests and took Mary into the house, calling him his wife.

Birth of Jesus Christ

After some time, Joseph, who worked as a carpenter, left the house for several months, going to the next construction site. Maria, remaining on the farm, looked after the order, wove and prayed a lot. According to legend, during a prayer, an angel appeared to the girl, who told about the imminent birth of her son.

The boy, according to the angel, was to become the savior of people, those whose arrival the Jews had long expected. Mary was embarrassed by this revelation, because she remained a virgin. To which she was answered that she would suffer from a higher power, and not from a male seed. This day in the Christian tradition became the feast of the Annunciation - in memory of the good news that the Virgin Mary received.

And indeed, Maria soon realized that she was pregnant. The woman did not yet realize the role that her son was to play, but she understood that she had become a participant in a real miracle of the Immaculate Conception.

Joseph, who returned home some time later, immediately noticed the changes that had taken place in his wife. This kind man did not immediately believe Maria's story, deciding that the naive girl simply became a victim of deception by some neighbor young man who seduced her.

The old man did not blame his wife and even wanted to secretly let her leave the city so that she would not become a victim of justice: treason in those days was severely punished, an unfaithful woman could be stoned and whipped. Then an angel appeared to the carpenter, telling about the immaculate conception of Mary. This convinced Joseph of the innocence of his wife, and he allowed the girl to stay.

Shortly before the due date, Caesar Augustus announced a general census of the population. For this, people had to come to Bethlehem on their own. Joseph and Mary set out on their journey. Arriving at the place, they found that the city was simply crowded with crowds of people. It was not possible to find a place to stay for the night, and the couple decided to spend the night in a cave in which the shepherds hid their cattle from the rain.

Virgin Mary with baby Jesus

It was there that Mary gave birth to a son. The first cradle for the boy was a nursery for feeding animals. That same night, the star of Bethlehem shone over the cave, the light of which told people about the appearance of a miracle on earth. In addition, the light star of bethlehem saw the magi, who immediately set off on their journey to personally bow to the newborn Son of God and bring gifts to him.

Seven days later, as required by the law of the time, the baby was circumcised and given a name. The son of the Virgin Mary was named. Then the boy was brought to the church to present to God and bring the traditional sacrifice. A certain elder Simeon, who also came to the temple that day, blessed the baby, realizing who was in front of him. To Mary, he allegorically hinted that both she and her son were destined for a difficult fate.

Gospel Events

While the Holy Virgin Mary with her husband and newborn baby was in Bethlehem, the cruel and ambitious King Herod learned about the birth of the Son of God. However, the soothsayers who told Herod about the miracle that had happened could not answer the question in whose family Jesus was born.

Then, without hesitation, the king ordered the destruction of all newborns that are only in Bethlehem. Joseph was warned of the impending disaster by an angel who again appeared to the elder in a dream. Then the carpenter with Mary and the baby took refuge in Egypt, and only when the danger had passed did he return with his family to his native Nazareth.

ABOUT further biography Theotokos in the Gospel is written sparingly. It is known that Mary accompanied Jesus Christ everywhere, supporting him and helping to carry the Word of God to people. Also, the woman was present at the miracle that Jesus performed, turning water into wine.

Obviously, Mary had a hard time: the constant sermons that her son delivered did not always evoke a good response in people. Often, Jesus and those who accompanied him had to endure the ridicule and aggression of those who did not want to accept the postulates of religion.

On the day when Jesus Christ was crucified by the executioners, Mary felt the pain of her son and even fainted when the nails pierced his palms. And although the Mother of God knew from the very beginning that Jesus was destined to accept torment for the sins of people, the mother's heart could hardly withstand such suffering.

Death and ascension

Mary spent the rest of her life on Mount Athos, preaching among the pagans and carrying the Word of God. Now built on that site large complex monasteries and cathedrals, each of which contains evidence of miracles revealed by the Virgin: numerous miraculous icons (some of them, according to legend, are not made by hands), the belt of the Virgin (kept in the Vatoped monastery), as well as the relics of people canonized by the church as saints.

At the end of her life, Mary spent all her days in prayer, asking her son to take her to him. One day, an angel appeared to the woman again, announcing that her prayers had been heard, and after three days her wish would be granted. Mary, who happily accepted the news of her imminent death, devoted three days to saying goodbye to those who were dear to her.

On the appointed day, Mary, lying on her deathbed, dutifully awaited her fate. People close to her gathered around her. All of them witnessed a new miracle: Jesus Christ himself descended from heaven to take his mother with him. Mary's soul left her body and ascended into the Kingdom of God. The body that remained on the bed seemed to glow with grace.

Ascension of the Virgin Mary

According to the records of the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Mary died in the year 48 after the birth of Christ, but there are other written testimonies that name both earlier and later dates. According to biblical tradition, the Mother of God lived for 72 years.

Some time later, the apostles discovered that the body of the Virgin Mary had disappeared from the burial cave. On the same day, the Mother of God appeared to them and announced that her body had been taken up to heaven after her soul, so that she could become a Holy Intercessor before God for people in need of help. Since then, the day of the Assumption of the Virgin is considered one of the main Christian holidays.

According to the traditions of Muslims (who revere Christ not as the Son of God, but as one of the prophets), Jesus (or Isa) performed the first miracle while still in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This happened on the day of childbirth, when the Mother of God was already completely exhausted from pain. Then Isa pointed out to the woman a spring created by God and a date palm covered with fruits. Water and dates strengthened Mary's strength and eased the suffering in childbirth.

On some icons, the Mother of God is depicted with lily flowers in her hands. This flower was not chosen by chance: the lily is considered a symbol of chastity, purity and purity.

The description of the appearance of the Virgin Mary is preserved in the works of the church historian Nicephorus Callistus. Judging by the notes of this person, the Mother of God was of medium height. The Virgin's hair shone with gold, while her eyes, lively and quick, were the color of olives. Nikifor also noted Mary's "juicy lips, arched eyebrows and long arms and fingers."

After the earthly death of the Mother of God, several places remained, which, according to legend, are considered the inheritance of the Virgin Mary. These are Mount Athos, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Iberia (now it is the territory of Georgia) and the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. It is believed that prayers read in one of these destinies will certainly be heard by the Mother of God.

December 8 - the day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary - is even declared a non-working day in some countries. From European countries This decision was made by Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain. On this day, divine services and prayers are read in Catholic churches and Orthodox churches. This day is also considered a public holiday in Argentina and East Timor.

Despite the fact that Mount Athos is considered one of the earthly inheritances of the Virgin Mary, women are not allowed to enter the territory of the monastery complexes. This rule is even enshrined in law, and violators will face severe punishment (up to imprisonment). However, this ban was violated twice: during civil war in Greece (then women and children took refuge in the forests on the slopes of the mountain) and during the period of Turkish rule over these territories.

Memory (in the Orthodox tradition)

• March 25 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• July 2 - Deposition of the Holy Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae
• August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• August 31 - The position of the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chalkopratia
• September 8 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• September 9 - The memory of the holy righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin
• October 1 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos
• November 21 - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos
• December 9 - Conception of the righteous Anna of the Blessed Mary
• December 26 - Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the biblical story we do not learn anything about the circumstances of Her Nativity, nor about the Entry into the Temple, nor about the life of the Virgin after Pentecost. Such details of the life of the Mother of God are brought to us by Church Tradition: ancient legends, church-historical writings, homiletic-biblical information about the life of the Mother of God appeared in the early Christian apocrypha: “The story of James about the birth of Mary” (in other words, “The Protoevangelium of James”; 2nd half.– late II century, Egypt), “The Gospel of Childhood” (otherwise - “The Gospel of Thomas”; II century), “The Book of Joseph the Carpenter” (c. 400, Egypt), “St. John the Theologian, the legend of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God" (IV-V centuries).

Not recognizing the Apocrypha as a source of dogma, at the same time she borrowed from them whole line plots connected with the earthly life of the Virgin. At the same time, the apocryphal stories themselves in the new edited version were cleared of the Gnostic element and agreed with the canonical story about the Mother of God contained in the Four Gospels. The popularity of stories borrowed from the apocrypha related to the personality of the Virgin was also facilitated by numerous translations of the ancient apocrypha into various languages: the Gospel of Childhood, for example, was translated into Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian; there are also its Latin (known as the "Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew"), Ethiopian, Arabic and Slavonic ("History of Thomas the Israelite", "Childhood of Christ") versions.

A long, centuries-old work to purify apocryphal materials related to the image of the Mother of God from the non-Orthodox ideas contained here and plots unacceptable to the Church led to the addition of a single and internally consistent Tradition about the earthly life of the Mother of God, to the implementation of the relationship between the circumstances of Her life with the liturgical year cycle (apocryphal legends about The Mother of God was actively used by such famous songwriters as St., St. and St.). Since ancient times, the stories about the life of the Virgin found a lively response among Orthodox Christians, were their favorite reading. They were part of various hagiographic literary traditions of the local Churches. The legends were also reflected in the sermons of the holy fathers (St., St., St. John of Damascus, St., etc.) on church holidays.

Tradition testifies that at the turn of two eras of world history, separated by the birth of Christ, elderly and childless spouses, the holy righteous Joachim and Anna, lived in the city of Nazareth. All their lives, dedicated to the fulfillment of God's will and service to others, they dreamed and fervently prayed that the Lord would grant them a child. Joachim and Anna made a vow: if they still have a son or daughter, then his or her life will be devoted to serving God. Finally, after 50 years of their marriage, the prayer of the elderly righteous was heard: they named their daughter Mary (translated from Hebrew - “lady” or “hope”). The girl, who brought comfort and spiritual relief to the elderly and God-fearing spouses, was destined to become the Mother of the future Savior of the world, the Son of God. According to her father, She came from the tribe of Judah, from the family of David; by mother, from the tribe of Aaron; among her ancestors were the Old Testament patriarchs, high priests, rulers and kings of the Jews.

Church Tradition brings to us a number of significant circumstances of the event of the Nativity of the Virgin. Joachim and Anna suffered greatly because of their barrenness, in which Old Testament morality saw God's punishment. Joachim was even prevented from offering sacrifices in the temple, believing that he was objectionable to God, since he did not create offspring for the people of Israel. Joachim knew that many Old Testament righteous, for example. Abraham, just like him, did not have children until his very old age, but then God, according to their faith and prayers, nevertheless sent them offspring. Joachim retired to the desert, set up a tent there, where he prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights. Anna, like her husband, bitterly mourned her childlessness. And she, like her husband, was humiliated for infertility by those around her. But one day, when Anna was walking in the garden and praying to God that He would give her a child, as He once gave offspring to the elderly Sarah, an angel of the Lord appeared before Anna and promised her that she would soon give birth and that her offspring would be talked about all over the world ( Protoevangelium 4). Anna made a vow to dedicate her child to God. At the same time, an angel appeared to Joachim, announcing that God had answered his prayers. Joachim returned home to Anna, where the conception and Nativity of the Mother of God soon took place.

Elderly parents made sacrifices of thanksgiving to God for the gift given to them. Anna, after the birth of her daughter, made a vow that the baby would not walk the earth until the parents brought Mary into the temple of the Lord. “... They are from Him,” says St. - received the promise of Your birth and, doing well, You, promised to them, in turn promised Him ... ”(Greg. Pal. In Praesent. 8).
When the future Mother of God reached the age of 3, Joachim and Anna, who had been postponing Her consecration to God until that moment, decided that the time had come to bring Mary to the temple. According to legend (Protoevangelium 7), Mary's entry into the temple was accompanied by a solemn procession; young immaculate virgins with lit lamps stood on the way to the temple. “...Let Joachim rejoice with Anna, as the holy fruit of them has come, Mary, the luminiferous, divine candle, and rejoice when entering the temple ...” (sedal on the polyeleos). Her parents placed Her on the first of the 15 high steps of the temple. And here, according to the legend transmitted by Blzh. , a miracle happened: Mary independently, without anyone's support, ascended the steep steps, entered the temple (Hieron. De nativit. S. Mariae). At the same moment, the high priest came out to meet Her: according to legend, Zechariah is the future father of John the Baptist (Forerunner). He, by a special revelation of God, led Mary into the Holy of Holies, where the high priest had the right to enter only once a year.
After that, Joachim and Anna left Mary at the temple. Her whole life in the temple was the work of a special Providence of God. She was brought up and studied together with other virgins, worked on yarn and sewed priestly vestments. Food bud. An angel brought the Mother of God. “Holy of holies, Pure in the holy temple, thou hast loved to dwell, and with the angels, Virgin, conversing, thou art most glorious from heaven, receiving bread, the Nourisher of Life” (troparion of the 4th song of the 2nd canon on the Introduction).

Tradition tells that the Mother of God lived at the temple for up to 12 years. The time had come when She had to leave the temple and get married. But She announced to the high priest and the priests that she had taken a vow of virginity before God. Then, out of respect for her vow and in order to preserve her virginity, so that the young maiden would not be left without protection and care (by that time Her parents had died), Mary was betrothed to the elderly carpenter Joseph, who came from the family of King David. According to legend, the Lord Himself pointed to him as a bud. betrothed and protector of the Virgin. Temple priests gathered 12 men from the lineage of David, put their staffs on the altar and prayed that God would point to the one who was pleasing to Him. Then the high priest gave each his staff. When he gave the staff to Joseph, a dove flew out of it and landed on Joseph's head. Then the high priest said to the elder: "You have been chosen to receive and guard the Virgin of the Lord." (Protoevangelium. 9). The Mother of God settled in the house of Joseph in Nazareth. Here She dwelt in labor, contemplation and prayer. At this time, a need arose for the manufacture of a new curtain for the Jerusalem temple. Part of the work on behalf of the high priest was performed by the Virgin Mary.

The moment of the Annunciation has come. This event is described in the New Testament by the Evangelist Luke (1.26-38). God sent to the Blessed Virgin Arch. Gabriel, so that he would announce to Her about the imminent Christmas from Her Lord. According to legend, at the moment when the archangel appeared before Her, She read an excerpt from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah “Behold, the Virgin in the womb will receive ...” (). The Mother of God began to pray that the Lord would reveal to Her the mysterious meaning of these words and quickly fulfill His promise. Just at that moment She saw the arch. Gabriel, who announced to her the imminent birth of a Son. The child will be the Son of the Most High, will be called Jesus, will inherit the throne of David, and His Kingdom will have no end. Mary is perplexed: how can all this be fulfilled if She remains in virginity? The angel answers: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God "(). Mary, in response to the words of the archangel, gives her voluntary consent to the Incarnation: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word ”(). Arch. Gabriel departs from the Mother of God. The unmarried conception of the Lord Jesus Christ takes place.

After the event of the Annunciation, the Mother of God went to visit Her relative of rights. Elizabeth, future mother of St. John the Baptist (Forerunner). Righteous Zechariah and Elisabeth lived in the Levitical city of Iutah. According to legend, on the way to Iuta, the Mother of God visited Jerusalem and handed over to the temple ready-made needlework - part of the new veil. There, over the Mother of God, the high priest pronounced an exalted blessing, saying that the Lord would glorify Mary in all the generations of the earth (Protoevangelium 12). The event of the meeting of the Virgin and Elizabeth is described by the Evangelist Luke (). At the moment of the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, the baby jumped in the womb of Elizabeth. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke prophetic words about the Mother of the Lord who visited her house. The Mother of God answered her with a solemn poetic hymn: “My soul magnifies the Lord ...” (), glorifying the mercy of God, shown to Israel in fulfillment of ancient prophecies about the Messiah. She testifies that from now on, all generations living on earth will please Her. The Mother of God was in the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth c. 3 months, then returned to Nazareth.

Soon Joseph noticed that Mary was carrying a fetus in her womb and was embarrassed by this. He wanted to secretly release her from his home, thereby freeing her from persecution under the harsh Old Testament law. However, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and testified that the Infant born from the Mother of God was conceived by the influx of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, Who should be called the name Jesus, since He will save mankind from sins. Joseph was obedient to the will of God and accepted Mary, again, as before, protecting Her purity and virginity ().

The New Testament story about the event of the Nativity of Christ is contained in two complementary gospels - from Matthew (1:18-2:23) and from Luke (2:1-20). It tells that during the reign of imp. Augustus in Rome (under whose rule Palestine was at that time) and King Herod in Judea, by decision of the emperor, a census was arranged. At the same time, Jews - for their participation in the census - had to come to those cities where their family originated. Joseph and Mary, who by that time were already expecting the imminent birth of the Child, came to Bethlehem, as they came from the family of King David (Euseb. Hist. eccl. I 7. 17). Bethlehem was the city of David. Not finding free places in the hotel, they were forced (although it was a cold season) to settle in a cattle pen - according to Church Tradition, originating in the early Christ. Apocrypha and in the testimonies of the ancient Fathers of the Church (Iust. Martyr. Dial. 78; Orig. Contra Cels. I 51), it was a cave. It was in this cave at night at the Blessed Virgin that the Infant Jesus Christ was born. Christmas was celebrated without the usual physical suffering for women in childbirth. The Mother of God Herself swaddled the Lord on His Nativity and laid him in a manger where they put fodder for livestock. Here, in the cave, She was a witness to the worship of the Lord of the shepherds and composed in Her heart the words of their story about a miraculous appearance in the field of angelic forces ().

On the 8th day after Christmas, the rite of circumcision and naming () was performed on the Divine Infant, and after 40 days they brought Him to the Jerusalem temple. This event is remembered by the Church under the name of the Presentation of the Lord. His circumstances are described by the Evangelist Luke (2.22-38). The baby was brought to the temple in fulfillment of the ancient customs of the Old Testament law of Moses (). In accordance with this law, women after 40 days if a boy was born, and 80 days if a girl was born, had to come to the temple to offer a cleansing sacrifice.

The Mother of God also visits the temple for the sake of making such a sacrifice. She brings 2 turtledoves and 2 pigeon chicks - a sacrifice that, according to the law, is permissible only for the poor. According to custom, after making a sacrifice for the firstborn son, the priest took the baby from the hands of the mother and, turning to the altar, raised the child high, as if handing it over to God. At the same time, he performed 2 prayers over him: one - for the law of redemption (the firstborn sons of the Israelites were intended, as belonging to God (), to serve in the tabernacle and temple - later these duties were assigned to the Levites (), but the law provided for the possibility of liberation from this ministry through a ransom), etc. - for the gift of the firstborn.

The Christ Child was met at the entrance to the temple by the pious and righteous elder Simeon. The elder uttered thanksgiving to God and his famous “Now you are letting go…”. He turned to the Theotokos, prophesying about Her fate: "... and Your very own weapon will go through the soul ...". The words about the “weapon”, that is, about the sword with which the heart of the Virgin will be pierced, is a prophecy about the suffering that She will experience when She becomes a witness to the torment and death on the Cross of Her Divine Son.

According to ancient Tradition, Vost. Church, it was after the event of the Meeting (Ephraem Syri. In Deatess .; and not on the night of Christmas - Ioan. Chrysost. In Matth. 1. 1; cf .: Theoph. Bulg. In Matth. 1. 1) that the Divine Infant was worshiped by those who came from East of the Magi (). Herod, deceived by them, sought the death of Christ, and the Holy Family soon - at the direction of the angel who appeared to Joseph - was forced to leave Palestine and flee to Egypt (). From there, Joseph and the Mother of God with the Child returned to their homeland only after they learned that Herod had died. Joseph learned about the death of the king from an angel who appeared to him in a dream ().

A whole series of pious traditions connected with the stay of the Holy Family in Egypt has been preserved. So, according to one of the legends, on the way to Egypt, they stumbled upon robbers, two of whom were on patrol, the rest were sleeping. One robber, vaguely perceiving the Divine greatness of the Infant, did not allow his comrades to harm the Holy Family. Then the Mother of God said to him: “The Lord God will support you with His right hand and grant you the remission of sins” (Gospel of the Childhood of the Arab Savior. 23). According to legend, it was this merciful robber who later turned out to be that prudent robber whose sins were forgiven by the Lord on the cross, and who was honored to enter paradise with Christ ().

Upon returning to Palestine, the Holy Family again settled in Nazareth (). According to legend, the Mother of God was engaged in needlework, taught local children to read and write. She was still in prayer and contemplation. Every year the whole Family went - according to the existing religious custom - to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. During one of these trips, Joseph and the Mother of God, who had already left the temple, did not notice that the boy Jesus, who was then 12 years old, remained in Jerusalem. They thought Jesus was going to Galilee with C.L. from their relatives or acquaintances; not finding Him among them and being disturbed by this, Joseph and the Mother of God returned to the Jerusalem temple. They found Jesus here talking to the Jewish teachers, who were amazed at His wisdom beyond his years. The Mother of God told Him about the grief that seized Her and Joseph when they did not find Him among their fellow tribesmen. The Lord answered Her, “Why did you seek Me? or did you not know that I must be in that which belongs to my Father?” (). Then they did not understand the meaning of the Lord's words. And yet the Mother of God kept all His words in Her heart, vaguely foreseeing the future that awaits Her Son and the Mother of God herself ().

In accordance with Church Tradition, after several. Joseph died years after this event. Now about Christ and His brothers (in accordance with the Eastern exegetical tradition, the children of Joseph from his first marriage - Euseb. Hist. eccl. II 1. 2; Theoph. Bulg. In Matth. 13. 56; see: Merzlyukin. S. 25-26) was taken care of by the Mother of God.

After the Baptism of the Lord and a 40-day fast in the desert, the Son of God found himself with His Mother at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Here the Mother of God asked Him to console the feasting, who lacked wine, and to show His Divine power for this. The Lord first answered that His hour had not yet come, and then, seeing the full hope of the Mother of God in the omnipotence of the Divine Son, and out of respect for Her (Ioan. Chrysost. In Ioan. 2. 4), he miraculously turned water into wine (). According to legend, soon after being married in Cana, the Mother of God, by the will of her Son, moved to Capernaum (Ioan. Chrysost. In Ioan. 2. 4).

Doing the will of the Heavenly Father was incomparably more important for Jesus than family kinship. This is evidenced by a well-known episode described in the Synoptic Gospels (; ; ): having come to the house where Christ preached, the Mother of God and the brothers of the Lord, who wished to see Him, sent to Him to ask for a meeting; Jesus Christ answered that everyone who does the will of His Heavenly Father is His brother, sister, and mother.

During the Lord's suffering on the Cross, the Mother of God was not far from Her Divine Son. She did not leave the Lord at the Cross either, sharing His sufferings with Him. Here She stood before the Crucified together with St. John the Evangelist. Christ said to the Mother of God, pointing to John: “Woman! behold, thy son,” and then to the apostle: “behold, thy mother” (). From this day on. John took upon himself the care of the Mother of God.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Mother of God was glorified among Christians by many of her miracles and was awarded great veneration. According to legend, she was a witness martyrdom archdeacon. Stefan and prayed that the Lord would give him the strength to face his death with firmness and patience. After the persecution of Christians that began under Herod Agrippa and the execution of James, the Mother of God and the apostles left Jerusalem. They cast lots to find out to whom and where the Gospel Truth should be preached. Iveria (Georgia) was assigned to the Mother of God for Her preaching. She was going to go there, but an angel who appeared to Her prevented her from doing so. He announced to the Theotokos that Iveria should be enlightened by the Light of Christ much later, but for now She must remain in Jerusalem in order to go from here to another land that also requires enlightenment. The name of this country was to be revealed to the Theotokos later. In Jerusalem, the Mother of God constantly visited the Tomb of Christ, which was empty after the Resurrection, and prayed. The Jews wanted to overtake Her here and kill her, and even posted guards near the Tomb. However, the power of God miraculously hid the Mother of God from the eyes of the Jews, and She freely visited the cave of the Burial (The Legend of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. 2).

Church tradition tells of sea ​​voyage Mother of God to Lazarus, who was once resurrected by the Lord and became the Bishop of Cyprus. On the way, Her ship was picked up by a storm and transferred to Mount Athos. Realizing that this is the same land that the angel announced to Her in Jerusalem, the Mother of God set foot on the Athos Peninsula. In those days, a wide variety of pagan cults flourished on Athos, but with the advent of the Virgin Mary, paganism was defeated on Athos. By the power of her preaching and numerous miracles, the Mother of God turned local residents into Christianity. Before sailing from Athos, the Mother of God blessed the people and said: “Behold, in my lot be my Son and my God! God's grace to this place and to those who abide in it with faith and with fear and with the commandments of my Son; with little care, everything on earth will be abundant for them, and they will receive heavenly life, and the mercy of My Son will not fail from this place until the end of the age, and I will be a warm intercessor to My Son about this place and about those who are in it "(, Bishop History Athos, St. Petersburg, 1892, part 2, pp. 129–131). The Mother of God sailed with Her companions to Cyprus, where she visited Lazarus. During her journey, the Mother of God visited Ephesus. Returning to Jerusalem, She still prayed often and for a long time in places that were connected with the events of the earthly life of Her Son. As the “Legend of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God” tells, the Mother of God learned from arch. Gabriel. The Mother of God accepted this message with great joy: She had an early meeting with Her Son. As an omen of the glory awaiting the Mother of God after Her Assumption, the archangel handed Her a heavenly branch from a date tree, shining with an unearthly light. This branch was to be carried in front of the tomb of the Mother of God on the day of Her burial.

When the Mother of God was reclining on her deathbed, a miraculous event took place: by the power of God, the apostles who were then in various countries were gathered in Her house, who, thanks to this miracle, were able to be present at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. This miraculous event is evidenced by the divine service of Matins of the Assumption of the Theotokos: “The all-honorable face of the wise apostle gathered miraculously to bury Thy most pure body, the Mother of God all-singed: with them the angel and the multitude are singing, honestly praising Your Resurrection, if we celebrate by faith” (sedalon according to the 1st kathisma on Assumption). According to Church Tradition, the soul of the Mother of God, shining with purity, was accepted by the Lord, who appeared with a host heavenly powers: “I marvel at the angelic powers, in Zion looking at their Lord, female soul by the hands of the one who bears: most purely begotten, sonically proclaiming: come Pure, be glorified with the Son and God ”(troparion of the 9th song of the 1st canon of the Dormition). Only ap. was not at the bed of the Virgin. Thomas (episode and description of the Ascension of the Mother of God according to the Latin version of the Apocrypha on the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God). According to Church tradition, after the death of the Mother of God, the apostles laid Her body in a cave tomb, blocking the entrance big stone. On the 3rd day, Thomas, who was absent on the day of the Assumption, joined them, who suffered greatly from the fact that he did not have time to say goodbye to the Mother of God. At his tearful prayer, the apostles rolled away a stone from the entrance to the cave so that he could also say goodbye to the body of the deceased Mother of God. But, to their surprise, they did not find Her body inside the cave. Here lay only Her clothes, from which a wondrous fragrance emanated. Orthodox Church keeps the Tradition that the Mother of God was resurrected by the power of God on the 3rd day after Her Dormition and ascended into Heaven. “Thou hast taken victorious honors on the nature of the Pure One, having given birth to God: Both, being like Your Creator and Son, obey the natural law more than nature. Even if you die, you rise with the Son forever” (troparion of the 1st song of the 1st canon of the Dormition).

Some ancient writers slipped the idea of ​​the martyrdom of the Mother of God (for example, in the Word attributed to Timothy, the Blessed Jerusalem, V century), but this assumption is rejected by the Holy Fathers (Ambros. Mediol. In Luc. 2. 61), Church Tradition.

The year of the Assumption of the Mother of God is called differently by ancient spiritual writers and church historians. indicates 48 A.D., - 43 A.D., - the 25th year after the Ascension of Christ, Nicephorus Kallistos - 44 A.D.

Source: Smirnov I., prot. Apocryphal tales about the Mother of God and the deeds of the apostles // PO. 1873. Apr. pp. 569–614; Amann E. Le Protoevangelie de Jacques et ses remaniemant latenes. P., 1910; Apocryphal stories about Christ. SPb., 1914. Issue. 3: Book of Joseph the Carpenter; Michel C. Evangelies apocryphique. P., 1924; Krebs E. Gottesgebaererin. Kln, 1931; Gordillo M. Mariologia orientalis. R., 1954; A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary // Ed. by M. O'Caroll. Wilmington, 1983; Gospel of Childhood (Gospel of Thomas) // Apocrypha of ancient Christians. M., 1989. pp. 142–150; The story of James about the birth of Mary // Ibid. pp. 117–129; Apocryphal stories about Jesus, the Holy Family and witnesses of Christ / Comp. I. S. Sventsitskaya, A. P. Skogorev. M., 1999; Logoi Qeomhtopikoi MonacOj Maximos. Hsuxastherion tes koimhseos tes theotokou. Katounakia; Agion Oros, 1999.

Lit .: Legends about earthly life Virgin: From 14 fig. and 26 polytypes. SPb., 1870; The Four Gospels: Interpretations and Study Guide. SPb., 1893. Serg. P., 2002: Interpretation of the Four Gospels: Sat. Art. for edifying reading; Snessoreva S. Earthly life Rev. Mother of God. SPb., 1892. M., 1997. Yaroslavl, 1994, 1998; The Mother of God: A Complete Illustrated Description of Her Earthly Life and the Miraculous Icons Dedicated to Her Name. / Ed. Poselyanina E. SPb., 1909. K., 1994. M.,; his own. Mother of God on earth. St. Petersburg; M., 2002; Christian Holidays: Christmas Mother of God. Introduction to the Church of St. Mother of God. Dormition of St. Mother of God. K., 1915-1916. Serg. P., 1995; Merzlyukin A. Genealogy Virgin Mary and the origin of the "brothers of the Lord". P., 1955, St. Petersburg, 1995/

ANNA

IN 80 BC was born Joachim, father of Mary.

Anna born in 74 BC in a large family, becoming the fourteenth child. Anna's mother was then 45 years old. Anna's parents, at that time, were middle-class people. They lived in the city of Nazareth, were engaged in cattle breeding and had a small herd. In addition, Anna's father kept a small inn. There were three rooms in the courtyard where visiting merchants stayed.

Nazareth was located very well, just on the way from Egypt to India, and caravans constantly visited this town.
Very often, Simeon, a well-known soothsayer, stayed in their house. This is the same 113-year-old elder Simeon, who was waiting for the appearance of the newborn Jesus in the temple. It was he who said then: “Praise the Lord that I waited for this!” At that time, Simeon was still young. He was engaged in healing, treated with herbs and could predict the future. He did this with the help of thirteen stones and a lamb shoulder. Simeon threw them up, and then carefully studied what alignment was obtained from the stones that fell to the ground. At that moment, the unknown future of man was revealed to him. Formerly people soothsayers were treated with great respect and faith. Simeon's prophecies always came true, and people often turned to him for help.

Little Anna was then 12 years old. Anna impressed everyone with her diligence, helped her mother with all her might in the household. At such a young age, she already knew how to work like an adult: milk a cow and run a household. At the same time, she was distinguished by her great love of life, irrepressible gaiety and, most importantly, an unchildish feeling of pity for all living things. She felt sorry for everyone - old people, weak and sick wanderers and neighbors, animals, she could not calmly look at anyone's suffering. Anna had a big and kind heart. Anna simply fell in love with the soothsayer Simeon. He was so strange and mysterious. He was engaged in something incomprehensible and mysterious - a real magician-wizard ...
The room where Simeon stayed was divided into two parts by a curtain. Anna - a terribly curious girl - hid in the second half of the room and from there carefully watched Simeon from the side, fascinated by his actions. She terribly wanted to understand what their mysterious guest was doing, and she wanted to learn it herself. Simeon also drew attention to the curious child. He liked Anna for her spontaneity, kindness and obvious, undisguised thirst for new knowledge. He slowly began to teach the girl the art of healing and revealed to her some of the secrets of medicine.
Simeon was not mistaken - Anna turned out to be a capable student and grasped everything right on the fly. Soon, she herself could talk about a toothache, remove a purulent abscess from the patient’s body, or calm the pain in the stomach.
In the past, home health care was practiced everywhere. Each family had a person who could help sick household members or pets. Magic, healing and predictions of the future did not surprise or frighten anyone, they treated this calmly, with faith and understanding. No one divided medicine into official and folk.

Once Anna begged Simeon to tell her what will happen to her when she grows up, what future awaits her. Simeon, agreeing, spread the stones and for a long time silently looked at the resulting alignment. He sighed, looked at Anna and did not say anything.
The intrigued girl began to persistently pull at him, persuading him to tell her the truth. Simeon refused for a long time, but then in the end, succumbing to her persuasion, he said: “You will live through a difficult and short life. And you will die when you give birth to a child, at the age of 54 years. You will have a girl, whom you will have to name Mary. This will be an extraordinary girl. Time will pass and she will have a son named Jesus. This man will be the Messiah, he will bring people a new faith that will save the world.”
After this prediction, Simeon began to look at the little girl with completely different eyes. From ancient prophecies, Simeon knew that someday a man would be born on the land of Judea, who in the future would turn the whole world upside down, cleanse it of filth and vice, give people new life. And now - wow - this prophecy is coming true right before his eyes!
Simeon now prayed for only one thing - if only to live to see this bright day and see the Savior of the world with his own eyes, if only he had the strength to wait for this miracle!
After all, it turned out according to the prophecy that the Mother of God Mary would be born when Simeon was almost a hundred years old! Just live to see this day!

At the age of 13, Anna was married to 19-year-old Joachim. In those days, children grew up very quickly, at the age of 13 the girl was considered to be of age and ready for marriage. They lived in the Holy Land, were well-born and rich, but they had no children. In the society that surrounded them, the absence of children in the family was tantamount to a curse, displeasure from Above, and therefore the priest stopped letting Joachim into the temple. He left home for the desert and decided not to return. Only Anna remained in the house, grieving over her misfortune. On the anniversary of her wedding with Joachim, she wept bitterly in the garden: “Woe to me, to whom I have become like, I have not become like the birds of the air, because even the birds of the air are fruitful before you, Lord! Woe to me, I have not become like the beasts of the earth, because they also have children! Even those waves will give birth to waves that play and splash, glorifying God. And I can’t compare with the earth, because the earth bears its fruits ... ”Anna’s cry was heard, the heavenly messenger - the Angel - assured Anna that soon a girl would be born to her, who would be called Mary.

Icon "Meeting of Joachim and Anna"
Images of Joachim and Anna are not uncommon in icon painting, they always represented them in the same way: Joachim - in the form of an old man with a long beard, Anna - in a long himation with a covered head. Sometimes they were included in a number of selected saints of the icon. There was also a special composition "Meeting of Joachim and Anna". Joachim and Anna hugged each other when they met after the gospel and Joachim's return from the desert to his home.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Years passed. Anna had long forgotten about the prophecy of Simeon. Business, household, life - life went on as usual. Joachim and Anna were considered in Nazareth to be a prosperous married couple of average income. They kept livestock - goats, cows, horses, bulls. And a large flock of sheep. In addition, Joachim owned a small oil mill, which produced sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter. Despite his advanced 60 years of age, Joachim still worked hard, trying to do the housework everywhere.
Suddenly, the unexpected happened - his wife Anna became pregnant again. At 54! Just a miracle! And only now Anna remembered Simeon! She told all her relatives - her husband, relatives - about the prophecy she made in her childhood: that she would become pregnant at 54 and die in childbirth, and the child that appeared should be called Mary, and this girl would then become the mother of Jesus, the Messiah, who would suffer a lot and will bring new faith into this world.

Anna's relatives were simply confused. What kind of prophecy, where, what kind of Messiah, will Anna really die, how is it, and then who will raise the child?
Joachim was already 60 years old, and he is unlikely to be able to raise a girl alone.
In those days, having many children was commonplace. And none of the relatives could take little Mary to them. And then Anna remembered her distant relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth's mother was a second cousin of Anna's mother. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had no children of their own, so they agreed to take Mary with them.

Early in the morning, at 6:15 a.m., July 21, 20 BC. e. in the house of Joachim, a girl was born, who was named Mary. Anna, unable to endure a difficult birth, died, as was predicted by Simeon.

Saints Joachim and Anna
The image of the parents of the Mother of God was ordered by the icon painter, usually by families without children or expecting their first child.

The child was very sickly, and it was not certain that the girl would survive without her mother's milk. Therefore, Joachim recorded his daughter in the family pedigree lists only when the danger of an early death had passed, i.e. exactly two months later, on September 21st.
This date was considered to be Mary's birthday. In our time, on this day, September 21, one of the twelve great church holidays- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.
All babies born three days before July 21 and September 21 are often gifted children, and they are all under the auspices of the Virgin Mary.
July 21 is a special day. Nature itself rejoices and celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary - the air is filled with the heady smells of summer and the sun, an extraordinary lightness settles in all people in the soul, in the morning everyone wakes up with good mood, anticipating that something extraordinary is about to happen today.

Dormition of Righteous Anna

July 25/August 7 - Dormition of Righteous Anna, mother of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Icon of the Assumption of Rights. Anna, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

According to legend, Saint Anna in Jerusalem acquired two estates: the first at the Gethsemane gate, and the second - in the valley of Jehoshaphat. In the second estate, she arranged a crypt for the deceased members of the family, where she was buried along with Joachim. The most pure body of the Mother of God was buried in this family cemetery. A temple was erected on the burial site. There is a legend that St. Helena Equal to the Apostles built a basilica here. In 614 the temple was destroyed, but the tomb of the Mother of God was preserved. Most of the modern building dates back to the time of the Crusaders. This is an underground temple, which leads to 50 steps, with aisles of Sts. Godfathers Joachim and Anna and Joseph the Betrothed, located on the sides of the stairs.

Funeral crypt of Joachim and Anna in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin

Tombs of St. Joachim and Anna in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin

In con. 10th century on Mount Athos, the monastery of St. Anna was built - the oldest of all Athos sketes. Devastated for years sea ​​robbers He is in the 17th century. It was restored by Patriarch Dionysios of Constantinople, who acquired the foot of the holy righteous Anna from Christians in Asia Minor. In 1680, a cathedral church was erected there in memory of the Assumption of St. Anna. Since that time, the skete began to bear the name "St. Anna". He is famous on Mount Athos for the high ascetic deeds of the monks.
Not far from the skete of St. Anna is the so-called New Skete of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin or "Little Anna". The proximity of these fertile places emphasizes the connection between the sacred events of the conception and the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Under the holy noble Emperor Justinian (527-565), a temple was built in her honor in Devtera, and the emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) renovated her temple, because the righteous Anna appeared to his pregnant wife ; at the same time, her body and the maphorium (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. The Assumption of St. Righteous Anna is celebrated on August 7 (July 25).

At present, particles of the relics of St. Anne are located:
- in the monasteries of Athos (the left foot in the Great Skete of the Righteous Anna, the right foot in the Kutlumush Monastery, the left hand in the Stavronikita Monastery);
- in various monasteries and churches in Greece (including the monastery of St. John the Theologian on Patmos, the church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos in Thessaloniki);
- to the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy, Moscow;
- October 26, 2008 a particle of the relics of St. Anna was brought from Athos to the temple complex of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God in Dnepropetrovsk, where she was placed in an ark in the lower aisle of the cathedral church in the name of Joachim and Anna;
- July 10, 2011 a particle of the relics of St. Anna was transferred to the Valaam Monastery.

Troparion of Righteous Anna

Tone 4
The life that gave birth in the womb was carried by you, the Pure Mother of God, God-wise Anno. Meanwhile, to the acceptance of Heaven, where the dwelling is rejoicing, rejoicing in glory, now you have reposed, honoring you with the love of sins, asking for cleansing, blessed.

Kontakion of Righteous Anna

Voice 2
We celebrate the memory of the ancestors of Christ, those faithfully asking for help, get rid of everyone from all sorrow, calling: our God is with us, glorify these, as if you were well pleased.

Magnification on the Assumption of Righteous Anna:

We magnify thee, holy righteous Anno pramati of Christ our God, and glorify thy dormition all-honorably.

The miraculous icon and part of the relics of the holy righteous Anna in the skete of St. Anna on Mount Athos.

On June 17, 2006, Valaam met the icon of the holy righteous Anna, the foremother of Christ, who has great grace from the Lord to heal from the ailment of infertility. This is a list with miraculous icon, which is located in the Skete of St. Anne on Mount Athos. There are now three such lists in the monastery, all of which are exact copies of the miraculous image of St. Anna, and were written directly in the skete of St. Righteous Anna. Countless letters of thanks have come to Athos from parents who have found the opportunity to have children, thanks to the intercession of the holy righteous Anna.

Prayers in marital infertility

For help from marital infertility, turn with prayers to the righteous God-fathers Joachim and Anna, the prophet Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Monk Roman, the martyr Paraskeva, named Friday.

Meeting of St. Righteous Joachim and Anna. Fragment of an icon of the 17th century.

Prayer to the Righteous Fathers of God Joachim and Anna:
About the glorification of the righteous of Christ, the holy fathers of God Joachim and Anna, coming to the heavenly throne of the Great Tsar and having great boldness towards Him, as if from your most blessed Daughter, the Most Pure Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, who deigned to incarnate!
To you, as a powerful representative and zealous prayer books for us, we resort, sinful and unworthy (names). Pray for His goodness, as if He would turn away His wrath from us, according to our deeds righteously moved on us, and let our countless sins, despising, turn us to the path of repentance, and confirm us on the paths of His commandments. Also, with your prayers, save our life in the world, and ask for good haste in all the good things, all that is needed for life and piety from God, giving us from all misfortunes and misfortunes and sudden death by your intercession, delivering us, and protecting us from all enemies visible and invisible, as if we would live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity, and so in the world this temporary life has passed away, we will achieve eternal peace, even if by your holy supplication let us be made worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him, with the Father and the Most Holy Spirit, all glory befits , honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.

Personal petition of the righteous Anna for the gift of a child(from the Memorials of St. Demetrius of Rostov):
Woe to me, Lord! Who will I be like? Not to the birds of the air, nor to the beasts of the earth: for they also bring you, O Lord God, their fruit, but I alone am barren. Alas for me, Lord! I am alone, sinful, deprived of offspring. You who once gave Sarah, in her old age, the son of Isaac. You who opened the womb of Anna, the mother of your prophet Samuel, now look at me and hear my prayers. Stop the sadness of my heart and open my womb, and make me, barren, fruitful, so that what I have born, we bring to You as a gift, blessing, singing and glorifying Your mercy.

Kissing Zechariah and Elizabeth. End of XV - beginning. 16th century