The icon of the Mother of God from the museum collection was made by an unknown master in the 19th century. It got its name “Of the Passion” because two angels holding the instruments of the Passion of the Lord — a cross, a sponge and a spear — flank the Virgin in this icon. The icons of this type feature the Divine Infant holding His Mother’s right hand with both hands: he holds Her thumb with his right hand, and squeezes Her hand with his left. He faces the symbols of His future suffering.
The holy image became famous around the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich. In the village of Palitsy, Nizhny Novgorod governorate, there lived a peasant woman named Ekaterina, who was tormented by bouts of rage: she made suicidal attempts, but every time the Lord protected her. This went on for seven years, and once, after another attack, the woman turned with prayer to the Mother of God: she made a vow to enter a monastery if the ailment disappeared. Soon she was healed, but forgot about her promise. When Ekaterina remembered the vow, she felt such fear that she became seriously ill.
Ekaterina saw the Mother of God again. The Virgin Ekaterina to tell people, “that those living in the world should refrain from anger, envy, drunkenness and all impurity.” But Ekaterina was afraid that they would not believe her, so she did not tell anyone about her dreams. Because of this, she became ill again: her head turned to the side, her mouth twisted, and her arms and legs stopped obeying. But the Mother of God helped the poor woman again. In a dream, Ekaterina heard a voice that told her to go immediately to Nizhny Novgorod to the icon painter Gregory and pray in front of an icon dedicated to the Mother of God: “When you pray in front of that image in faith, you and many others will receive healing.” Ekaterina did just that, and after fervent prayers, she got rid of her illness.
Since that time, the icon was known for numerous miracles it performed. In 1641, at the request of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the miraculous image was transferred from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow. The citizens greeted it at the Tverskiye Gates, and later the Strastnoy Monastery (of the Passion) was built on this place (today this is Pushkin Square).
The holy image became famous around the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich. In the village of Palitsy, Nizhny Novgorod governorate, there lived a peasant woman named Ekaterina, who was tormented by bouts of rage: she made suicidal attempts, but every time the Lord protected her. This went on for seven years, and once, after another attack, the woman turned with prayer to the Mother of God: she made a vow to enter a monastery if the ailment disappeared. Soon she was healed, but forgot about her promise. When Ekaterina remembered the vow, she felt such fear that she became seriously ill.
Ekaterina saw the Mother of God again. The Virgin Ekaterina to tell people, “that those living in the world should refrain from anger, envy, drunkenness and all impurity.” But Ekaterina was afraid that they would not believe her, so she did not tell anyone about her dreams. Because of this, she became ill again: her head turned to the side, her mouth twisted, and her arms and legs stopped obeying. But the Mother of God helped the poor woman again. In a dream, Ekaterina heard a voice that told her to go immediately to Nizhny Novgorod to the icon painter Gregory and pray in front of an icon dedicated to the Mother of God: “When you pray in front of that image in faith, you and many others will receive healing.” Ekaterina did just that, and after fervent prayers, she got rid of her illness.
Since that time, the icon was known for numerous miracles it performed. In 1641, at the request of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the miraculous image was transferred from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow. The citizens greeted it at the Tverskiye Gates, and later the Strastnoy Monastery (of the Passion) was built on this place (today this is Pushkin Square).
