Self-development 

Icon of the Unfading Color: meaning, what they pray for

Orthodox Christian icon of the Mother of God " Everlasting Color" is revered as one of the holiest and most beautiful images. Learn about the amazing power of the icon and how it can help you.

The icon appeared in Rus' in the 17th century; it was brought from Greece to Moscow, where it immediately became loved and revered. Since that time, many cases of healing from the “Virgin Flower” have been known. Indeed, in prayers they often compare the Mother of God and her son God's Jesus Christ with unfading, ever-fragrant flowers.

In the image, the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child in one hand and a white lily in the other. This is a symbol of purity, purity and deliverance from bad thoughts.

What is asked for from the “Fadeless Color” icon?

Before the image, Orthodox Christians pray for purity of thoughts and reconciliation with themselves, and ask to strengthen their faith. The Holy Face is able to protect from sins and guide you on the right path. The icon helps when choosing a spouse and warns against an incorrect or rash decision. Strengthens family ties.

If this face of the Mother of God is worn on the chest, it will preserve childhood and chastity. The breastplate should be worn by little girls and unmarried girls.

Lonely or lost people turn to the icon with prayers and requests. loved one People. They seek solace and peace in a beautiful image.

Girls and women turn to the Mother of God, the holy image protects the fair sex and helps in complex issues. At all times people came to the icon with requests for love and good life partners. They prayed for their loved ones who were in danger and asked for the men to be returned from the war alive and well. Married women they turned to the image with a request to strengthen families or prayed for the conception of a child.

People said that the face Mother of God with a lily you can preserve feminine beauty and youth, you just have to kiss the flower.

The Queen of God fulfills the fastest mother's prayers about her daughter’s marriage, because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love for her children.

Prayer to the icon “Unfading Color”

“Oh, Most Holy and Immaculate Mother of the Virgin, hope of Christians and refuge for sinners!
Protect all those who come running to You in misfortune, hear our groans, incline Your ear to our prayer, O Lady and Mother of our God, do not despise those who require Your help and do not reject us sinners, enlighten us and teach us: do not depart from us, Your servants, for our murmuring.
Be our Mother and Patroness, we entrust ourselves to Your merciful protection.
Lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life; let us pay for our sins.
O Mother Mary, our all-offering and speedy Intercessor, cover us with Your intercession.
Protect from enemies visible and invisible, soften hearts evil people, rising up against us.
O Mother of our Lord Creator!
You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity and chastity, send help to us who are weak and overwhelmed by carnal passions and wandering hearts.
Enlighten our spiritual eyes, so that we may see the ways of God’s truth.
By the grace of Your Son, strengthen our weak will in fulfilling the commandments, so that we will be delivered from all troubles and misfortunes and may be justified by Your wonderful intercession at the terrible judgment of Your Son.
To him we give glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".

Remember sincere prayer and request will always be heard. When turning to the beautiful holy image, keep your thoughts clean and orderly, and the Most Holy Theotokos will definitely help you. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

10.08.2015 00:30

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The Icon of the Unfading Color also has a second name - Fragrant Color. It is considered very ancient. April 16 large number Orthodox people come to honor this icon. This is a very powerful image that has created many different miracles.

Many experts consider this icon to be the most beautiful of all kinds of other images. When pilgrims brought it (17th century), people began to celebrate its miraculous properties, which continue to this day.


Why pray to the Fadeless Color icon

People have long known that prayer to the Unfading Color icon helps all girls who dream of maintaining their beautiful appearance and youth for as long as possible. Protects them and gives them strength to stay clean and live a right life.

The Mother of God, who is depicted on this icon, holds her small child in one hand, and with the other hand holds a sprig of a flower. Initially it was a bouquet of lilies, then a flower, in current time draw with a twig. It symbolizes purity, virginity and purity. Girls who wear such an amulet on their chests are protected from the vicious temptations of our world.

Prayer to the icon of the Mother of God Unfading Color helps a person gain additional strength so that he can overcome all the trials that life gives him. Saves marriage, strengthens family relationships, helps to overcome various family difficulties that happen in almost every family.

Girls and women who want to get married often pray in front of this icon. They ask that they meet exactly the person who will be their support for the rest of their lives, reliable, kind and a true protector. Before the wedding ceremony, they ask that the future family be reliable and strong.

Sincere prayer directs a person on the right path, adds spiritual strength that may already be running low, and relieves him of despondency and heavy thoughts. Many sources say that prayer in front of this icon is long time preserved youth and health.


How does prayer in front of the Unfading Color icon help?

Prayers in front of the Icon always add strength to a person, drive bad thoughts out of his head, and also give him faith in the future. In front of the icon of the Unfading Color, people ask:

  • help higher powers for marriage;
  • so that the decision in choosing a soul mate is not wrong;
  • a life partner for life, who will be in both joy and sorrow;
  • young, unmarried girls who are brought up in faith, in prayer ask for protection from vicious temptations, of which there are so many in this world;
  • girls also want to gain knowledge to properly raise the future generation.

History of the icon

It is believed that the icon first appeared on the island of Kefalonia, near Athos, and it was from this image that many similar versions emerged. An amazing story happened in this place many hundreds of years ago.

There was a tradition on this island that continues to this day. On the Feast of the Annunciation, people bring white flowers (tulips or similar ones) to the face of the Mother of God, where they lie until the Feast of Her Assumption. It is important to note that the flowers lie without water and sunlight almost five months.

But many years ago a miracle happened: the stems of flowers similar to lilies suddenly began to fill with moisture and come to life. Instead of already withered flowers, new buds appeared and after a while lush bouquets of white flowers stood in this place. Master icon painters were inspired by this miracle, and this is how the Unfading Color icon appeared.

The Athos icon spread throughout the Orthodox world. But a little later, three main directions appeared that made copies of this icon - Russia, Greece, Bulgaria. It is thanks to this that an incredibly huge iconographic diversity appeared.

The Everlasting Color first appeared in Greece around the 16th century. Pilgrims brought the first list to Russia much later. The first monastery to have this icon was St. Alekseevsky in Moscow.

The first records about the icon are found only in 1757; celebrations are held in its honor on April 16. Unfortunately, there is no exact information about where it came from in our region, but presumably from the Balkans.

Many historians believe that lists created in the 19th century and later are inferior to more ancient ones. Old icons depicted a large number of attributes; there were flowers in hands; later, a twig was increasingly depicted. The coloring of the composition became more restrained, and the crown disappeared.

Text of the prayer to the holy image

O Most Holy and Immaculate Mother of the Virgin, hope of Christians and refuge for sinners! Protect all those who come running to You in misfortune, hear our groans, incline Your ear to our prayer, O Lady and Mother of our God, do not despise those who require Your help and do not reject us sinners, enlighten us and teach us: do not depart from us, Your servants, for our murmuring. Be our Mother and Patroness, we entrust ourselves to Your merciful protection. Lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life; let us pay for our sins. O Mother Mary, our all-offering and speedy Intercessor, cover us with Your intercession. Protect from enemies visible and invisible, soften the hearts of evil people who rebel against us. O Mother of our Lord Creator! You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity and chastity, send help to us who are weak and overwhelmed by carnal passions and wandering hearts. Enlighten our spiritual eyes, so that we may see the ways of God’s truth. By the grace of Your Son, strengthen our weak will in fulfilling the commandments, so that we will be delivered from all troubles and misfortunes and may be justified by Your wonderful intercession at the terrible judgment of Your Son. To him we give glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion, tone 5

Most blessed Virgin Mary, we worship Your most pure image, We sing a song of praise to You, We bring needs, grief and tears to You, But You, oh, our meek Intercessor, Earthly sorrows are so close to You, accept our sighs, help us and save us from troubles. Tirelessly and with tenderness let us call to You: Rejoice, Mother of God, Unfading Flower.

Greatness

We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Thy holy image, through which we heal our illnesses and raise souls to God.

Conclusion

There is no doubt about the miraculousness of the icon, and miracles occurred not only in ancient times, but also in modern world. In 2007, in the Kherson region, it began to flow myrrh, and since then miracles began to happen.

People came from all over the CIS to the icon of the Unfading Color and read prayers to get married. Indeed, many women who could not find a life partner for many years found a husband after a short period of time and live happily in marriage.

Of course, after the miraculous deeds, everything more people started coming to this place. And more and more people were amazed at how prayers to this icon saved entire families and restored relationships. There have been cases where quarrels occurred within a family over many years, but after sincere prayer, people reconciled.

There are known cases of not only restoration of relationships, but also healing properties. Parents often brought their children to the icon and asked for help in healing, and after a while the children recovered.

Listen to the prayer to the icon of the Unfading Color

The holy image of the icon of the Mother of God of Christ “Unfading Color” was invented and created, as we think, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries on Athos.

The image was based on texts taken from the hymn - akathist. There are words in this text that compare Jesus and his mother, the Holy Mother of God, to beautiful and immortal flowers.

The day of veneration of the icon is considered April 16. One of the most ancient images of the Mother of God in the Orthodox Church is this particular image. There are many different and unusual stories creation and manifestation of holiness.

The icon can be considered one of the most little-known. The question of its origin and development of iconographic subjects, in Russian literature practically absent. The image of the Most Pure Virgin Mary appeared as a consequence of the development of the akathist cycle.

The history of the appearance of the icon

In the eighteenth century, a venerable, festive icon of the Mother of God “The Unfading Flower” appeared in Constantinople. The icon was further spread to the Greek lands. It is believed that the image gained particular popularity in Thessalonica.

The source for this image is the Grateful Canon of Joseph the hymnographer. This canon contains the words “this unfading color,” but they referred more to Christ.

But in the name of the icon of the Mother of God, the words already refer to Mary herself. The erroneous interpretation of words led to the development of this type of iconography. The earliest prototype for the icon was an engraving written in Western style from the Venetian Bible called “The New Treasury”. It dates back to the period 1612.

Here the Virgin Mary is depicted in full height and standing on the month. The head of Christ is decorated with four roses. Another iconographic predecessor of the icon can be considered the image of the Madonna with a carnation in her hand, painted by the young Leonardo da Vinci.

The icon stands among the most significant images dedicated to the Mother of God. In fact, the images of the icon of the Mother of God are varied, but they are all united by one symbol - a flower.

Flowers can be used in garlands, on flowering wands. Flowers are depicted on a pedestal on which the Virgin Mary and little Jesus sit. Most often, on icons, the Mother of God is depicted in luxurious, gilded clothes. And also on the icons there are images of Mary up to the waist, but there is always a flower in the hands of the Mother of God.

There are many myths associated with the icon. One myth is associated with its name. It was assumed that the name came from the Mother of God flower that grows on Mount Athos. It is known that in the nineteenth century there was healing from the “immortal” flower of the Virgin Mary.

This story was written down by monks in the tales of the Mother of God and published by the Panteleimon Monastery on Athos. This event, together with the picturesque descriptions of pilgrims to Athos, became the reason why the name of the image began to be attributed to the Mother of God flower. But this is just a myth. It is worth noting that the icons often depict the Mother of God holding a lily flower in her hands.

List Locations

In Russia, four images of the Mother of God were glorified. The first and most ancient was located in the Moscow Alekseevsky Monastery, on the site of which today is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Two more icons are in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

One of them came from the Church of St. Nicholas - “Mutrennaya”, the other arrived from the Church of St. James the Rawhide. The fourth icon is in the State Russian Museum. It was delivered from the now defunct Trinity-Petrovsky Cathedral.

All icons differ in their iconography and history of origin. But they have one thing in common - joy. And joy is depicted in shimmering gold, in the finest ornaments and with the fragrance of flowers.

The icon of the Mother of God is venerated by the Russian Orthodox Church even today. In honor of her, churches are being built in Moscow and the Moscow region at the address: the village of Rublevo, on V. Botylev Street, building number forty-five.

Icon "Unfading Color"




What does the meaning of the “Fadeless Color” icon help with?

The significance of this image is great for Orthodox believers.

  • The holy image carries deep meaning for all Orthodox Christians. People go to her for help and reassurance. To pray in front of a holy and pure image means to cope with your grief. Women of all ages turn to the Mother of God.
  • Young and unmarried women They pray for help in finding their betrothed. Women with children ask in prayer to give their daughters and sons the blessing of our Lord. After all, as you know, there are no stronger words in the world than the words of a loving mother.

In front of the holy image, turning to the Mother of God, those asking pray for their loved ones.

She helps:

Those praying before the icon of the Mother of God get rid of vague and sinful feelings that have settled in the soul. All doubts and fears go away future life. Most often, young and unmarried people who come to the image have lost faith in finding their soulmate.

The words addressed to the face of the Mother of God convey feelings and a sincere desire to find a betrothed who will not leave her, no matter what happens in life. But not only women come to the face of the Mother of God. In the church and at the icon, men are also frequent guests.

What do they pray for in front of the icon?

Prayers before the Holy Image give strength and faith in the future, banish gloomy and soul-plaguing doubts.

  • People who believe in the Lord, first of all, pray in front of the icon, in the hope of preserving righteousness and purity of deeds and thoughts.
  • And also about making the right choice and making decisions about a future spouse.
  • They pray for health, chastity and women's well-being.
  • They also pray for help in solving family problems and getting rid of all illnesses.
  • The prayer asks for help in finding the purpose and meaning of life.

The prayer of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” for marriage is read by women, to get married successfully and find family peace. The institution of marriage teaches that marriage is a commitment made by a believer. The purpose of any woman in fulfilling the divine will is procreation.

Only a woman is capable of giving life to a new person. Therefore, the prayer words read in front of the icon contain great meaning and a desire to fulfill the will of the Lord. The words of prayer can be different, the main thing is that they come from the heart.

Pronounced with special faith and desire, they will help a woman fulfill her desires in a fairly short time.

One of the many options for prayer to the Mother of God:

“Most Pure Mother of God, hear my words addressed to you in prayer. From me, a simple sinner. I ask the words of prayer to lift up the son of God to the throne. He is merciful and I will be heard. In my prayer I ask you to be an intercessor and patroness.

Ask for blessings for your servant: life in love and harmony for spouses, children, obedience, patience and complacency for all the offended and humiliated. For everyone I ask for reason, mercy, a spirit of meekness, purity and righteousness.

ABOUT, Holy Virgin Maria, save me from false pride and pride. Preserve in me and increase the desire to work and bless, I ask you, my labors. The law of God teaches people to live in a righteous marriage, then let me, Holy Mary, fulfill my destiny by becoming a wife worthy of a husband.

For the words of the Lord do not allow a person to remain alone in life. For this reason the Lord created a helpmate and a wife for the husband. He blessed and conveyed to them his desire that they grow and multiply and thereby fill the expanses of the Earth.

Most Holy Mother of God, I pray to you with pure words coming from my very heart. Give me a husband, a pious, kind and honest spouse. So that we can be together in love and harmony. And they could glorify you, Lord, father and son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen".

Review

“My husband and I have been married for three years. At first everything was fine. We understood each other, one might say, perfectly. Helped and supported in difficult situations. But unfortunately, as probably in any family, we had misunderstandings and frequent quarrels occurred on this basis. Of course, we tried and made compromises, but, alas, nothing helped. I was preparing mentally for our breakup. But to be honest, neither my husband nor I wanted a breakup. I have a grandmother. She is very pious man. And so she told me about the icon of the Mother of God. Granny said that we need to pray to the icon and ask the Mother of God to save our relationship and family. Now I pray and read a prayer every day. My soul somehow becomes lighter and hope appears. “Relationships with my husband began to improve.”

Katerina.

Not every church can find this particular image of the Mother of Christ. But fortunately, in any church shop you can buy either a photo of the “unfading color” icon or a small reproduction of the image. They can be used for their intended purpose - for your own personal purposes.

Place it in your home and, if necessary, say the words of prayer in front of the image. But do not forget that this is only an image.

Real healing of the soul, and help is given by the Lord, our Father.

Without deep faith in the power of the Lord, the words of prayer have no meaning. Remember the words of Christ: “According to your faith it will be given to you.” The miraculous image of the Mother of God gives help only to true believers.

Icon of the Mother of God "Unfading Color"...

April 16
Memorial Day
Icon of the Mother of God "Unfading Color"

The celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Flower” takes place on April 3/16, and in honor of the related image of the Mother of God “Fragile Flower”, which is almost completely close to it today, on November 15/28.

In more ancient images the difference was as follows. In the icon “Unfading Color” the Divine Infant was seated on right hand Mother of God, and on the icon “Fragrant Flower” - on the left. In modern icons these distinctions are often not respected.

How does an icon help?
The image of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” is the iconographic embodiment of chastity and purity, first of all, as spiritual properties, therefore, the Mother of God grants help to those praying before her in acquiring and preserving these wonderful and saving qualities for each of us. Chastity is the integrity of wisdom, inner peace, spiritual silence, humility and meekness; they give the female nature that fortitude that cannot be found anywhere else.

Prayer in front of this image helps in saving a marriage, strengthening a family, resolving family problems, and overcoming sorrows that sometimes happen in our everyday life.

Sincere and earnest prayer in front of the “Unfading Color” icon guides those who are spiritually suffering on the right path, helps to find the strength to endure deep sorrows, not to become weak from disappointment, and relieves them of despondency and heavy thoughts.

First prayer
C Blessing my Arita, my hope, the Mother of God, friend of the orphans and the strange, the Representative, the sorrowing, the Joy of the offended, the Patroness! See my misfortune, see my sorrow; help me as I am weak, feed me as I am strange. Weigh my offense, resolve it as if by will: for I have no other help except You, no other intercessor, no good comforter, except You, O Mother of God, for may we preserve and cover forever and ever. Amen.

Second prayer
ABOUT, Most Holy and Immaculate Mother of the Virgin, hope of Christians and refuge for sinners! Protect all those who come running to You in misfortune, hear our groans, incline Your ear to our prayer. Mistress and Mother of our God, do not despise those who require Your help and do not reject us sinners, enlighten us and teach us: do not depart from us, your servants, for our murmuring. Be our Mother and Patroness, we entrust ourselves to Your merciful protection. Lead us sinners to a quiet and serene life; let us pay for our sins.
Oh, Mother Mary, our most offering and speedy Intercessor, cover us with Your intercession. Protect from enemies visible and invisible, soften the hearts of evil people who retaliate against us. O Mother of our Lord Creator! You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity and chastity, send help to us who are weak and overwhelmed by carnal passions and wandering hearts. Enlighten our spiritual eyes, so that we may see the ways of God’s truth. By the grace of Your Son, strengthen our weak will in fulfilling the commandments, so that we may be delivered from all misfortune and misfortune and be justified by Your wonderful intercession in the Last Judgment Your son. To him we give glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to the icon
R Hail, Bride of God, secret rod, unfading blossoming flower, rejoice, Lady, with Her we are filled with joy and inherit life.

About the history and meaning of the icon


Our Lady of Unfading Color,
XVIII century, Tretyakov Gallery 		The history of the origin of the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” is touching and at the same time majestic. For a long time, on the island of Kefalonia, located near Athos, a very beautiful and largest island in the Ionian Sea, there is a tradition - it is preserved even now: on the day of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God white flowers are brought here, similar to the lily, with which the Archangel Gabriel appeared in his hand to the Most Pure One to reveal to Her the will of God about Her. Flowers are reverently and carefully placed under the icon case, to Her face, and there they remain until the very holiday of Her Assumption without water and without sunlight. But a miracle happens: after almost five months, their stems, dried out and in the twilight, incredibly fill with moisture, come to life, new buds appear instead of dried inflorescences and bloom into white lush flowers - here it is, “unfading color”!






Brought from Fr. Rhodes Greece.
Located in Moscow 		It is believed that from the first Athonite list, which spread to Orthodox world, three main ones emerged - Greek, Russian, Bulgarian. From them, in turn, came subsequent variants, which gave rise to this amazing iconographic diversity. In terms of time, the creation of the first, Greek original of this icon dates back to the 16th–17th centuries, and its appearance in Russia dates back to the 17th–18th centuries. One of the first revered lists came through pilgrims to the Moscow St. Alexeevsky Monastery, the first mention of which dates back to 1757, and it is in her honor that the celebration is held on April 3/16. It is not known for certain where the iconography of the image came from, but there is an assumption that it was from the Balkans.





Moscow, Armory Chamber,
end of the 17th century Salary - silver 		Around the same time, other lists appeared in Central and Southern Russia, and their variety is simply enormous, they are all magnificent, and their indispensable attribute is white, pink, red flowers in flowerpots, garlands, trellises, in other images these are lushly blooming wands in hand of the Mother of God. Sometimes flowers are woven into halos around the head of the Infant Jesus or form a pedestal on which the Most Pure One stands with the Child of God in her arms. In the marvelous inflorescences, stylized to one degree or another, one can discern roses, lilies, and immortelle flowers, which grow abundantly on the slopes of the Holy Mount Athos and are considered a symbol of not only immortality, but also purity.





Our Lady of Unfading Color
from the Church of the Intercession in Fili, Moscow, 18th century 		Also, this image arose from the Orthodox iconographic heritage: in the Benaki Museum, in Athens, there is an icon of St. Anne with little Mary, dating back to the 15th century. The Most Pure Virgin holds in her hand white flower, and in this symbolism one can clearly read the prototype of the white lily, which the Archangel Gabriel will one day hand to Her. In the State Historical Museum there is a 16th-century icon of the Virgin and Child with a Flower, where the flower is in the hand not of the Virgin Mary, but of Jesus, as in the first icon half XVII century "The Virgin and Child", created in Belarus. It is believed that this list became the source for images of the crown on the heads of the Mother of God and the Child of God and organically fit into the canonical principles of Orthodox icon painting.




Yaroslavl regional public organization
artists, icon painters, restorers -Sofia- 		TO 19th century the most complex compositions of the icon are simplified, the abundance of attributes is gone, except for the crown, flowers are often indicated by one branch in the hand of the Mother of God, the icon becomes less colorful both in composition and in color, therefore, according to historians and art critics of church painting, later copies are inferior to ancient ones. From this point of view, the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color”, created by icon painter Marina Filippova, continues the original, ancient tradition, although the image is based on a late canon, not overflowing with attributes.