November 15 is the Day of the Shuisko-Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God: the history and meaning of the image

Every year on November 15, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Shuisko-Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God, famous for numerous miracles. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Saturday. Read about the history, meaning and features of the miraculous image in the Izvestia article.

The Feast of the Shuisko-Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God — the history of the image

In the summer of 1654, a large-scale plague epidemic swept through the central regions of Russia. The city of Shuya (modern Ivanovo region) He also found himself at the mercy of a deadly disease. According to church tradition, then one of the parishioners of the local Resurrection church proposed to create a new list of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God for salvation from pestilence.

The parishioners supported this idea and began searching for a skilled icon painter. The choice fell on local craftsman Gerasim Ikonnikov, who was commissioned to create the image with special reverence and haste. The work on the icon took only seven days, during which the priests and parishioners performed daily prayer services and observed strict fasting.

After the completion of the work, the clergy transferred the image from the icon painter's house to the Resurrection Church. When the icon was installed in the local row of the iconostasis to the left of the Royal Gate, a bright glow began to emanate from it. Believers brought donations to decorate the image, prayed daily in the temple, and after a while the plague began to recede.

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In 1666, one of the first miracles related to the icon occurred. Before the image, the orphan Jacob, who was suffering from possession, was healed. According to the boy, he became a victim of spoilage after he found a handkerchief with unleavened bread on the road. The deliverance took place in front of numerous witnesses.

Word of the icon spread quickly, and in 1967 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich sent a church commission to establish the authenticity of the miracles. In the same year, the Shuisko-Smolensky icon was recognized as miraculous.

Shuisk Icon of the Mother of God — iconography

The shrine belongs to the iconographic type of Odigitria, or "Guide Book". This type of image dates back to the most ancient traditions, and the first such image, according to legend, was created by the Evangelist Luke.

However, the Shuisko-Smolenskaya icon has significant differences from the original model. It features a waist-length image of the Mother of God with the Christ child in her arms. The Savior is located on the right on the left hand of the Virgin. The main feature of the image is the unique position of the Infant's limbs: the foot of his right foot rests on his left knee, and he supports the heel with his left hand.

According to local legend, the differences from the Smolensk icon, from which the list was originally made, are due to a miracle. When the iconographer applied the prosis (a contour image repeating the original), he suddenly discovered changes in the position of the feet and hands of Christ. Gerasim tried to correct the image in accordance with the canon, but the next day he found the same changes again. Perceiving this as God's providence, the iconographer no longer dared to edit the image.

Where is the Shuisko-Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God?

In 1667, a stone church was erected on the site of the wooden Resurrection Church, which later acquired the status of a cathedral. The icon became the main shrine of the temple and the entire city, becoming widely known throughout Russia, especially in the regions of the Upper Volga region and the Volga region.

By 1798-1799, a new stone Resurrection Cathedral was built and consecrated. The miraculous image was placed in the main chapel, consecrated in his honor. The intercession of the icon is credited with saving Shuya from the cholera epidemics of 1831 and 1848. It is known that in 1837, the future Emperor Alexander II visited Shuya and venerated the shrine.

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In early 1922, during the Soviet campaign to seize church valuables, the miraculous Shuisko-Smolenskaya icon was removed from the temple. After that, the traces of the original image are cut off, its location is unknown.

Revered lists of the icon of the Shuisko-Smolenskaya Mother of God are in the cathedral and parish churches of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kozelsk, Kovrov, Kineshma, Ivanov, Palekh and other cities. More than ten icons are kept in museum collections and private collections in Russia.

Shuisko-Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God — what helps

The miraculous Shuisko-Smolensky icon is known for its help in various life circumstances. They pray in front of the icon for recovery from illnesses, resolution of difficult situations and strengthening in faith.

How does the Shuisk icon of the Mother of God help?:

• healing from diseases, especially eye diseases, deafness, paralysis and chronic ailments;
• protection from disasters — before the icon they pray for salvation from epidemics, natural disasters and ill-wishers;
• Family issues — believers ask for a happy marriage, family preservation and the gift of children;
• assistance to travelers and warriors — the image protects them on the road and in combat conditions;
• spiritual consolation — the icon helps in a state of despondency and promotes spiritual enlightenment.

Prayer to the Shuisk Icon of the Mother of God

"To my most gracious Queen, my hope, Theotokos, friend of the wise and strange intercessor, joy of the sorrowful, patroness of the offended! See my trouble, see my sorrow, help me because I am weak, feed me because I am strange. Weigh my offense, resolve it, for you will: For I am the Imam of no other help to You, no other intercessor, no other kind comforter, but to You, O Mother of God, may You preserve me and cover me forever and ever. Amen to that."

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and significance of the Ozyansky Icon of the Mother of God.