Especially revered by Orthodox believers in the western regions of Ukraine. According to church tradition, it was brought from Constantinople to Rus' by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir of Kiev.
This image was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1259. It was brought from Kyiv to Kholm in the 1220-1230s by the Galician-Volyn prince Daniil. From this city, founded by the prince himself, the icon received its name.
Through Her image, the Most Holy Theotokos showed salvation to the inhabitants of the Hill during the invasion of Rus' by the hordes of Batu Khan. After praying at the icon of the Mother of God, the residents turned the image towards the approaching enemy. It began to seem to the attackers that the mountain on which the city stood was becoming higher and steeper as they approached. In panic, the enemy retreated from the city.
New trouble came in 1261. During the next attack, the Tatars destroyed the Hill. The icon itself suffered at the hands of the enemy - traces of a saber and an arrow remained on it. They say that when the Tatars removed the precious frame from the image, they immediately became blind. During that invasion the shrine was lost. A century later, the icon was found under the ruins and transferred to the rebuilt cathedral church of the city.
In con. In the 16th century, the temple, and with it the icon, passed into the hands of Greek Catholics. In 1650, during the war of national liberation under the command of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the cathedral in Kholm was returned to the Orthodox. The Uniates wanted to hide the icon, but they managed to find it a year later. However, by decree of the Polish king John Casimir, the image was transported to Lublin and again taken from the Orthodox, but in the same year the ruler returned the shrine back to Kholm. Orthodox believers greeted the return of the icon with tears of joy.
The image was in the Hill until the beginning of the 20th century. During the First World War, the shrine was transported to Moscow, and then to Kyiv, where until the start of the Great Patriotic War it was kept in the homes of believers. In 1942, the icon was restored, and in 1943 it returned to Kholm again.
In 1944 Kholm icon again left her place - during the advance of Soviet troops, Archbishop Hilarion (Ogienko) of Kholmsky took her out. Near Lublin, a Red Cross train carrying the archbishop came under bombardment. In the confusion, Bishop Hilarion could not find the icon - many carriages were equipped with utensils. So, a version appeared that the Kholm image burned down. But in fact, the shrine was not destroyed. At a time when everyone was saving things from the burning train, a relative of the famous writer Mikhail Bulgakov, Ilaria, took care of her, taking the icon into the field and covering it with herself, thereby putting her life at great risk.
Ilaria secretly brought the icon to Lublin and handed it over to the local Orthodox priest, and he already informed Kholm about the salvation of the icon. Then there was only one Orthodox church left in the hill, where Archpriest Gabriel Korobchuk served, whose family became the further custodians of the image. From 1945 to 1996, the shrine was kept in homes in Western Ukraine, while believers considered it lost.
In 1996, the keeper of the icon, Nadezhda Gorlitskaya, transferred the image to the Lutsk Museum of the Volyn Icon, bequeathing that the shrine should not be taken outside the city.
The restoration of the icon continued for a decade. Today this great shrine is kept in the museum in a special safe made of armored glass and is exhibited for the prayerful worship of believers on major holidays. Processions of the cross are held at the museum; pilgrims from all over the world come here.
Only 100 years after the destruction of the Hill, the holy icon was found during excavations and solemnly installed in the restored Kholm Cathedral. In our time, the image shows two ulcers that were inflicted by the Tatars: one on her left shoulder (from a saber strike) and the other on her right hand from an arrow. There is a pious legend that the wicked Tatars who robbed the temple were immediately punished: they became blind. With the transfer of Kholmsky Bishop Dionysius Zbiruysky to the union in 1596, the Kholmsky Cathedral and the icon ended up in the hands of the Uniates. In 1650, during the uprising of the Cossacks of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in Ukraine, the Uniates were forced to return it to the Orthodox Bishop Dionysius Balaban under the Zboriv Agreement; at the same time they tried to hide the icon. Therefore, it was found only after a certain time in the dungeon. The following year, 1651, the war broke out with renewed vigor, and the icon again fell into the hands of the Poles. On the advice of Jacob Sushi, the Polish king Jan Casimir took the Kholm icon with him on a campaign, after which it was exhibited in Warsaw in the chapel of the royal palace, where it remained until 1652. Jan Casimir attributed the victory over the Cossacks to the help of the Mother of God, to whom the Kholm icon was on a hike with him. In gratitude for this, the king resumed the Uniate see in Kholm and gave it the icon. On April 29, 1652, it was installed in the Cathedral of Kholm. Meanwhile, the war between Poland and Ukraine broke out with renewed vigor. Then the king again took the miraculous Kholm icon to the battlefield, but it did not bring him help. At Zhvanets, the Polish army was defeated. After this, the Kholmsky shrine was returned to the Kholmsky Cathedral, where it remained until the beginning of our century. During the reign of the union, there were attempts to Latinize the miraculous icon and the Kholm Cathedral itself. The icon was placed in the altar, above the main altar (according to Catholic custom). In 1765, the Pope crowned the icon with two golden crowns. A silver plate with bar-reliefs and Latin inscriptions was attached to the front of the throne above which it was located (today it is kept in the Moscow Armory). In the first half of the 19th century. The Kholm icon and the cathedral were returned to the Orthodox community. The shrine was solemnly installed in the iconostasis above the Royal Doors. Many miraculous phenomena took place before this icon. Stories about them are contained in a separate book by Archimandrite Ioaniky Golyatovsky, “New Heaven.” During the invasion of the Tatars during the time of Batu, some of their detachments approached the city. Hill. Two pious princesses lived in the city at that time. Seeing the impossibility of defending themselves by force of arms, they, together with other people, turned in prayer before the Kholmsk Icon of the Mother of God with a request to take the city under their protection. After this, the women took the miraculous icon from the temple and placed it opposite the enemy troops on the wall of the fortress. Some kind of obsession came over the Tatar army: the mountain on which the city was located began to seem steeper and higher to them than it actually was. And the closer they got, the stronger it seemed to them. Panicked, they began to run away. Thus, with miraculous help, the city was saved. Currently, this greatest of the shrines of Christianity is kept in an armored glass safe in the Museum of the Volyn Icon in the city of Lutsk and is exhibited for worship on major religious days.
The Kholm Icon of the Mother of God, according to legend recorded by Bishop Jacob (Susha), was painted by the Evangelist Luke and brought to Rus' from Greece under Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who after Baptism received many icons as a gift from Constantinople. The Kholm image of the Mother of God is depicted on a cypress board.
In the year, during the invasion of the Tatar hordes, the city of Kholm was plundered, the icon of the Mother of God also suffered: the precious frame was removed, the painting was damaged, and the icon itself was thrown away. A hundred years later, the holy icon was found and solemnly placed in the Kholm Cathedral. There were two deep wounds left on the icon: one on the left shoulder of the Mother of God, the other on Her right hand. A legend has been preserved that the wicked Tatars, who robbed and damaged the holy image, were then punished: they lost their sight, and their faces were distorted. The legend of the miraculous signs performed by the Kholmskaya Icon of the Mother of God is described in the book of Archimandrite Ioannikis (Golyatovsky) “New Heaven”.
In the year, the chasuble, which had become dilapidated during its stay under the Uniates, was renewed. The consecration of the new robe, made in the Ovchinnikovs' jewelry workshop and costing 1,300 rubles collected by the whole world, took place on September 8 of the same year with the participation of Leonty, Bishop of Kholm and Warsaw, Flavian, Bishop of Lublin and Modest, Bishop of Volyn and Zhitomir. In the year the robe was decorated with pearls and precious stones.
The old chasuble was carefully placed in the sacristy, and then transferred to the church-archaeological museum of the Kholm Brotherhood and placed on a copy of the Kholm Ion of the Mother of God, which was located there in the red corner of the main hall.
In July of the year, due to the evacuation, the Kholm Icon of the Mother of God was taken to Moscow by the key keeper of the Kholm Cathedral, Archpriest Nikolai Gankevich. With the beginning of the persecution of the Church in the year, the icon was secretly transported to Kyiv and placed in the monastery of St. Florus. Then it was secretly taken out of the monastery, and remained hidden in the private homes of believers. The guardians of the icon risked themselves many times for the sake of the image; at one time it was dismantled into separate boards.
However, soon, in July of the year, the icon left the Hill again. Archbishop Hilarion (Ogienko) was forced to leave for the West and took the icon with him, but near Lublin his convoy came under bombardment and the image was saved by Ilaria Bulgakova, cousin of the famous writer Mikhail Bulgakov. It was decided to return the icon to Kholm, and it ended up in the secret custody of Archpriest Gabriel Korobchuk, who was a vicar at the Orthodox Cathedral on Danilov Mountain in Kholm. In the year he was forced to leave for Ukraine, where the image was kept secret by his family until the 1990s. Meanwhile, various guesses were made about the fate of the icon, while others considered it lost.
In the year, the daughter of Father Gabriel, Nadezhda Gorlitskaya (Korobchuk), gave the icon for restoration to the Lutsk Museum of the Volyn Icon on the condition of maintaining secrecy. Until a year ago, a limited circle of people from the Kholm region knew about the existence of the icon. After the first stage of restoration work, in August of the year, members of the Volyn society "Kholmshchyna" decided to make the icon public and transfer it to the ownership of the Ukrainian state.
Its origin is very old. According to local tradition, which was recorded by Bishop Jacob Susha, it was written by St. Evangelist Luke and was brought to the lands of Kievan Rus during the time of Prince Vladimir, who, after baptism, received many icons in Constantinople.
The Kholm icon is depicted on three cypress tablets connected together.
In ancient times, this icon was decorated with a precious chasuble made of cast gold and Byzantine enamel. But in 1261, during an attack by the Tatars, Burundai's regiments came to southwestern Rus' and plundered the city of Kholm (today's Chelm, Republic of Poland), where the shrine was located. The icon itself suffered from them: with damage to the image in some places, the Tatars removed the robe from it, and the icon itself was lost. Only 100 years after the destruction of the Hill, the holy icon was found during excavations and solemnly installed in the restored Kholm Cathedral. In our time, the image shows two ulcers that were inflicted by the Tatars: one on her left shoulder (from a saber strike) and the other on her right hand from an arrow. There is a pious legend that the wicked Tatars who robbed the temple were immediately punished: they became blind.
With the transfer of Kholmsky Bishop Dionysius Zbiruysky to the union in 1596, the Kholmsky Cathedral and the icon ended up in the hands of the Uniates. In 1650, during the uprising of the Cossacks of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in Ukraine, the Uniates were forced to return it to the Orthodox Bishop Dionysius Balaban under the Zboriv Agreement; at the same time they tried to hide the icon. Therefore, it was found only after a certain time in the dungeon. The following year, 1651, the war broke out with renewed vigor, and the icon again fell into the hands of the Poles. On the advice of Jacob Sucha, the Polish king Jan Casimir took the Kholm icon with him on a campaign, after which it was exhibited in Warsaw in the chapel of the royal palace, where it remained until 1652. Jan Casimir attributed the victory over the Cossacks to the help of the Mother of God, to whom the Kholm icon was I'll take pictures while hiking. In gratitude for this, the king resumed the Uniate see in Kholm and gave it the icon. On April 29, 1652, it was installed in the Cathedral of Kholm. Meanwhile, the war between Poland and Ukraine broke out with renewed vigor. Then the king again took the miraculous Kholm icon to the battlefield, but it did not bring him help. At Zhvanets, the Polish army was defeated. After this, the Kholmsky shrine was returned to the Kholmsky Cathedral, where it remained until the beginning of our century.
During the reign of the union, there were attempts to Latinize the miraculous icon and the Kholm Cathedral itself. The icon was placed in the altar, above the main altar (according to Catholic custom). In 1765, the Pope crowned the icon with two golden crowns. A silver plate with bar-reliefs and Latin inscriptions was attached to the front of the throne above which it was located (today it is kept in the Moscow Armory).
In the first half of the 19th century. The Kholm icon and the cathedral were returned to the Orthodox community. The shrine was solemnly installed in the iconostasis above the Royal Doors.
Many miraculous phenomena took place before this icon. Stories about them are contained in a separate book by Archimandrite Ioaniky Golyatovsky, “New Heaven.”
During the invasion of the Tatars during the time of Batu, some of their detachments approached the city of Kholm. Two pious princesses lived in the city at that time. Seeing the impossibility of defending themselves by force of arms, they, together with other people, turned in prayer before the Kholmsk Icon of the Mother of God with a request to take the city under their protection. After this, the women took the miraculous icon from the temple and placed it opposite the enemy troops on the wall of the fortress. Some kind of obsession came over the Tatar army: the mountain on which the city was located began to seem steeper and higher to them than it actually was. And the closer they got, the stronger it seemed to them. Panicked, they began to run away. Thus, with miraculous help, the city was saved.
Currently, the Kholm Icon of the Mother of God is on display at the Museum of the Volyn Icon in Lutsk.
Kholm Icon of the Mother of God
According to legend, this miraculous icon, painted by St. Evangelist Luke, brought along with other icons from Constantinople to St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir after his acceptance of St. baptism. The icon is depicted on three cypress boards connected together. In 1261, during the attack on Brundai Hill by the Tatars, the robe made of cast gold and Byzantine enamel was removed from the icon, and the icon itself was abandoned. Only a hundred years after the destruction of the Hill by the Tatars, the icon was discovered under limestone rubble. In 1596, the Kholm Cathedral and the miraculous icon located in it ended up in the hands of the Uniates.
In 1650, the Uniates returned the Kholm See to Orthodoxy, but hid the miraculous icon. She was found only after a long search.
In 1651, during the war between the Cossacks and the Poles, King Jan Casimir took the icon on a campaign, after which it was taken to Warsaw. Attributing the happy ending of the war to the discovery of the miraculous icon among the Polish troops, the king restored the Kholm Uniate See and distributed the icon to the Uniates. However, during the next battle, the Russian shrine did not help the Poles and was returned to Kholm.
In 1765, the icon was crowned according to Catholic custom with two crowns sent by the Pope.
On the Kholm Icon two wounds are visible: one on the left shoulder from a saber, the other on the right hand from an arrow. These wounds were inflicted on the icon by the Tatars; but God’s punishment then befell the wicked: the daring became blind and their faces turned to their backs.
When the Tatars approached the Hill, all the inhabitants of the city prostrated themselves before the miraculous icon of the Kholm Mother of God, begging Her to intercede and protect her from enemies. Taking the icon, they placed it on the city wall. The Tatars fell into madness; the mountain on which the city stood seemed to them too high and therefore inaccessible; then it seemed to them that they were approaching the city, but in reality they were retreating and finally fled from it in disorder. By the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, the city was saved from destruction.
Many wondrous miracles and healings are performed by the grace of God from the holy Kholmsk Icon of the Mother of God.
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