The life path of the intercessor of Orthodoxy and icon veneration, John of Damascus, was not easy. It was thanks to him that the history of the appearance of such a miraculous image as the Three-Handed One became known. The significance of which for the Orthodox world cannot in any way be diminished, over the centuries it has helped in difficulties many lay people who believed in its power.

Leo the Isaurian (Byzantine emperor) in 717 began severe persecution of those who treated shrines with reverence. In that fierce year, icons were burned and broken en masse, their defenders were tortured and put to death. Only outside the Byzantine territories, and this is in Muslim Damascus, were holy images fearlessly venerated due to the intercession of St. John. At that time he served as an adviser to the city ruler.

The history that preceded its appearance

John of Damascus carried out his good mission for some time, but at a certain point he was accused of treason against the state. The man was slandered before the local caliph. The emperor ordered his right hand to be cut off and then hanged in the main square of the city to intimidate him. Towards evening, when the ruler’s anger subsided, the monk asked for intercession, and with his hand cut off, he locked himself in his personal cell. Who knew that this very tragic moment would become the prerequisite for such a unique shrine as the Three-Handed One to appear to the world. helping many suffering people around the world today.

The saint indulged in long and tearful prayers before the face of the Most Holy Theotokos. He placed the severed hand on his joint and asked her to heal his hand. The Lady herself came into his subtle sleep with good news and informed him about the healing of his hand - from now on it was to serve him to glorify God’s name.

Revealed a miracle

After the monk woke up, he felt his hand and found it safe and sound. John was incredibly touched, and with a feeling of deep gratitude to the Heavenly Lady, he composed a song of praise and gratitude for her mercy. It is called “Every creature rejoices in You, O Gracious One.” Later, in liturgical practice, it began to be used as a tribute to the liturgy dedicated to St. Basil the Great.

In order to somehow leave a memory of the miracle that happened, the monk put a hand made of silver to the lower part of the image through which he received healing. This is how the Three-Handed Mother of God (icon of the Mother of God) got its name.

God works in mysterious ways

John's healing quickly spread throughout Damascus. The caliph was enlightened by this miracle. He, realizing his guilt, asked the saint to conduct state affairs again, but the monk decided to devote all his strength to serving God. John was allowed to retire to Jerusalem to the Lavra of Saint Sava. There he accepted his loneliness. The Three-Handed Icon was also taken with me (photos can be seen in the article).

The further fate of the unique creation

The miraculous image remained in Jerusalem until the 13th century. When Saint Sava visited the monastery, the blessed Archbishop of Serbia received the Three-Handed Icon (the story of its appearance has survived to this day) according to the special will of the Mother of God.

During the period of the Ottoman invasions, and this was already in the 15th century, in order for the precious gift to survive destruction, the pious Serbs completely transferred it to the guardianship of the Queen of Heaven. The most valuable image was placed on a donkey. The animal, unknown to anyone, reached the holy Mount Athos on its own. There it stopped at the gates of the Hilandar monastery, which was founded in the 13th century by the eminent Serbian ruler Stefan (Simeon). The monks accepted this great gift from God. The Three-Handed Icon of the Mother of God was installed on the altar of the local cathedral church. Since then, an annual religious procession has been held to it.

The unconditional will of the Lady

One day such an incident happened. After the abbot gave his soul to God, the brethren could not elect a new head, there was no unanimity. Their troubles did not please the Mother of God, and then she personally resolved their dispute. When the monks came to the morning service, they saw that the Three-Handed Icon, the story of which never ceases to amaze, was in the abbot’s place instead of the altar.

The monks attributed this “miracle” to someone’s secret act. They returned the image to its original place. However, the situation most likely repeated itself, although the doors were sealed. Soon the will of the Lady was manifested through the famous recluse of the monastery. He said that in her vision, the Mother of God told him the following: in order to avoid disagreements among the brethren, she herself would take on this function and begin to manage the monastery, and take the abbot’s place with her icon.

Visible miracles

It is from that moment until the present, in obedience to the will of the Queen of Heaven, that the Hilandar monastery does not choose a special abbot. Here they make do with a hieromonk-vicar, the head of monastic affairs. During the service, he is always near the abbot's place, where the Three-Handed One is placed. The Icon of the Mother of God, whose significance is very great for all Orthodox Christians, has kept peace and harmony within the walls of the monastery for centuries.

The brethren firmly believe: by venerating the miraculous image, you can receive a blessing personally from the Mother of God, who is their Heavenly Mother Superior. Her face more than once protected the Hilandar monastery from foreign invasions. According to the testimonies of the Turks themselves during the Russian-Turkish wars, the face of the mysterious Wife often appeared above the walls of the monastery, inaccessible to weapons and people. This is exactly how Three-Handed reminded her of her patronage every time. The significance of the icon for the monastery has always been incredibly great.

How can she help?

The icon of the Three-Handed One has repeatedly shown miracles to the world. What does this face help with? First of all, it helps to heal diseases of the hands, feet, and eyes. If you read a prayer dedicated to him, melancholy, apathy and sad thoughts will go away. The image of the Mother of God patronizes those engaged in crafts. It also gives strength in housework. The celebration of the icon takes place twice a year: June 28/July 11, and July 12/25.

How does Three-Handed protect?

Three-Handed will protect you from those who threaten the well-being of the house and all its inhabitants. The icon of the Mother of God, the meaning of which is to bring salvation and grace to people, also helps to increase well-being. They pray to her with requests for personal healing and recovery of loved ones.

In the summer of 1889, the Monk Jonah, who went down in history as the founder of the Holy Trinity Monastery on Timiryazevskaya Street, was rampant in Kyiv and decided to serve a prayer service before the miraculous image. The pestilence stopped that same day.

The unique list of the Three-Handed One is still kept in the monastery. Already in the 90s of the 20th century, the relics of Jonah were reburied on the territory of the monastery. According to believers, they helped heal a woman who had suffered an acid attack the day before.

Meaning

If you look closely at the icon, you can see that right in the center is the baby Jesus Christ. He sits in the arms of the Mother of God and seems to bless everyone who is in front of him with his right hand. The Lady points to him as the path to salvation. Traditionally, this is how the Three-Handed icon is depicted, which means the following: a window to the heavenly world is open to everyone. We can communicate with him directly, and according to our faith we will be rewarded. From here comes the realization that Hodegetria is not just a talisman or amulet.

The emergence and special veneration of a unique shrine as an important spiritual testimony is also closely connected with the most difficult historical period of Christianity. The phenomenon of iconoclasm began with the fact that people were faced with a distorted understanding of shrines. They broke off pieces from the images, scraped off the paint, and also worshiped not the prototype itself, but only, as Fr. Pavel Florensky, “physical reason.”

It is necessary to venerate the icon, but one should give one’s love and faith to the person who looks at the person. If the attitude towards the holy face is appropriate, then through it the favor of the one who is shown in paint by the blessed hand of the icon painter will appear. It is with such inner content that one should approach such an image as the Three-Handed Mother (icon of the Mother of God), the significance of which is indescribably great. Her task is to convey to everyone the following: the hand of John of Damascus is eternal evidence that, at the command and under the guidance of the Lady, salvation can come to those who have given themselves to serving the Heavenly Father.

What else is unique about the icon?

A hand made of silver was applied to the image of the Lady by the Monk John of Damascus. This is a gesture of his gratitude for the healing of a severed hand during the period of iconoclasm. Since that time, all lists of faces are made with the hand attached, which is sometimes depicted as the third hand of the Virgin Mary.

If you have difficulties in any activity, then the first assistant here is the Three-Handed icon. What else does the image help with? Of course, the Mother of God favors everyone involved in needlework or any manual labor. Before her face they pray for healing if there are diseases of the hands and feet. The icon preserves and strengthens the well-being of the family, protects from people with evil thoughts.

In Russia, Three Hands became known in the 17th century, and in 1661 a copy of it was presented as a special gift to Patriarch Nikon of Moscow. Today, various copies helping people with their petitions are distributed throughout the country. In Moscow, a famous copy of the image of the Holy Mother of God is located in the Assumption Church on Taganka.

Orthodox Christians reverently treat the icon of the Three Hands and, according to their faith, receive rich and great mercies from the Most Pure One. Revered copies of the image could be found in many churches: the Trekhsvyatitelsky, Simeonovsky and Borisoglebsky in Tver, in the Shenkursky Trinity Convent of the Arkhangelsk diocese, in the Zhamensky Sukhotinsky convent of the Tambov diocese, in the village. Sazhin diocese of Perm and in other places.

When my aunt suffered a severe fracture of her arm and wore a cast, I often came to her house to visit her. Not just to talk, but to help with cooking, washing dishes, hanging laundry and ironing. One day, on the bedside table, I saw an amazing icon of the Virgin Mary.

She held the Baby with one hand, put the other to her heart, and with the third... She had a third hand! Of course, I immediately began asking what kind of image this was. And it turned out...

In the 8th century AD, when the persecution of Christians had long ceased, the world was overwhelmed by new unrest: iconoclasm. Emperor Leo the Third began to urge people to destroy icons and not paint them, praying only to the Lord Who is in heaven. Along with the faces of the saints, many other Christian relics were destroyed: statues, mosaics, even altars.

One of the Byzantine courtiers, Damascene, openly opposed the emperor, wrote treatises, in every possible way explaining the importance of icons. Of course, the ruler did not like this, and he organized a forgery, namely a letter that exposed John as a state traitor.

The Byzantine king, at whose court the sage worked, believed the forgery and ordered John to be punished by cutting off his hand.

Suffering from pain, the righteous man prayed to the Holy Virgin. One night she came to him and promised to heal him. And indeed, the hand has grown! And only a large scar remained on the hand as evidence of the terrible wound suffered by John.

In gratitude, he ordered a copy of his hand made of silver, after which he attached it to the icon in the church, wanting to show that his hand actually belonged to the Queen of Heaven.

By the way! The relics of St. John are located not only in Greece and Venice, but also in St. Petersburg (Novodevichy Convent, Kazan Church):

Folk legends associated with this icon

Not all Orthodox Christians knew about John of Damascus, but many saw in churches an icon on which the Mother of God was depicted with three hands (by mistake, all three hands began to be drawn in the same style and the same clothing, so many naive people attributed all three to the Mother of God).

And these are the stories people made up.

Once, when Christ was still a baby, robbers chased His Mother. She threw herself into the river to save herself by swimming. But it was difficult to swim and hold the baby. Therefore, the Virgin asked Jesus to give her another hand, for convenience. And so it happened.
One icon painter painted a hodegetria. When the icon was almost ready, he approached it and suddenly saw that there were three hands in the image. How could he be so wrong? The artist immediately erased the third hand, but the next day it appeared again. The man sketched it again, but in a dream the Mother of God came to him and ordered him not to touch the icon anymore - they say, it should look exactly like this. Of course, the artist obeyed.

What does it tell us: meaning

Little Jesus blesses everyone who looks at the icon, and His Mother points to her Son, thereby making it clear who we should strive for and whom we should ask for help.

There is also an opinion that three hands mean: the Mother of God needs two palms to support her Son, and the third to help all those who suffer.

In terms of writing style, it is a hodegetria (that is, a guidebook, since the Virgin Mary points to Christ as the true path of any Christian).

Days of celebration of this icon

June 28 (or July 11).
July 12 (or 25).

Where are the most revered lists?

In our country there are many copies of this icon; it is very popular in Orthodoxy. There is even a monastery built in her honor. But the most healing images are those that you can visit in two cities:

Moscow (St. Daniel's Monastery). Here is a truly ancient list from the 17th century, famous for the healing of the master who restored the icon. This man had problems with his eyes, but he believed that the shrine would help - and he began to see well.
Yekaterinburg (famous Church on the Blood).

You don't live in Russia? Then maybe you are from Ukraine? Visit the Kyiv Monastery of the Holy Trinity. It is here that Troeruchitsa is located, which stopped the typhus epidemic in the city in the 19th century.

Well, the oldest copy is in the Bulgarian Troyan Monastery. The brethren consider her their protector, guarding the monastery for many hundreds of years.

What do they ask when they come to her?

Naturally, most of all - health. People whose illness is related to their hands especially pray to the Three Hands.
They also pray for eye health and good vision.
And in general, any prayers for health, for oneself or for one’s family, are offered to her, and she helps many.
Craftsmen consider the Mother of God of Three Hands to be their patroness.
It is also a protector from evil slander. If a person has been slandered, he asks the Mother of God to help the truth to be revealed.
They ask to protect them from enemies and enemies, as well as “friends” with unclean thoughts.
Many people turn to this icon if they feel that something is threatening their family peace or home.
Finally, they ask to increase the family's welfare. And not in vain, because after the healing of John of Damascus, the Byzantine ruler believed that the sage could not wish him harm, forgave him, again brought him closer to himself and showered him with all sorts of gifts.

How to pray

Of course, if there is a specific request (something hurts, someone is preparing for surgery, someone’s good name is at risk), people address it in their own words.

But there are also certain prayers created specifically for this icon.

They sound like this:

You can learn more about the life and work of John of Damascus (emphasis on the last “and”), a saint about whom, unfortunately, most of our Orthodox believers know almost nothing, from this report video:

Tell your fortune for today using the “Card of the Day” Tarot layout!
For correct fortune telling: focus on the subconscious and don’t think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.
When you are ready, draw a card:

Icon of the Mother of God
"THREE-HANDED"

The icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” showed its glory to the world during the rampant iconoclast heresy. In 717, the Byzantine emperor Leo the Isaurian began fierce persecution of admirers of icons.

Referring to the Old Testament commandments, the iconoclasts equated the former sacred images with idols, and their admirers were accused of idolatry of stones, boards and walls. At a specially assembled Council, ancient icons, mosaics, frescoes and statues were anathematized and they began to be covered over, burned and broken, while those who tried to protect them were put to a painful death.

Only outside the Byzantine lands, in Muslim Damascus, the Orthodox were not constrained in the veneration of icons. The reason was that the first minister of the local caliph was a zealous Christian, theologian and hymnographer John of Damascus (Mansur). He was born approx. 676 in the city of Damascus, where his nickname came from. For his eloquence, he was called Chryzoroe, which means “golden stream.” John forwarded letters to his many acquaintances in Byzantium, in which, on the basis of Holy Scripture and patristic traditions, he proved the correctness of icon veneration. "I don't worship substance- he argued with his opponents, - but I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake, who deigned to inhabit matter and through matter brought about my salvation.”

Rev. John of Damascus then wrote three treatises “Against those who condemn holy icons.” The wise, inspired writings infuriated the Byzantine emperor, but since the author of the messages was out of reach, Leo the Isaurian decided to resort to slander. A forged letter was drawn up on behalf of John, in which John allegedly offered the emperor his help in conquering the Syrian capital. This letter and the emperor's response to it were sent to the caliph. Neither John's personal devotion, nor his diligent service inspired the caliph with the idea of verifying the slander against John with a fair investigation. He ordered the executioner to cut off John’s right hand, which allegedly drew the plan for treason, and hang it in the city square as a warning to everyone.

In the evening, when the anger of the irritated caliph subsided a little, Saint John sent him a request through his friends: “My illness multiplies and torments me unspeakably, and I can have no consolation until my hand, hanged in shame, is given to me.” The ruler took pity on the sufferer and ordered the severed hand to be returned to him. The monk shut himself up in his cell. Firmly convinced that, according to the Lord, everything is possible for those who believe in him, John put his hand to the bloody joint and prayed all night with tears before the icon of the Mother of God for healing. After which he dozed off. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and said: “You are healed; work diligently with this hand.”

The next morning, waking up, Saint John saw that his hand had grown back, he could move his fingers, and only a barely visible scar remained at the site of the cut-off.John of Damascus poured out his gratitude to the wonderful Healer in the wondrous hymn “He rejoices in you...”, which in later liturgical practice began to be used as a tribute in the liturgy of St. Basil the Great:

Every creature rejoices in You, O Gracious One,
The Council of Angels and the human race,
Consecrated to the Temple and Verbal Paradise,
Virgin praise. from Neyazhe God incarnate
And the Child was born, before the age was our God.
Thy throne is false.
And Your womb has made it more spacious than the heavens.
Every creature rejoices in You, O Gracious One, glory to You..

The miraculous healing of John's hand amazed everyone in Damascus, and the Caliph, convinced of his innocence, returned to him his former friendship. But John wanted to fulfill his vow to the Most Holy Theotokos, and decided to devote himself entirely to serving the Orthodox Church. Having long thought about monastic life, he renounced the world and, despite the requests of the caliph, who wanted to atone for his guilt with new mercies, he left his court and his homeland. Having distributed the property to the churches, relatives and the poor and freed the slaves, John went with his disciple and friend Cosmas, first to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and then to the Lavra of Saint Sava, where he took monastic vows.

Icon of the Three-Handed Lady

In gratitude for the miraculous healing of St. John made an image of a hand from silver and attached it to the icon of his Intercessor (according to other sources, he added a third hand to the icon), from which the icon later received the name Three-handed. He took this icon with him. Until the 13th century A.D. the icon was in the Lavra of Saint Sava , and then the monks handed it over to Saint Sava, Archbishop of Serbia, and it was transferred by him to Serbia.

During the invasion of the Turks, Christian Serbs entrusted the miraculous image to the care of the Mother of God Herself: they placed the icon on a donkey, which, without a driver, came to Athos on its own and stopped in front of the gate Hilandar Monastery and stood rooted to the spot, waiting for the brethren to accept the “Three-Handed One” into the monastery.

Hilandar Monastery, Mount Athos

Initially it was placed in the altar of the cathedral church, where it remained for several years. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Hilandar monastery lost its abbot; The monks began to elect a new abbot, but could not agree on the choice. The Mother of God herself stopped the disagreement of the brethren. One day, the monks, according to custom, gathered for the morning service and saw that the “Three-Handed” icon was not standing in the altar, but in the abbot’s place. Attributing this to the secret actions of the clergy, the brethren carried her to the altar; but the next day she again appeared at the abbot's place. This miraculous transition was repeated several more times. In a night vision to one holy recluse, the Mother of God declared her will so that the brethren would not remove Her icons from the abbot’s place, since She herself wanted to take this place with her icon and rule the monastery. Since then, in the Hilandar monastery, it is not the abbot who is elected, but only the governor and the monks receive a blessing for all obediences from the miraculous icon of the “Three Hands”.

During the Greco-Turkish wars, Athos remained outside the power of the Gentiles: the Turks admitted that they often saw the mysterious Woman guarding the walls of the Hilandar monastery and out of reach of human hands.

Miraculous lists of the Three-Handed Icon

Lists of the miraculous icon “Three Hands” have spread throughout all Orthodox countries. They became famous for many signs and healings. One of them dates back to the 17th century in Bulgaria in the Troyan Monastery.

“Three-Handed” appeared in Rus' on July 11, 1661. At the request of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, a copy of the image of the “Three-Handed Lady” was delivered to Moscow from Athos, from the Hilandar Monastery, which was placed in Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery (New Jerusalem) near Moscow . From there, lists of icons began to spread throughout Russia.

New Jerusalem on the Istra River

Another list was removed from him in 1716, which has since been in the Moscow Church of the Assumption in Gonchari (Bulgarian Compound) . The intercession of this shrine is associated with the fact that this temple was never closed, even during times of severe persecution of the faith, and retained all its bells.

One of the most revered lists of “Three Hands” in Russia is located in the Moscow St. Daniel Monastery. This large image was painted in the second half of the 17th century. The icon was returned to the Daniel Monastery in the mid-80s of the last century. During the restoration, it revealed its miraculous power, becoming more enlightened than the hand of the restorer was able to do for this, and the icon painter himself had his vision restored while working on the icon. The miraculous icon is located in the Trinity Cathedral . Currently, the temple is active; Sunday and holiday services are held here. In the Trinity Cathedral of the St. Daniel Monastery there are miraculous icons of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” and St. John Cassian the Roman, as well as the main shrine - an ark with a particle of the relics of the holy noble prince Daniel.

Ipatiev House

Another, so far much less known, list of the “Three-Handed” icon was located in Yekaterinburg in the Ipatiev House during the imprisonment of the Holy Royal Martyrs in 1918. Judging by the artlessness of his letter, it did not belong to the Imperial Family, but to one of the former owners of the mansion on Voznesenskaya Gorka, and perhaps even to their servants. But it was this modest icon that became a spiritual witness of Their suffering and martyrdom.

This icon was brought to Denmark, where the mother of the Sovereign Martyr lived - the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, a White Guard officer who participated in the liberation of Yekaterinburg from the Bolsheviks. After the death of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the shrine was kept by Her daughter, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Kulikovskaya-Romanova. After her death, her son Tikhon Nikolaevich became the keeper of the icon, who bequeathed to pass on the image of the “Three-Handed Lady” to the future Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg.

The Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg was built in 2003 on the site of the Ipatiev House, where on the night of July 16-17, 1918, the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were shot.

The Prince's will was carried out by his widow Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovskaya-Romanova. On the evening of July 10, 2003, on the eve of the celebration of the Three-Handed Icon of the Mother of God, the Royal Shrine arrived in Yekaterinburg. Now she is in Church on the Blood in the name of All Saints who shone in the Russian land (Ekaterinburg).

View of the Church on the Blood, Yekaterinburg

Iconography

In iconography, the image of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” belongs to the Hodegetria type, with the Child sitting on her right hand. In the lower part of the icon, under the right hand of the Mother of God, a human hand is depicted, forming part of the silver frame of the icon. In Russian lists there is a tradition of writing out the third hand as if belonging to the Mother of God, and not attached separately.

Troparion, tone 4.
Today, great worldwide joy has arisen for us: Thy celibate-bearing icon has been given to the holy Mount Athos, the Lady Theotokos, with the image of Thy three-numbered and indivisibly most pure hands, for the glorification of the Holy Trinity, calling for the faithful and those who pray to You to know this, as two imashes you hold the Son and the Lord , the third, show as a refuge and protection to those who honor You from all misfortunes and troubles, and deliver them all, so that all who flow to You by faith, receive abundant liberation from all evils, protection from enemies, for this sake we, together with Athos, cry out: Rejoice, Gracious One, Lord with you.

Kontakion, tone 8
Today is the joyful day of Your triumph, O Most Pure Mother of God, all the faithful are filled with joy and joy, as if you were worthy to fairly sing the wondrous appearance of Your honorable image and the Child born of You, the truth of God, Who embraced His two hands, and with the third took us away from misfortunes and troubles and deliver you from all evils and circumstances.

Prayer of the Mother of God before the icon of Her Three-Handed Lady
Oh, Most Holy Lady and Lady Theotokos, who showed a great miracle to Saint John of Damascus, as if he showed true faith - undoubted hope! Hear us, sinners, before Your miraculous icon, fervently praying and asking for Your help: do not reject this prayer of many for the sake of our sins, but, as the Mother of mercy and generosity, deliver us from illnesses, sorrows and sorrows, forgive the sins we have committed, fill us with joy and joy to all who honor Your holy icon, may we joyfully sing and glorify Your name with love, for You are chosen and blessed from all generations forever and ever. A min.

There is the Tradition of the Church, and there are folk traditions that one way or another penetrate the church fence. For earthly church life, which bears the imprint of our imperfection, this is a common phenomenon.

Usually the Church copes with these traditions, rejects some, churchizes some, since even fictitious events can carry an edifying meaning and thereby reveal some higher truth. But several contrary to church teaching folk tales pop up from time to time, no matter what.

Icon of Three Hands

In this case, we will talk about the “three-armed” version of the famous Mother of God icon “Three-Handed”.

Having encountered such an image, an inexperienced viewer experiences a certain surprise.

After all, on the icon the Mother of God has three hands! What would that mean? And here there are two options - to delve into specialized literature or to invent your own version, more or less intricate, depending on your imagination. For example, we had to deal with a situation where people inclined to the “wisdom of the East” immediately drew a parallel with the many-armed Eastern deities. And this explanation sounds no more and no less ridiculous than “three hands symbolize the Holy Trinity.”

But if we compare this image with the original kept in the Hilandar monastery, we will see a significant difference: the “third” hand is not written on the icon, but is made of metal and superimposed on the surface of the image.

Icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” and its meaning

Church tradition connects this overlay with the life of the great saint.

The Monk John of Damascus (Damascus), lived in the 7th-8th centuries in Syria conquered by the Arabs and was a Syrian by origin. His worldly name was Mansur ibn Serzhun. He came from a rather noble family and served in the tax administration of the Arab Caliphate (later legend called him almost a vizier). Mansur later retired to a monastery and became known as a theologian and hymnographer. A tradition recorded in the 9th century tells the following story.

St. John of Damascus, icon by Archimandrite Zenon

The hagiographer says that, being the son of a major official, John of Damascus, after his death, inherited his position at the court of the caliph and even rose higher, becoming the first adviser to the caliph - although against his own will, since he was inclined towards a solitary monastic life.

When persecution of icons began in the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Leo III, John of Damascus composed a message against the heresy of the iconoclasts, which quickly spread throughout the Christian world.

The angry Emperor Leo decided to slander John before the Caliph. On his orders, the court scribes wrote a letter on behalf of Damascus, forging his handwriting, in which he allegedly called on the emperor to attack Damascus, while a peace treaty was in force between the caliphate and Byzantium. Leo III forwarded the false letter to the caliph along with assurances of strict adherence to the peace treaty. The Caliph believed, became angry with his minister and ordered his hand, which allegedly wrote the “treasonous letter,” to be cut off and hanged in the Damascus market for everyone to see.

The slandered John begged the caliph to give him his hand. After his long prayer in front of the icon of the Mother of God, his hand grew back. Seeing such an undoubted miracle, the caliph recognized the integrity of Saint John and agreed to release him to the monastery, which he tirelessly asked for. In memory of this miraculous healing, John of Damascus made a silver model of his hand and, in gratitude, attached it to the icon, through which he was healed through the prayers of the Mother of God.

So says the legend. And the icon called the “Three-Handed One,” which is kept in the Hilandar Athos Monastery, is considered to be the very one in front of which St. John prayed.

It can be said that both the tradition and the connection of St. John with the Athos icon are not indisputable. Historians and art critics will have their own arguments here. For example, it can be noted that the Athonite “Three-Handed” does not in any way relate to the time of St. John. However, there is essentially no contradiction here.

Throughout Christian history, many miraculous healings through prayer in front of one or another icon have been recorded. And to this day, in different parts of the Christian world, there is a custom of hanging a miniature in the form of a healed organ from an icon as a sign of gratitude. The custom, of course, is not indisputable, especially since exactly the same one existed in ancient paganism. Still, it explains a lot.

Copies of the miraculous Hilandar icon multiplied and spread. But copying did not always guarantee high-quality performance. And so, after some time, lists appeared on which the silver false hand began to be depicted as alive. And then the not particularly thinking bogomaz wrapped this hand in a mophoria of the Virgin Mary. And this version also thoughtlessly spread in many copies.

The Church tried to combat such violation of the canon, the Synod issued decrees, but habit and superstition are difficult to eradicate. And even now, when so many books on Christian iconography have been published, thoughtless gods continue to reproduce the meaningless third hand. But I am glad that against the background of these crafts there are also excellent examples of modern icon painting.

The Holy Icon of the Mother of God of the Three Hands gained worldwide fame thanks to the great luminary of the Orthodox faith, John of Damascus. Our Lady helps all Christians who believe in Her power.

The Virgin Mary is depicted with the Baby in her arms, Her head is slightly inclined towards the head of the Son. Jesus looks before Him, and His right hand is folded in blessing. At the bottom of the image is the right hand, pointing to the Messiah. Thus, from Above we are given to understand that through Jesus and faith in Him we will receive Salvation, of course, if we ourselves desire it.

History of the Holy Face

In 717, Byzantium was ruled by Leo the Isaurian, who was particularly cruel towards Orthodox Christians. On his instructions, many icons and relics were treacherously destroyed. The preachers of Orthodoxy were brutally tortured and put to death by his soldiers. At that time, the future Saint John of Damascus lived in the Muslim city of Damascus. He worked as an adviser to the city ruler and was a highly respected citizen.

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Icon "Three-handed"

Evil tongues conspired against him and accused him of treason. He was slandered before the caliph, who, as punishment, ordered Damascus' right hand to be cut off and hung for public display in the city square.

The gesture of intimidation of the people was designed so that everyone knew that this would happen to those who dared to betray the state, the ruler and their people.

In the evening, on the day of the mutilation, the former adviser begged the caliph for permission to take his brush and retired to his cell. John prayed fervently before the Three-Handed One. He begged the Mother of God to heal his hand, applying it to the joint and to the icon. In a dream vision, the Virgin Mary Herself appeared to him and informed him of the healing She had performed. She indicated that the “new” hand would serve for the Glory of God and glorify the Name of Christ.

Waking up, Damascene saw his hand, which was safe and sound. The monk decided to perpetuate the miracle that happened to him and attached a right hand cast from silver to the image of the Three-Handed One. And so the icon of the Mother of God with the third brush below appeared to the world.

The news of the miracle reached the caliph. Realizing that John had been slandered, he offered to take up the position of chief adviser again, but the saint refused. Taking his things and the icon, he retired to Jerusalem and took monastic vows.

During the invasion of Jerusalem by Ottoman troops, Christians especially feared for the fate of the Holy Face, so that it would not be damaged during the battles or destroyed.

It was decided to entrust his fate to the Queen of Heaven Herself. The icon was placed on a donkey and it was sent on its way without an accompanying person. No one knew which way the animal would go. But the donkey, by an unknown force, was directed to the very heart of monasticism - to Holy Mount Athos. He stopped on his own at the gates of the Hilandar monastery, founded by Saint Simeon in the 13th century. The monks reverently accepted the Gift and installed it on the temple altar.

Icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed”

One day at the monastery the abbot went to the Lord and the time came to choose a new abbot. A strong discord arose, in which monks of different nationalities labored and each of them wanted the newly-minted abbot to be their nation. But during the evening service, the brethren of the monastery heard a majestic voice emanating from the icon of the Mother of God. The Mother of God indicated that She herself would be the abbess of the monastery. But the monks did not attach any significance to what they heard, and in the morning, entering the temple hall, they did not find the Face in its usual place. He headed the abbot's throne. Having removed the icon to its original place, the next day it again found itself on the abbot’s throne. Only then did the monks understand that this was the Holy Will of the Queen of Heaven.

And to this day, the Three-Handed One rests on the abbot’s place in Hilandar. The abbot is still not elected here; only the pro-abbot is appointed, who deals with economic issues. Every morning the monks are blessed by the Most Pure One to fulfill obedience. And She, in turn, patronizes every novice.

Meaning of the icon

Jesus Christ, sitting in his mother's arms, blesses with his right hand everyone who is before Him.

The meaning of the Three-Handed Mother of God is great - the Mother of God is trying to convey to each of us the path to Salvation and its great meaning.

Modern icon “Three-handed”

The hand of John of Damascus testifies that under the leadership of the Queen of Heaven and according to Her Command, everyone who has given his life to serve God will find Salvation.

Miracle help and rules of prayer

Many miracles around the world occurred from the miraculous icon. It heals injuries and injuries, heals eyes, legs, hands, banishes melancholy, anxiety, depression, protects from enemies, and helps achieve spiritual and material well-being.

The main condition for prayer is sincere faith, a pure heart and good thoughts.

Advice! After receiving what you ask for, you need to remember to give thanks to the Mother of God. If you did not manage to get what you asked for, then you need not to grumble, but to sincerely realize your sinfulness and foolishness.

Prayer

After the Liturgy, prayer services are served in the church. Thus, you can order a prayer service in front of the icon of the Mother of God of the Three Hands. During this special service, the priest and parishioners ask the Virgin Mary for mercy and give thanks for the benefits bestowed.

More about the practice of church life:

1. It is necessary to write the name of the service on a special form, and below list the names of people baptized in Orthodoxy who want to offer a prayer to the Queen of Heaven or turn to Her with thanksgiving.
2. Names must be written in the genitive case and answer the question “from whom?” - Maria, Catherine, Anastasia, Dimitri, Sergius, Nikolai.
3. You do not need to indicate your last name, patronymic, or position in your notes. It is allowed to indicate before the name for a sick person “sick.”, for a monastic “mon.”, for a pregnant woman “non.” (non-idle), for clergy it is allowed to indicate the rank, for children under 7 years old “mld.” (infant), for adolescents from 7 to 14 years old “neg.”
4. All names must be indicated in Orthodox spelling: Demetrius, Sergius, John, Dionysius, Juliania, Tatiana, Apollinaria, Elizabeth.
Before the miraculous image, believers offer petitions to the Mother of God, begging for Her intercession. The Three-Handed One is the protector of every suffering soul. She helps everyone who believes in the holiness of the image and the miracles emanating from it.

Watch the video about the Three-Handed Icon