Church of the Icon of the Mother of God «Joy and Consolation» in Yaroslavskoe. Patriarchal Compound
The image of the Mother of God “Joy and Consolation” is associated with the Athos Vatopedian monastery. Arkady, the son of Emperor Theodosius the Great, who miraculously escaped from a sea storm, was found at this place in 395. The prince, who was sleeping in the shade of a bush, said that he was saved by the intercession of the Mother of God, to whom he managed to turn in the last second of his life before his apparent death. The monastery was named Vatopedi, which means “the boy’s bush” in Greek. An icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was installed in the altar of the cathedral church and the image was called “Joy”. Years later, another word was added to the name of the icon – “Consolation”, which was associated with the miraculous salvation of the monastery from robbers. In 807, the Mother of God appeared to the abbot of the monastery and ordered that the monastery gates should not be opened that day, but ascended the walls and dispersed the robbers. The abbot noticed that the faces of the Mother of God and the Baby on the icon had come to life. The baby said, “No, my Mother, the way they will be punished.” The Mother of God, trying to hold Her Son’s hand, tilted Her face away from Him to the right and repeated her words. The brethren of the monastery noticed that the faces of the Mother of God and Christ had changed their position on the icon. Since that time, the “Vatopedian” icon has been called “Joy and Consolation”. The position of the faces and hands remained as it became after the miraculous sign. On the left hand of the Mother of God, as on a throne, sits the Blessed Sacrament – the Great Bishop. The figure of Christ is majestic and monumental. In His left hand He holds a scroll, and his right hand is raised, but stopped by the right hand of the Mother of God. The Queen of Heaven bowed to the upraised hand of the Divine Son, as if She was pressing her lips to it. This image represents Christ as a formidable Judge, “replacing righteous wrath with mercy” thanks to the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, as it is sung in the akathist: “Rejoice, by Your intercession you quench the righteous wrath of God; Rejoice, by His mercy you incline to us.”
Address: Moscow, Yaroslavskoe shosse, vl. 147
