Holy Fathers about the Mother of God.
You are the crown of virginity, You are the Virgin Mother! And which of the people is able to adequately praise the all-sung Mary? Oh miracle! She is both Mother and Maiden! ( Closing speech at the III Ecumenical Council).
From the prince of this age the virginity of Mary, Her birth, and also the death of the Lord were hidden, three loud sacraments that took place in the silence of God.
Martyr Justin the Philosopher:
The power of God, which came upon the Virgin, overshadowed her and made the Virgin bear fruit.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa:
One and the same Mother and Virgin: neither virginity prevented Her from giving birth, nor did birth violate virginity.
She who said the words: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) both after she conceived in her womb, the Virgin, and after she gave birth, the Virgin, for the prophet not only announced that the Virgin will conceive, but also what the Virgin will give birth to (Isa. 7:14).
Venerable John of Damascus:
Ever-Virgin Mary is the Mother of God. The Most Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to One who, being the true God, at the very moment of conception in Her womb took on human nature into the unity of His Hypostasis. So, even in the incarnation from Her, He was, and after the incarnation, He invariably remains the one Divine Person, as He existed from eternity before the incarnation. She gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ - not according to His Divinity, but according to humanity, which, however, from the very moment of His incarnation, became inseparably and hypostatically united in Him with His Divinity. From the very moment of His incarnation it was deified by Him and became His own to His Divine Face. So both the conception, and the stay in the womb of the Virgin during a certain period of pregnancy, and the birth from Her actually belonged to His Divine Person. She gave birth not to an ordinary man, but to the true God, and not just to God, but to God in the flesh, who did not bring a body from heaven and pass through Her as through a channel, but who received from Her flesh, consubstantial with us, which received hypostasis in Himself.
Saint John Chrysostom:
The Holy Spirit shone in a pure mirror, in the immaculate body of the Virgin, forming a perfect Man not according to the law of nature, not in time, not from human seed, but with one appearance, spiritual and holy power, he moved the Virgin to birth, inexplicably searching for the Embryo in Her, as if what kind of fabric to save people.
The Virgin (Eve) expelled us from paradise, through the Virgin (Mary) we found eternal life - by which we were condemned, we were crowned.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:
The Lord borrowed most pure flesh from His Immaculate Mother, and gave Her Divinity instead of the flesh that She had given Him. Oh, a wonderful and wonderful exchange.
Saint Gregory Palamas:
The Virgin-Mother is, as it were, the only boundary between the created and uncreated Divine nature. And all who see God will recognize Her as the place of the Inconceivable. And all who praise God will sing Her after God. She is the cause of the blessings and gifts that preceded Her to the human race, and the Giver of the present, and the Intercessor of the eternal. She is the foundation of the prophets, the beginning of the apostles, the foundation of the martyrs, the foundation of the teachers. She is the glory of those on earth, the joy of those in heaven, the adornment of all creation. She is the beginning, source and root of the hope prepared for us in heaven, which may we all be worthy to receive through Her prayers for us, to the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born before the ages and who was recently incarnate from Her.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa:
Speaking about the Uncorrupted and the Unartificial, it is impossible to use the word “conception” in the proper sense, because the words “virginity” and “carnal conception” are incompatible in One and the Same.
But just as the Son was given to us without an (earthly) father, so the Child is born without carnal conception. Just as the Virgin did not know how a body acceptable to God was formed in Her body, she did not feel birth. According to the testimony of the prophecy, She had a birth without illness: “before her pains came, she was resolved with a son” (Is. 66:7).
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian:
The Virgin Mary became heaven for us, God's throne, because the highest Divinity descended and dwelt in Her in order to magnify us... In Her the Divinity was clothed in a robe for us, so that through it we might receive salvation.
Venerable Nicodemus the Holy Mountain:
When you see the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, turn your heart to Her, the Queen of Heaven, and thank Her for the fact that She appeared so ready to submit to the will of God, that she gave birth to, nursed and raised the Savior of the world, and that in our invisible battle She never fails intercession to help us.
Nikifor Callistus:
She was of average height, or, as others say, somewhat more than average. Her hair was golden, her eyes were lively, her eyebrows were arched and dark, her nose was straight and elongated, her lips were blooming, her face was not round or pointed, but somewhat elongated, her arms and fingers were long.
Saint Ambrose of Milan:
She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul: humble in heart, careful in words, prudent, reticent, a lover of reading... hardworking, chaste in speech, considering not man, but God as the Judge of Her thoughts. Her rules were not to offend anyone, to be kind to everyone, to honor elders, not to envy equals, to avoid boasting, to be sensible, to love virtue. Has She ever offended her parents, even with the expression of her face, or been in disagreement with her relatives, been proud of herself in front of a modest person, laughed at the weak, or shirked the poor? She had nothing stern in her gaze, nothing imprudent in her words, nothing indecent in her actions: modest body movements, quiet gait, even voice; so Her appearance was a reflection of the soul, the personification of purity.
Nikifor Callistus:
During the conversation, She maintained modest dignity, did not laugh, was not indignant, and was not especially angry. Completely artless, simple, She did not think at all about Herself, and far from being effeminate, she was distinguished by complete humility. She was content with the natural color of her clothes, as Her sacred head covering now proves. In short, there was a special grace in all Her actions.
Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer:
We all know that the Ever-Virgin Mother of God is filled with grace and all the virtues. They say that She was always cheerful in persecution and troubles, was not upset in need and poverty, was not angry with those who insulted Her, but even did good to them. She was meek in prosperity, merciful to the poor and helped them as much as she could, she was a teacher in piety and in every good deed. She especially loved the humble, because She herself was filled with humility. Those who have seen Her give Her much praise. People worthy of trust told about Her that, due to Her holiness, in Her appearance Her angelic and human natures were united.
Saint Dionysius the Areopagite:
When I was brought before the face of the godlike, most luminous Virgin, a great and immeasurable Divine light enveloped me from the outside and inside, and such a wondrous fragrance spread around me that neither my weak body nor my very spirit was able to endure such abundant and great signs and firstfruits eternal bliss and glory. My heart fainted, my spirit fainted from Her glory and Divine grace! The human mind cannot imagine any glory and honor (even in the state of people glorified by God) higher than the bliss that I tasted then, unworthy, but honored by mercy and blessed beyond all imagination.
Saint Theophan the Recluse:
Annunciation and establishment of the sacrament of Body and Blood. What a combination! We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ - those same ones that, in the Incarnation, were received from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos. Thus, in the Incarnation, which took place at the hour of the Annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to the memory of all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on their mother’s milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which come from the Most Holy Virgin Mary.
Saint Demetrius of Rostov:
Who would not be surprised that during the entire time from Adam’s crime to the incarnation of the Word of God, who came to earth to save the human race in half six thousand years, not a single virgin was found on earth who was pure not only in body, but also in spirit ? She alone turned out to be the first and last such Virgin who, by her physical and spiritual purity, became worthy of being the church and temple of the Holy Spirit. And just as then, thanks to her virgin purity, she ascended and approached God the Holy Spirit and united into one spirit with God, as the Scripture says: “he who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:17), so and in her most honorable Assumption she ascended by the same step to him, to heaven and above heaven. She ascended to God the Son by the level of humility, for through humility she became worthy to be His Mother. By the same step She ascended to heaven and surpassed in honor and dignity all the faces of the saints... By the same high level of deepest humility She achieved the highest honor of the Birth of God, incorruptible motherhood, for during Her humble words: “Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38) in Her most pure virgin womb “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Humility is the foundation of everything, and all other virtues serve as a kind of superstructure on this foundation. And in her life, the Most Pure Virgin approached God most of all through humility, Who says: “On whom will I look: the humble and contrite in spirit” (Is. 66:2). With the same humility and in her Assumption, She ascended to heaven and was elevated with glory to the throne of the Heavenly Kingdom, for humility reigns over the Most Pure Virgin where pride has been cast down.
She ascended to the third highest person of the Holy Trinity - God the Father - by the third highest step - love, for according to the Apostle “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Through her She became the Daughter of the Heavenly Father. How the Most Pure Virgin loved God, no language can explain this, no mind can comprehend, for love is one of the unknown secrets of the heart, known only to God and the searching heart.
People have different types of love: they love their parents in a special way, or a friend, or a son. The love of the Most Pure Virgin had no differences, for the One Whom She loved was for Her both the Father, and the only Son, and the incorruptible Bridegroom. All of Her all-encompassing love was directed towards the one God, and for her sake She was called the bride of the Holy Spirit, and the Mother of God the Son, and the Daughter, not by such communion as all become faithful children of God, according to the words of Scripture: “To those who believe in His name He gave authority to be children of God" (John 1:12), and in another place: "And I will receive you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17-18) . The Most Pure Virgin became the daughter of God the Father by another, incomparably higher, most honest and closest assimilation.
Let us imagine that a certain man took in two young orphaned girls, raised them as daughters, and called them both his daughters, and then made one of them the bride of his half-blooded son. This young woman, who was married to his son, becomes, according to the law of nature, his closest daughter, related to him to a greater degree than that young woman who was not married to his son. For this one is only his named daughter, the first one, and according to the law of nature, becomes his daughter, since she becomes one flesh with his son, according to the law of nature - the daughter of the same father. The same can be said about the Most Pure Mother of God. So by these three steps (I do not mention countless others) the Mother of God now ascends to what is above: to God the Holy Spirit - with virgin purity, to God the Son with humility, and to God the Father - with love. I will say more: by all these steps She ascended to the one God in the Trinity. For by what she pleased God the Holy Spirit, she pleased both God the Son and God the Father; by what she pleased God the Son, she pleased both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit; by what she pleased God the Father, she pleased God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov):
The divine body of the God-man was conceived Divinely and born Divinely. Virgo. performed the birth, being at the time of birth filled with the most holy spiritual joy. Disease did not accompany this birth, just as disease did not accompany the taking of Eve from Adam.
The Mother of God was the only verbal vessel into which God indwelt with His very being.
With all the greatness of the Mother of God, Her conception and birth took place according to the general law of humanity, therefore, the general confession of the human race about conception in iniquities and birth in sin also belongs to the Mother of God. The Mother of God confesses before all humanity in the Gospel... that the God born by Her is also Her Savior. If God is Her Savior, then She was conceived and born in sin according to the general law of fallen humanity.
The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Ever-Virgin took place twice. For the first time, the Holy Spirit descended on Her after the gospel spoken by the Archangel Gabriel, cleansed Her, pure according to human understanding, made her pure with grace, capable of receiving God’s Word into herself and becoming His Mother... The second time, the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin on the day of Pentecost ... Then the Holy Spirit destroyed the dominion of eternal death and original sin in Her, elevated Her to a high level of Christian perfection, and made Her a new person in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Mother of God did not know the struggle with carnal desires: before lust could act in Her, the Holy Spirit descended on Her, imprinted Her purity, gave Her spiritual pleasure, to which Her heart clung.
The Ever-Virgin is above all the saints, both for the reason that she became the Mother of the God-Man, and for the reason that She was the most constant, the most attentive listener and executor of the teachings proclaimed by the God-Man.
Just as the Lord replaced Adam with Himself, so He replaced Eve with the Mother of God. Eve, being created as a virgin, transgressed the commandment of God and could not retain the holy feeling of virginity... The Mother of God, being conceived and born in the sin of her forefathers, prepared Herself with a chaste and God-pleasing life into a vessel of God.
On the third day after Her blessed Dormition, the Mother of God resurrected and now lives in heaven in body and soul. She not only lives in heaven, She reigns in heaven... The Holy Church, turning with petitions to all the greatest saints of God, to all the Angels and Archangels, says to them: “Pray to God for us,” she asks the Mother of God alone: “Save us ".
Moscow Patericon:
In the summer of 1395, Tamerlane invaded the Russian borders. He boasted that grass does not grow where his horse steps. Tamerlane had already taken the city of Yelets, beat up many people and was moving towards Moscow. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich hastily gathered an army and was waiting for a formidable guest at Kolomna. It was decided to transfer the famous Vladimir Icon from Vladimir to Moscow. There was crying in Moscow churches, countless candles glowed in front of the icons... Residents of Moscow with the grand-ducal family and all the clergy went out to Kuchkovo Field to meet the icon, and a miracle happened. At the hour of the meeting of the icon in Moscow, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. In a dream he saw a high mountain. Saints with golden rods descended from the mountain towards him, above them in the air in indescribable grandeur, in the radiance of bright rays, stood the radiant Virgin. Darkness of Angels surrounded the Virgin and held fiery swords in their hands... Tamerlane woke up in horror and called the wise men. “This Virgin,” they said, “is the Intercessor of the Russians, the Mother of the Christian God... Her power is irresistible.” Tamerlane ordered his hordes to turn back. “Tamerlane fled, says the chronicler, driven by the power of the Blessed Virgin.”
Trinity Patericon:
One day, late at night, the Monk Sergius performed the cell rule and sang the Akathist before the icon of the Mother of God, which he did every day... When he finished the prayer, his soul felt the approach of a heavenly phenomenon and he said to his cell attendant, the Monk Micah: “Watch, child: we will have a wonderful visit now." And immediately a voice was heard: “Behold, the Most Pure One is coming!” ...The elder stood up, went out into the hallway, and here a light brighter than the sun shone upon him. He saw the Most Blessed Virgin, accompanied by the apostles Peter and John the Theologian... Unable to bear this wonderful radiance and the indescribable glory of the Mother of Light, the Monk Sergius fell on his face. But the good Mother touched him and said: “Do not be afraid, My chosen one. Your prayer for your disciples has been heard. Do not grieve anymore for your monastery. From now on it will have abundance in everything - not only during your life, but also after that, how do you go to God? I will not leave this place and will always keep it."
Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Dormition of Kiev-Pechersk
The history of this icon takes us to ancient years, when the spring of Orthodoxy flourished magnificently in Kievan Rus, when the venerable fathers of Russian monasticism Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk gathered a reverent army of monks in dark caves, and the Mother of God, who chose their monastery as Her earthly abode, was the great and with unspeakable miracles she testified of Her favor towards this great and wonderful place and, having spiritually established the monastery, wished to erect a wondrous temple in it for Herself.
This temple was prophesied. The Varangian prince Shimon, who came to the service of the blessed prince Yaroslav, and was saved by the power of the Mother of God from death on the battlefield, told Anthony and Theodosius that Christ ordered him to take to their monastery and hang over the altar the precious crown and belt that had previously adorned the crucifix built by Shimon’s father . During a storm at sea, a miraculous appearance of a wondrous church followed Shimon and a voice was heard that “this is the image of the church being built by the monks in the name of the Mother of God, and that this church will have 20 belts in width, 30 in length and 50 in height.” A few years later, having found St. Anthony in Kyiv, Shimon gave them a golden belt, saying: “This is the measure of the foundation of the future church.” At the same time, he also presented a crown, asking to hang it over the future holy altar.
The Monk Anthony handed over these items to the Monk Theodosius, predicting to him that he would build a church.
Shimon, in monasticism Simon, donated a lot for the construction of the church and subsequently visited it often.
In 1075, four very rich, skilled church architects came from Constantinople to the monastery of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk and said:
Where do you want to start building a church? The monks answered:
Where the Lord will indicate the place.
It’s a wonderful thing,” the masters noted then, “you foresaw the time of your death, gave us so much money, so much gold for work, and did not choose another place for the church.
Hearing such speeches that were incomprehensible to them, the Monks Anthony and Theodosius called all the brethren and in their presence asked the strangers:
Tell us the whole truth, what your words mean.
The masters said the following:
One day, when we were sleeping in our houses, at sunrise handsome young men came to each of us with an invitation: “The Queen is calling you to Blachernae” - a temple in the vicinity of Constantinople. We went to the call, taking friends and relatives with us, and we all met at the same time in Blachernae. There we learned from each other that we all heard the same call of the Queen and were called by the same young men. And there we saw the Queen surrounded by many soldiers and worshiped Her. The queen told us: “I want to build a church for myself in “Rus”, in Kyiv; I order you to take three years’ worth of gold with you and go build it.” We bowed again and answered her: “Lady Queen! You command us to go to a distant, foreign place, where we have never been before. Who will we go there to? The queen explained to us: “I am sending Anthony and Theodosius, who are coming here, with you”; and there we saw you. Then we asked: “For three years, You give us, O Lady, gold; Tell these monks to bring us food and everything we need, and You Yourself know what to reward us with.” To this the Queen said: “Antony, standing here, will only bless you for your work, and he himself will depart to eternal rest, and Theodosius will follow him in the second year; take, as I told you, gold to spare and go calmly on your way. No one is able to reward you like I do. I will give you what the eye has not seen, what the ear has not heard and what does not come to the heart of man, and I Myself will come to the church and live in it.” The Lady also gave us the relics of the martyrs Artemius, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Akakios, Arethas, Jacob and Theodore and ordered us to place these relics in the foundation of the future temple. Having received from Her the relics, gold and everything necessary, we asked Her about the size of the church. She answered us: “In measure I sent the belt of My Son according to His command. But go to an open place and you will see the size of the future temple.” We went out, saw the church in the air and remembered its size and outline; then, returning, they asked the Queen again: “Mistress, in whose name do you want to build a temple?” And She answered: “I want to name him in My name.” We did not dare ask this name. The Queen Herself said: “The Church will be the Mother of God” and handed us this holy icon of the Assumption with the words: “Let this icon be the vicar.” We bowed to Her once again and returned home, carrying with us the icon received from the hands of the Queen. 
After this story, everyone glorified God and His Mother. Anthony told the craftsmen that he had not left this place with the Monk Theodosius for a long time. The Greeks swore:
From your hands we accepted the gold before many witnesses; we accompanied you to the ships, saw your departure and, after spending one month at home after your departure, we set off; and now it’s already the 10th day since we left Constantinople.
Then the Monk Anthony said to them:
Chad! Christ has vouchsafed you great grace. The young men who appeared to you were bright angels, and the Queen in Blachernae is the Most Pure Mother of God Ever-Virgin Mary herself, surrounded by ethereal angelic forces. How She showed you the image of our face, only God knows about it. Blessed is your coming and your kind companion - the honest icon of the Lady Theotokos.
Such is the miraculous origin of this priceless treasure of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra - the wonderful icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
Great miracles accompanied the entire construction of the Kyiv Church, which received the name “Great”.
To find out the place where it was built, the Monks Anthony and Theodosius asked God for a sign: one morning the entire place where the church was later built turned out to be dry, while there was dew around it; on another night the same phenomenon was repeated, but in the reverse order, that is, dew fell only on one holy place. Through the prayers of the saints, fire fell from heaven onto the site marked out by Simon’s belt, covered with brushwood, to burn the brushwood and make a depression like a ditch. The relics given to the craftsmen in Blachernae by the Most Holy Theotokos were placed at the base of the walls. Having founded the church, the Monk Anthony soon died, as the Lady predicted, and in the second year after him, having removed the church from its foundation, the Monk Theodosius also died, and already the third abbot, Blessed Stephen, built a church, which was consecrated during new great miracles.
The miraculous icon of the Assumption, brought by Greek architects from Constantinople, remains to this day in the Great Church of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It is mounted on silk cords above the royal doors of the main iconostasis and after the service is lowered onto the lectern for those praying. The icon is inserted into a large silver-gilded circle and covered with a chasuble made of pure gold, decorated with precious stones. It is 9 inches high and 6 1/2 wide.
In all the disasters that erupted over Kiev and the Lavra, the icon remained unharmed. In front of this cherished shrine, Peter the Great, walking near Poltava, prayed for help, and returning, glorified the Mother of God for help. When a fire broke out in the Lavra in 1718, upon receiving news of this, Peter first of all asked:
Is the miraculous icon intact?
Hearing that it was preserved, the emperor exclaimed:
So, everything is preserved!
On difficult and dangerous days for the city, the icon was carried around the fence. When the Turks besieged Chigirin in 1677 and danger threatened Kyiv, the miraculous icon was carried around the city on August 27 almost the entire day. They carried it around Kyiv in the same way in 1812.
It is celebrated on May 3rd and August 15th. Every Wednesday before the start of the liturgy, akathist singing is performed before it. Based on the place where it appeared, the icon is also called “Blachernae”.
The appearance of the icon is as follows: the Mother of God is depicted resting on a bed; the Gospel stands before the bed; there are 5 apostles around the head and feet of the Mother of God; the Supreme Peter is at the head with a censer, Paul on the left side falls at the feet of the Mother of God, in the middle of the bed the Savior accepted the soul of the Mother of God into his arms, and near the head of the Savior there are two winged angels.
A reverent pilgrim who visited the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and read the legends about the miraculous icon will never forget those feelings that stir the soul when he, in a crowd of pilgrims after the liturgy, approaches the icon of the Assumption lowered from the iconostasis and lying on the lectern.
Whose hands drew the image of the Most Pure One’s departure to heaven? But She Herself held this icon in her arms, handing it over to the 4th architects, who rest with their relics in the same Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
The Monks Anthony and Theodosius took her into their arms, she was reverently kissed and many saints worshiped her... And now before her Christians cry out: “Rejoice, O Joyful One, who does not leave us in Your Dormition...”
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. "The Beginning of Salvation." (Word on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary):
“The sacrament that took place on this day amazes not only human, but also all angelic, high minds. They are also perplexed, how God, without beginning, immense, unapproachable, descended to the form of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and without in the least diminishing the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such Divine wisdom is filled with this sacrament of the Annunciation by the Archangel to the Most Holy Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly beings, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with awe before the greatness of the sacrament, as if surrounded by the filth of sin; rejoice, but immediately with sincere and living, deep repentance, cleanse yourself with the grace of God from the filth of sin.
Magnify with pure hearts and lips the Mother of God, exalted and exalted above all creatures, Angels and men, exalted by God Himself, the Creator of every creature, and remember that the mystery of the incarnation and incarnation of the Son of God took place for our salvation from sin, the curse righteously pronounced upon us in the beginning from God for sins, and from death, temporal and eternal. With fear and joy accept the Lord, who is coming to us to establish on earth, in our hearts and souls the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and hate God-hating sin, malice, impurity, intemperance, pride, hard-heartedness, unmercifulness, selfishness , carnal knowledge, all untruths. Christ came to earth for this purpose, in order to raise us to heaven.”
Father Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:
“How different are God and man! But God, having become man, did not abandon the nature of Divinity in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become a Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal pregnancy. What a strange communion of two natures - Divine and human, seamlessly united into one hypostasis! The divine nature adopted human characteristics, and God became a perfect man; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became perfect God.
In the same way, what an extraordinary combination of girlish purity and maternal pregnancy, which were strangely combined in one Wife! Virginity gave the Mother the purity that the Mother of God should have had, all pure, all immaculate, beautiful as the sun, chosen as the moon, as the Holy Spirit calls Her (see: Cantos 6, 9). Wombbearing gave virginity the blessing that the Virgin should have had in accordance with how the archangel greeted Her: Blessed are You among women (Luke 1:28).
There this wonderful union was born - the God-Man; here another connection takes place, equally wonderful, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful and in many ways deviating from ordinary nature: one and the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” proclaims the unappearing Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, who was born a man and did not cease to be God, has a Mother who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.”
Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovich):
“Never has any spring water been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Most Pure Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity. (“O purity, creating joy in the heart and transforming the soul into heaven! O purity, good acquisition, not defiled by beasts! O purity, abiding in the souls of the meek and humble and creating these people of God! O purity, in the midst of the soul and body, like a flower that flourishes and filling the whole temple with incense!" St. Ephraim the Syrian. On purity.)
And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. No knee will bow before Her, no mouth will cry out: “Rejoice, full of grace! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and unto ages of ages. Amen."
« Revealing the Eternal Council to You, the Young Lady, Gabriel appeared..." the Holy Church sings at the beginning of the festive service of the great feast of the Annunciation.
Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was raised in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple as having reached adulthood and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry Her off, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain a Virgin forever. Then the priests betrothed Her to a distant relative, the 80-year-old elder Joseph (he already had two daughters and four sons), who was also a descendant of King David, so that he would take care of Her and protect Her virginity.
The Holy Fathers of the Church - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John of Damascus - indicate that, under the guise of marriage, the Lord protected the Blessed Virgin Mary from the malice of the enemy of the human race, the devil, thus hiding from him that She is the very Blessed Virgin prophesied by Isaiah. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and solitary life as at the temple.
One day the Blessed Virgin Mary was reading the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and stopped at the place where it was said “ behold, a virgin will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel"(what God means with us) (Is. 7:14) and reflected on the greatness of the One who is worthy to be the Mother of God. With all her heart, Saint Mary wanted to see the Chosen One of God and in deep humility she wanted to be Her last servant.
And then an angel appears to Her and greets Her: “ Rejoice, Blessed One. The Lord is with You: blessed are You among women" These words became the first “good news” for humanity after its fall.
When she saw him, she was embarrassed by his words and wondered what this greeting meant.
And the Angel said to Her: “ Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. - Mary said to the Angel: how will this be when I don’t know my husband? The Angel answered Her: The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God... Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. And the Angel departed from Her"(Luke 1:28-38).
It is believed that it was at this moment that the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God took place.
If righteous Sarah received the news of the birth of Isaac from her with confusion, and righteous Zechariah, with a similar foreshadowing of the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, demanded a sign from the angel, then how much higher than the most righteous is the Most Holy Virgin Mary, when the annunciation of the birth from Her of Christ the Savior, the Son of God , supernatural, incomprehensible, Divine, accepts without confusion, without distrust.
It’s scary to even think what could have happened if there had not been found on earth one most worthy of receiving the highest Gift of God:
According to the interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyons, the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve. Mary becomes the "new Eve". The text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella (9th century) says that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave, with which Gabriel addressed the “new Eve”. In other words, to mention Eve was to also mention Mary. Jerome deduced a condensed formula: “ death - through Eve, life - through Mary" Augustine wrote: " through a woman - death, and through a woman - life».
The mysterious conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, humanity brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, responded to it with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit. According to the words of St. John of Damascus, he knows how and in what way the insertion of the Son of God into the womb of the Blessed Virgin takes place, “ only God Himself, and man should not speculate about the nature of that which is inscrutable and incomprehensible”.
The Orthodox Church firmly believes that Mary remained a Virgin even after the birth of her firstborn Jesus, according to prophecy (Ezek. 44:2). " And the Lord said to me: This gate will be shut and not open, and no man will enter through it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered through it, and it will be shut." The icons of the Mother of God depict three stars - on the shoulders and on the head cover of the Blessed Virgin. They symbolize the virginity preserved by Her before Christmas, at Christmas and after the Nativity of Christ.
According to Saint Theophan the Recluse, the Annunciation is closely connected with the establishment of the sacrament of Body and Blood. " We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ, the same ones that were received in the Incarnation from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos. Thus, in the Incarnation, which took place at the hour of the Annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to the memory of all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on their mother’s milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which come from the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Eating this way, we essentially drink milk from Her breasts.».
The date of the Feast of the Annunciation is connected with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months from December 25. It is believed that on the same day, March 25, the Creation of the world took place - thus, humanity was given a second chance.
Saint John Chrysostom called the Annunciation “the root of the holidays,” the beginning of all others. Among the ancient Christians it bore various names: “The Conception of Christ”, “The Annunciation of Christ”, “The Beginning of Redemption”, “The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary” - and only in the 7th century the name “Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” was forever adopted for it. During the 5th-8th centuries, due to heresies that humiliated the Face of the Mother of God, the holiday was especially exalted in the Church. In the 8th century St. John of Damascus and Theophan, Metropolitan of Nicaea, compiled festive canons, which are still sung by the Church.
According to the rules, on this day, despite Lent, the full liturgy must be celebrated, even if the Annunciation occurs on Good Friday (liturgy is excluded on this day). Due to its greatness, the Feast of the Annunciation is not canceled even if it falls on Easter. It very rarely happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter and the holiday seems to double. Then it's called Easter Kyriopaskha. Such a coincidence occurred in 1817, 1828, 1912, 1991. The next Kyriopascha will be in 2075.
The events of the Annunciation were described by the only evangelist - the Apostle Luke. There are also apocryphal texts, but they do not change the general history of the Annunciation, but add a number of details to it. The apocrypha - the so-called “Proto-Gospel of James” and the “Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew” (“The Book of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior”) tells of two appearances of an Angel. First, Gabriel appeared to the Virgin at the well and only then in Joseph’s house, where She, by fate, was spinning a purple curtain for the Jerusalem temple. These apocryphal legends significantly influenced the iconography of the holiday.
The subject of the Annunciation has long been popular in religious painting. Its iconography began to take shape very early. Its main attributes were: lily- a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary; spinning wheel, spindle (with red yarn) - an image of the flesh of Christ; book the prophet Isaiah, read by Mary; heavenly branch in the hand of the Archangel Gabriel; the olive branch is a symbol of reconciliation between God and creation; well- a symbol of Mary's purity. The first images appeared already in the 2nd century in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. They were finally formed in the Middle Ages, finding their most complete embodiment in the works of the 15th century.
In Western European painting of the proto-Renaissance, it is especially worth noting the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Simone Martini; from the Renaissance works - paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, and from the northern works - Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden. In the next era, El Greco painted several memorable paintings. Starting from the Baroque era, as happened with other subjects, many liberties and deviations penetrate into the interpretation of the plot.
In the iconographic tradition, it is customary for one wing of the archangel to remain extended behind his back, and the other to be raised as a sign of greeting. This symbolic movement has become part of the Orthodox liturgical system and is performed by the deacon when pronouncing the litanies. He raises the orarion with his right hand - the image of raising the Archangel's wing as a sign of greeting and respect. The Annunciation is translated from Greek as good news. Traditionally, in the Orthodox Church, the icon of the Annunciation is placed on the Royal Doors, surrounded by four evangelists. Thus, all the symbolism of the Royal Doors turns out to be connected with the gospel: “... through the Annunciation, the Word became the flesh that we can taste in Communion. And we can take part in this Eternal Meal only because we are called by the apostles and evangelists.” The gates are an additional symbol of the Mother of God (an image from the Old Testament prophecy of Ezekiel about the “closed” doors facing the east, through which the Lord enters).
The earliest “Annunciation” in Russian art (1040s) is a mosaic on two pillars in the Kiev Cathedral of Hagia Sophia.
Annunciation, mosaics on two pillars of St. Sophia of Kyiv, c. 1040
The oldest depiction of a scene in Russian art. In the hands of the Mother of God is red yarn that comes from apocryphal stories.
Among the Russian icons on this subject, it is worth noting the “Ustyug Annunciation”, painted in the 12th century in Veliky Novgorod, the icons of Rublev and Daniil Cherny, as well as the fresco of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The works of Borovikovsky date back to a later period.
Annunciation of Ustyug. 30-40s XII century
In the Moscow Kremlin, the miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously especially revered. Tradition says that during the reign of Ivan the Terrible she miraculously appeared written on the wall of the Kremlin tower. Her appearance was associated with prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos for her release of a certain innocently convicted prisoner held in the tower. Having learned about the “self-painted” icon, Tsar Ivan the Terrible freed the prisoner. Soon a wooden chapel was built near the miraculous icon, then a stone church, and the tower began to be called the Annunciation Tower.
One of the most famous temples dedicated to this holiday is Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, founded as a house temple of the royal family at the Kremlin palace. And the protopresbyter of the Annunciation Cathedral was the confessor of the august persons until the 20th century. In March 1584, from the porch of the Annunciation Cathedral, Ivan the Terrible saw a cruciform comet. “This is the sign of my death,” he said, and a few days later he was gone.
Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
On this day, according to ancient Russian tradition, after the Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Patriarch, clergy and children release birds into the wild. This custom was revived in 1995 and is now performed in many temples.
According to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, this tradition, full of deep meaning, “symbolizing that the birds are no longer in a cage, but in freedom, reminds us that in our free will is the search for the Kingdom of God.”
This tradition of the Feast of the Annunciation was very loved by St. Patriarch Tikhon, on this holiday he completed his path of confession, releasing his soul to God.
The Gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “ Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls».
In the Catholic tradition, it corresponds to the Ave Maria prayer - one of the most beautiful and famous chants in the world. Many pieces of music have been written based on the text of the prayer. Among the authors of the music are Palestrina, Gounod (based on a prelude by Bach), Dvorak, Verdi, Mascagni, Caccini, Liszt, Saint-Saens.
Franz Schubert's "Third Song of Ellen" is often inaccurately called "Schubert's Ave Maria", although in fact the text on which this music is set is taken from a German translation of Walter Scott's poem about the Celtic Lady of the Lake ("Maiden of the Lake", 1810) and includes only the first two words of the prayer. Subsequently, Ave Maria began to be sung in its entirety to the music of this song by Schubert, although the composer did not have this in mind.
In Rus', the Feast of the Annunciation has always been treated with reverence. The Orthodox did not work on this day and strictly observed this rule. They said that on this day “the maiden does not braid her hair, and the bird does not build a nest.” The Day of the Annunciation was considered a day of mercy. People visited prisoners in prisons and gave alms. Dinners were held for the poor in the royal chambers, during which the Emperor himself bestowed generous alms on the poor.
Svetlana Finogenova
Troparion of the holiday, ch. 4
The day of our salvation is the greatest, and the sacraments have been revealed since the ages; The Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches grace. In the same way, we also cry out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You!
Kontakion of the holiday, ch. 8
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil, let us sing in gratitude to Thy servants, O Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.
GREATNESS
The Archangel's voice / cry out to You, Pure One: / Rejoice, O Gracious One, / The Lord is with You.
HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY
The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary - this is how the Christian Church calls the great twelfth holiday, dedicated to the memory of Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary of the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word from Her. (Luke 1:26-38). This sacred event took place, according to church tradition, in the sixth month after the conception of the holy prophet John the Baptist by the holy righteous Elizabeth. “Revealing the Eternal Council to You, the Young Lady, Gabriel appeared...” sings the Holy Church at the beginning of the festive service of the great feast of the Annunciation. The Eternal Council of the Holy Trinity on the Incarnation of the Only Begotten Son of God for the redemption of the human race perishing in sins and its salvation was an incomprehensible secret, hidden until the time appointed by God not only from people, but also from Angels. When the time of the incarnation of the Word of God approached, that one, the only Virgin in the world in Her purity and holiness, appeared from among humanity - the Most Blessed Young Lady Mary - worthy to serve the cause of salvation of the human race and to become the Mother of the Son of God. The Most Holy Virgin Mary was given to her elderly parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna (September 9) for their unceasing and tearful prayers. Fulfilling their vow to dedicate their child to God, at the age of three, the righteous parents brought their Daughter to the Jerusalem Temple.
Upon reaching the age of 14, when, according to Jewish law, Her stay in the temple should have ended, the Most Holy Mary was betrothed to the righteous eighty-year-old elder Joseph, a poor carpenter from the family of David, who was entrusted with guarding Her virginity. Having moved to Nazareth, to the house of her Betrothed, Elder Joseph, the Most Holy Mary continued the same life that she spent in the temple. The Holy Fathers of the Church - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John of Damascus indicate that, under the guise of marriage, the Lord protected the Blessed Virgin Mary from the malice of the enemy of the human race, the devil, thus hiding from him that She was the same Blessed Virgin about whom the prophet Isaiah said: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means God is with us” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). While staying in the house of Her Betrothed, Elder Joseph, the Most Holy Virgin Mary once read the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and reflected on the greatness of She who would be honored to be the Mother of God. With all her heart, Saint Mary wanted to see the Chosen One of God and in deep humility she wanted to be Her last servant. On that blessed day of the beginning of human salvation, which became the day of the incarnation of God the Word, the Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary from heaven and greeted Her with the words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You; blessed are You among women.” When she saw him, she was embarrassed by his words and wondered what this greeting meant. And the Angel said to Her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David.” , His father; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. - Mary said to the Angel: How will this be, since I do not know a husband? The Angel answered Her: The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and Power The Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God... Then Mary said: Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to Me according to your word. And the angel departed from Her" (Luke 1:28-38).
The unshakable, deep faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her equally deep humility, combined with fiery love for God and devotion to His Holy will, appeared as that blessed Niva (a comparison taken from the Akathist to the Annunciation, ikos 3), in the depths of which the Blessed Fruit arose - the God-Man Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. Since the time of the seedless conception of the Son of God marks the beginning of the salvation of the human race, the Church on the day of the Annunciation repeatedly proclaims: “the day of our salvation is the main thing and the manifestation of the sacrament from the ages...” The Day of the Annunciation is also the day of the Savior’s incarnation: from March 25 to 25 December, when the Nativity of Christ is celebrated, is exactly nine months old. On the Feast of the Annunciation, the Holy Church remembers this wondrous and incomprehensible to the minds of mortals Sacrament. Almighty God, by the great Sacrament of His incarnation from the Blessed Virgin Mary, comes into the world to take upon Himself the burden of the sins of the entire human race; The Son of God becomes the Son of Man, perceives human nature in order to renew and deify it through His incarnation, redemptive suffering and Resurrection. The Lord’s infinite love for His creation was revealed in His Divine exhaustion, without which the ancestral sin and the innumerable sins of subsequent generations would inevitably lead to the eternal death of all people. Thanks to the Incarnation, every Christian who believes in the Lord and strives to live according to His commandments is given the opportunity of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the person of the Most Holy Theotokos, Christians found a merciful Mother, Intercessor, Helper and Intercessor for them before Her Divine Son.
The solemn church veneration of the day of the Annunciation began no later than the 4th century, as evidenced in the works of Saints Athanasius the Great and John Chrysostom. But icons depicting this event appeared in the Christian Church already in the 2nd century, even in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. In the Russian Orthodox Church, icons of the Annunciation depict the Archangel Gabriel (usually with wings and a halo around his head, and sometimes with butts in his ears) standing (straight or kneeling) before the Holy Virgin; in the left hand of the Archangel there is a branch of paradise, a symbol of the joyful gospel, with his right hand he blesses the Virgin; sometimes, instead of a branch, Gabriel holds a trident in his hand. The Blessed Virgin Mary is represented sitting (in the temple) and reverently reading a book (of the prophet Isaiah); in the book the words are sometimes visible: “Behold, the Virgin will receive with child” (Is. 7:14). There are ancient icons of the Annunciation with some modifications; for example, the Blessed Virgin is depicted with a spindle or cob in her hands. On other icons, for example in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, it is not the Most Pure Virgin Herself who is depicted spinning, but a maid sitting at Her feet. On the Ustyug Icon of the Annunciation in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, the Infant God is represented as appearing on the Persian side of the Ever-Virgin at the moment of the Annunciation. There are also icons of the Annunciation, in which the Mother of God is depicted standing at a well, drawing water; The preaching Archangel is depicted behind or in front of Her.
Icons of the Annunciation, symbolizing the beginning of the redemption of the human race, have been placed on the royal doors since ancient times, according to church law. The Royal Doors depict the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the icon of the Annunciation reminds us of the opening of paradise for us, since this sacred event was the “centre” of our salvation.
TROPARION, tone 4
The day of our salvation is the main thing, / and since the beginning of time the mystery has been revealed, / the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is born, / and Gabriel preaches grace, / with the same we cry out to the Mother of God: / Rejoice, full of grace, / the Lord is with you.
PRAYER
Oh, Most Holy, God's Chosen Virgin, the Holy Comforter of the Spirit, the All-Immaculate Bride, the Most Precious Daughter of the Divine Father in Heaven, found in the midst of the thorns of this world, like a shrine shining with the kindness of virginity, so that the Son of God will be the Pure Mother, Unartificed! What shall we reward You on this bright day of this Annunciation, since You surprised the Archangel Gabriel with the beauty of Your immeasurable virginity and from this You received indescribable joy? What shall we bring to You for all Your consolation, in whose image You have rejoiced on this day the whole world, visible and invisible, especially the human race that fell in ancient times? The day of our salvation began and the sacrament has been revealed since the ages: now the Word of God quietly descended from heaven, like a drop dripping onto the earth, and dwelt in Your God-gracious Virgin womb and became the Flesh for our salvation. For this reason, today the Angels rejoice in heaven and all creation rejoices and rejoices, celebrating the beginning of its liberation from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Now the female nature rejoices, for the sake of Eve it fell, for having obeyed the serpent, it gave birth to sadness to women and uncontrollably introduced death. But you, Virgo, have freed the entire human race from bitter work, and with the freedom of Christ you have honored the female nature; before pure virginity, you have introduced true life, and for this reason, for the sake of your wife, holding virginity, you are beginning to defeat the enemy. Now Adam rejoices, having seen that on this bright day the first gospel of heaven has been fulfilled on You, that the seed of the Woman will erase the head of the serpent. With him the whole human race now rejoices, because through You, Most Pure One, God’s ancient aversion to man has now been abolished, for you have again brought God to us. For this reason, we see You now, like Jacob of old, like the High Ladder, Who God brought down to earth and like the Most Wonderful Bridge, by whom He raised up those who are from the earth again to heaven. What shall we render to You, Queen of heaven and earth, for all this, in which You have given unspeakable joy to Your fallen and lost people? All our sacrifices and offerings are nothing before the majesty of Your blessings. There is only one thing that pleases You: “a contrite and humble heart,” which Your Son and Our Lord “will not despise.” For this reason, we pray to Thee: fill us with the surpassing heights of Your humility, so that we can contain Your tree, so that we may bring Thee on the all-holy day of Thy Annunciation of Thy from Thy, in which we cannot think high in every matter, but will endure in the humility of the spirit. Decorated with this first virtue, on the bright day of this holiday of Yours, in meekness and purity of heart, with the Archangel Gabriel we cry out to you: Rejoice, Most Gracious, Rejoice, Delighted, Rejoice, Most Blessed, the Lord is with You and You with us forever and ever. Amen.
Akathist to the Annunciation of the Holy Mother of God
Kontakion 1
Chosen in the Eternal Council, the Virgin Mary, serve the great mystery of the Incarnation, with shining virgin purity, more than the highest heavenly purity, we bring reverent singing to You, Mother of God, about Your all-joyful Annunciation from the Archangel. But you, who are overjoyed and might give joy to fallen people, deliver us from all troubles and sinful sorrows, and lead us to heavenly joy, and with Gabriel we cry to you: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Ikos 1
Archangel Gabriel, standing before the Throne of God, beholds the unapproachable Divine Glory, and when the time for the deliverance of men has come, he receives the commandment of the Lord: Be a servant of the terrible miracle and the hidden sacrament: by My mercy you have moved to seek the lost Adam, I long for it. Come now to the city of Nazareth, where the maiden Mary dwells, and see the lovely beauty of virginity. Come to this animated God's Icon, to the second Heaven existing on earth. Go to this Abode of My Incarnation and proclaim My incorruptible coming from Her. Be careful not to confuse or frighten the soul of the Virgin, so that your gospel may be in joy and not in sorrow. For this reason, approach Her meekly and let your first voice bring Her joy, and cry to Her face: Rejoice, O Gracious One, Her joy will shine forth. Rejoice, Delighted One, Her oath will disappear. Rejoice, O Blessed One, for through this all creation is renewed. Rejoice, Most Glorified One, for by Her the whole world is being saved. Rejoice, God-chosen Youth, proclamation from fallen Adam. Rejoice, Immaculate Left, deliverance from the tears of Eve. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 2
Seeing the Archangel Gabriel, as the Lover of Mankind, the Lord was merciful, the human race perishing in vain, was greatly surprised that God, Whom the heavens cannot contain, wants to be contained in the womb of a girl, lest the fire of the Divine scorch her, as God, on the Worthless Cherubim and Seraphim do not dare to rise , wants to appear on earth in the form of a slave, so that he may live with men. Wondering at this ineffable mystery, cry out to God with fear: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
Revealing the incomprehensible mind of the terrible mystery, the Lord of Angels spoke to the Archangel: Why are you embarrassed, Gabriel, about the news of this thing? Even if the fire did not burn the bush in the desert, which burned and was not consumed, the Fire of My Divinity will not scorch the womb of the Maiden in every possible way, but rather will water it and sanctify it with My grace. Where God wills, the laws of nature are overcome. Gabriel, having heard this, was filled with Divine joy, and departed for Nazareth, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord, thinking within himself how he would go to the Young Lady and how he would announce to Her the miraculous sacrament, so as not to confuse Her with a girlish thought, and he said to himself: I will tell Her first of all is joy, and as I kiss, I will sing the following voice: Rejoice, Joy to the whole world, for You alone should rejoice. Rejoice, Sweetness of the Angels, from You alone the Lord was pleased to become incarnate. Rejoice, Unfading Flower of purity, for you have shown heavenly fragrance to the whole world. Rejoice, snow-white crown of virginity, You have planted heavenly virginity on earth. Rejoice, most precious Treasure, for Your kindness was desired by the Heavenly King. Rejoice, brightest morning to the whole world, for with your light the darkness of sin will be dispersed. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 3
Strengthened by the power of the Divine, the great Archangel flew down from heavenly heights and came to the city of Nazareth, and found the Holy Virgin in Her inner chamber, not caring about the things of life, but abiding in prayer and reading the book. So, having opened the book of Isaiah the prophet, one reads his words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel.” And inflamed with seraphim love, not only for Christ who will soon come, but also for her Maiden, who is about to give birth to Him, and pondering how ineffable this sacrament is and how great the dignity of That Maiden is, and praying to see You, and if possible, She will be the last to be Toya’s slave, so with joy we will sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having great fear and reverence for the Mother of God, since God had chosen to be the Lady of heaven and earth, the great Archangel approached the inner doors of Toya’s palace, and suddenly the Most Blessed One appeared with great meekness, the heavenly Messenger appeared Most Immaculate, and joy would bring good news to the whole world, appearing as the ethereal Pure One. To the Virgin, let him turn the dishonor of women into honor, and let him create disgrace between the Creator and the creation, and in a bright voice, let the unartful verb say: Rejoice, full of grace, rejoice now and be glad, for the Lord is with you. Rejoice, O Blessed One, hear now and incline Your ear, as the King has desired Your kindness. Rejoice, O Delighted One, for blessed are You among women. Rejoice, O Most Glorified One, for great is Your glory in heaven. Rejoice, God-chosen Youth, for by You the entire human race will be saved from delusion. Rejoice, most graceful Maiden, for the entire highest council of Angels will rejoice in You. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 4
Storming within with doubtful thoughts, the Most Holy Virgin was dismayed, having heard such heavenly gospel, and having thought within herself what this kiss would be like, she spoke to the Archangel: Eve, My foremother, having accepted the mind of the serpent, was deprived of the Divine food and was expelled from Paradise, and so was Az. I'm afraid of your strange kiss, ashamed of your advances. For this reason, step back from My doors, and do not speak verbs that you cannot show their reality, so that I will not be deceived because you are disturbing my mind and soul... But in the silence of My spirit I will sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
The Archangel of the Humble heard the words of the Most Holy Virgin, speaking to Her: Why are you afraid of me, O All-Immaculate One, more afraid of You? Why do you revere me, Lady, who honestly reveres you? Do not be surprised at my strange sight, do not be horrified, for I am an Archangel. The serpent deceives Eve sometimes, but God’s representative was sent by the Divine Eternal Council to tell You. Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found immeasurable grace from God for the sake of your virgin purity. For this reason, conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and call His Name Jesus. This one will be Great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Bringing good news to this great sacrament of piety, I cry out to You with fear: Rejoice, never-setting star, introducing the Great Sun of Christ into the world. Rejoice, you who bring forth the dawn, who reveals the Creator to man throughout the world. Rejoice, brighter than the morning, shining the light of grace upon all who sit in the darkness of sin. Rejoice, dearest of gold, showing to all those who do not know God the treasure of faith. Rejoice, Heavenly Ladder, Whose God descends from heaven. Rejoice, you lead the bridge to heaven, through whom the world is filled with miracles. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 5
Having heard the divinely inspired words of the Archangels, the Most Holy Virgin was more troubled than before; I proclaimed this Nativity to Her. For this reason, I speak to the Archangel: Verb to me most clearly, when I conceive, the Virgin is a young woman, uninvolved in marriage. How will this happen if I don’t know where my husband is? How can you say that I will give birth, I’m afraid of food and flattery? This speech is not for the sake of unbelief, but as if one does not know what can be born, surpassing the laws of nature. For this reason, I spoke to the Angel: tell Me the image of birth, so that My virginity will not be damaged, and then You will find My heart ready for God’s will, so that I may sing to God with joy: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Seeing the Archangel of the greatness of the Most Pure Faith, he spoke to Her: The verbs that you told me are customs of the birth of mortal men, but Jesus, the Creator of nature, does not work for the laws of nature, the Maiden. You seek to see from me the image of Your conception, but it is indescribable: the Holy Spirit will come upon You and the Power of the Most High will overshadow You, and in the same way the Holy One will be called the Son of God. You will receive from Him in your womb and He will accomplish an unknown conception in You, O Most Holy Virgin. For this reason I glorify Thee: Rejoice, Bride of the Most Holy Spirit, chosen and destined. Rejoice, most beloved and greatly admired Daughter of God the Father. Rejoice, Divine Switch, with the finger of the Father the Word of God is written in You. Rejoice, golden lamp, through whom the Fire of Divinity will shine forth throughout the world. Rejoice, inexhaustible depth, inconceivable and angelic eye. Rejoice, unspeakable height, incomprehensible to human thoughts. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 6
I believe you to be a Divine Preacher and Messenger of Heaven, the Most Holy Virgin spoke to the Angel: I see you covered with angelic lightness, but I am ashamed to quickly believe Your words, not knowing first with all the knowledge. I heard a certain Holy Virgin Emmanuel giving birth, foretold by a prophet of old. For this reason, I want to understand how human nature will undergo the dissolution of the Divine, so that I may know the power of the sacraments and sing to God with faith: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Now, O Most Pure One, the great Mystery of the Incarnation of God shines through You to the whole world,” the Archangel said to the Mother of God, “For You are the Holy Virgin, about whom Isaiah prophesied.” You are the Door of the Divine, sealed with purity and preserved by virginity, as Ezekiel foresaw. The Lord will pass through You, like a glass or crystal ray of the sun passes, enlightening and sanctifying You with Divine Glory, in Your being the true Matter of God, giving birth to the Perfect God and the Perfect Man, and the Incorruptible Virgin, as before the Nativity, and also in the Nativity and after Your Nativity, give birth to a Son, keeping Your virginity intact. For this reason, glorifying the greatness of Your mystery, I cry to Your face: Rejoice, Burning Bush, Even the fire of the Divine, Foreseen by Moses, will not scorch. Rejoice, the door that is closed, through which God will pass, foretold by Ezekiel. Rejoice, wonderful Tabernacle, which cannot contain the Inconceivable God, foreshadowed by Abraham. Rejoice, watered fleece, the Lord, like a raindrop, will quietly fall on Negozhe, as foretold by Gideon. Rejoice, unsown land, the Word of Heaven, like fruitful wheat that vegetates purely. Rejoice, unearthed, Son of God, like the Divine class, clearly growing. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 7
Wanting to believe the most terrible mystery announced by the Archangel, the Most Holy Virgin was both embarrassed by the provision of the heights of this majesty, and all ashamed, saying: Rtsy Mi, Gabriel, most true, how, having been more incorruptible than My purity, will I give birth to the fleshless One? Miracles have always been multiplied by the Divine power, working miracles, but the unskilled virgin never gave birth. For this reason, how can someone who is inconceivable and invisible to everyone inhabit a girl’s womb, even if he himself created it? This is my prayer, may I sing to God with faith: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
New and terrible and wonderful are Your sacraments, the Angel spoke to the Mother of God, and a new creation is shown by You, Creator Lord, for You received the One Incarnate King in your womb, so that You may be called the One Mother of the Son of God, Pure. For this reason, do not marvel at miracles and do not hesitate: “Where God wills, the order of nature is overcome,” for everything is possible to the Almighty. And just as from the ribs of Adam Eve was created without a mother by the ancient Creation of God, so even now from Your virginity the Lord is incarnated without the father of all. And let Aaron’s rod, which has grown wet, and the fleece of Gideon, assure Thee that before, like dew, Thou hast received conception, O Imperishable Virgin of existence. In the same way, the bush that remained unscorched in the fire will proclaim to You that you have received the fire, the Divinity, the Ever-Virgin, and after Christmas you will remain pure. For this sake, accept my kiss, so that all the tribes of the earth will sing to You with joy: Rejoice, rod of Aaron, who has vegetated incorruption to the whole world. Rejoice, Phoenix of David, who flourished with immortality for fallen people. Rejoice, Heavenly Tabernacle, overshadowed and blessed by the Cherubim. Rejoice, Great Holy of Holies, revered and glorified by the Seraphim. Rejoice, Chalice of the Immortal King, in Neizha world-wide joy dissolves from the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, O Thou of the Divine Manna, from the Unspeakable is prepared an indescribable sweetness for the faithful. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 8
This strange Christmas, the Majesty confuses Me, - the speech of the Blessed Virgin to the Angel, - because the All-Blessed One is pleased to dwell in Me more than the mind, so that the temple pure in soul and flesh will be respected to Him, the voice of joy of your words is received, the joys of the Divine are fulfilled, so that now the ancient Eve will be abolished by Me condemnation and may the debt of men be repaid by Me today, and may all, rejoicing in this Bright Annunciation, sing with gratitude to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
All creation now rejoices in You, O Gracious One, the Council of Angels and the human race,” said the Archangel, “for Divine joy has been given to You, and for every promise of God now comes to an end through You: Abraham is blessed today in Your seed. Through you now free Eve from ancient sorrow. Adam rejoices in you, for today the first gospel is being fulfilled to fallen people: the seed of the Woman will erase the head of the serpent. Through you, all creation now begins to be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. You have now bestowed upon the entire human race all joy and eternal gladness, so that everyone will praise You forever: Rejoice, O Joyful Virgin, foreshadowed from the ancient patriarchs. Rejoice, Holy Bride of God, foretold by all the prophets of old. Rejoice, prisoner in Vertograd, in Negozha the Heavenly King desired to come. Rejoice, sealed Fountain, from the Worthless One no one will be able to drink. Rejoice, Divine Garden, in Nemzha, from all the flowers of the Holy Spirit, a heavenly fragrance spread throughout the whole world. Rejoice, newly planted Paradise, in the midst of which the Divine Tree of Life is prepared for Your vegetation. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 9
Every angelic nature is now amazed at You, Most Pure One, hearing Your wondrous conversation with the Archangel Gabriel and especially this prayer of Yours: “Cleanse the Soul, sanctify the Body, create Me a capacious Church of God and a Tabernacle adorned with God, so that by the influx of the Most Holy Spirit I will create a temple with souls and a Mother of Pure Life.” neither " When, through this prayer, you spoke from your humble heart: “Behold the Servant of the Lord, be unto me according to your word, that God may dwell in me,” all the Heavenly Powers glorified God, seeing that your heart was ready to receive the Divine, both with fear and hurried to Him with joy: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Vitia Divine The Holy Archangel Gabriel was in fear and in deep silence and stopped his verbs, when, Most Holy Virgin, You spoke Your humble word: “Behold the servant of the Lord, wake Me according to Your word.” At the beginning of worldly existence, with this creative word: “let it be,” spoken by the Creator, everything, visible and invisible, was created. Now this word, spoken by the Virgin, has brought down the Creator of creation into this world, and thus a great mystery has been revealed today: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is made to make Adam God. The co-essential Word of the Father, without being separated from those above, descended to earth and became Flesh and dwelled in us, is ineffably exhausted and dwells in the Womb of the Virgin. Let heaven and earth rejoice and, together with the Archangel, sing to the Most Pure Virgin: Rejoice, earthly heaven, who ascended to the highest heights with a humble spirit. Rejoice, Heavenly Village, containing the Word of God ineffably. Rejoice, O Blessed One, who incorruptibly accepted the conception of the Eternal God. Rejoice, O Blessed One, Who alone preserved the Chamber of Thy Virginity at conception. Rejoice, Pure Virgin, who gloriously conquered the rules of nature in the Incarnation. Rejoice, Bride of God, who wonderfully rejoiced the angelic nature at Your Annunciation. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 10
To save the world, the Lover of Mankind, the Lord descended like rain on the fleece into Thy Most Pure Womb, O Mother of God, and through the ineffable influx of the Holy Spirit, the unknown conception and the Eternal Word of God came into being and dwelt in Thee, having received from Thy Most Pure Blood without carnal pleasure, but not without spiritual delight: then Your virgin heart is filled with divine desire and Your spirit is burning with the flame of Seraphim love, and your whole mind, as if it had been outside itself, deepened in God. And thus, delighting in this ineffable love of God and this intelligent vision of God, you bowed down to your Lord Who was incarnate from you and joyfully sang to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
You are a wall to the virgins, O Virgin Mother of God, for you conceived virginally from the Holy Spirit the Eternal God and the Virgin remained, and thus you freed Eve from ancient sorrow. Today is the joy of the Annunciation, the virgin triumph and great sacrament, the beginning of our salvation. Today the sky rejoices and the earth rejoices. For this reason, the great Gabriel, the first of all creation, understanding in spirit the great mystery of the Incarnation, worshiped with great fear the Savior of the world who was incarnated in the Virgin’s womb and the incarnated Most Pure Virgin with almost befitting worship, like the Queen of heaven and earth, and with great reverence sang to Her like this: Rejoice, Tall One The sacrament of the Incarnation of God is a wonderful accomplishment. Rejoice, glorious manifestation of the ineffable composition of the Flesh of Christ. Rejoice, Drawing of seedless disgrace, in Nemzhe the Creator of the whole world is contained today. Rejoice, O Ark of the Divine Incarnation, to Whom the great joy of the entire universe is now bestowed. Rejoice, O Maiden, who hast woven purple from Thy Most Pure Flesh for the Word of God. Rejoice, O Young Lady, who gave the incorruptible scarlet from Your virgin blood to the Lamb of God. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 11
Thou didst bring all-contrite singing, O Most Pure One, when, after the departure of the Archangel, Thou didst visit the righteous Elizabeth of Thy south and proclaimed to her the joy of the Annunciation, in gladness of spirit, saying: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior. As if you have looked upon the humility of Your Servant, behold, from now on all of you will please Me.” This visit of Yours made righteous Elizabeth happy, and the baby John leaped with joy in her womb, and was filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth, and said: “Where do I receive this, that the Mother of My Lord may come to me.” May our spirit also leap now, feeling on the day of Your Annunciation the joy of Your visit. For this reason, together with Elizabeth, we cry to You: “Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb,” and to Him I will bring out and let us all sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
A great and Divine light ascended into Your soul, Most Pure One, when, at the voice of the Archangel, the Holy Spirit descended on You and the Power of the Highest Autumn of You and when You conceived in the God-blessed virgin womb of Your Creator of lights, His light shines in the darkness and His darkness is not embraced. Enlighten You, like the sun, with the light of Your Divinity, Glorify and adore All, for this sake “Your goodness shines, Your purity shines, Your lordship shines, as the Holy Spirit predicted about You in the Songs: “Thou art all good, My neighbor, and there is no vice in You.” " Thou hast appeared All Chosen, All Precious, Even as God loved, All Pure and Divine Glory. Enlightened by this Divine Light of Yours, may we also praise You in songs, like the Mother of Light: Rejoice, O Holy One of the Divine Light, Who bore the Everlasting Light in Your womb. Rejoice, Ray of the Clever Sun, who enlightened the whole world with the light of the Face of God. Rejoice, Heavenly Lamp, lit on the earthly candlestick of the entire universe. Rejoice, Life-Giving Source, abundantly watered with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, Light-bringing Virgin, for the sake of the light of the knowledge of God this day has risen to us all. Rejoice, Chosen Bride of God, whose indescribable joy now covers the whole world. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 12
Divine grace and great joy flourish today to the whole world, Most Pure One, on the luminous day of Thy Annunciation, for for Thy sake on this day the ancient sorrow of the Holy Cross and the beginning of the salvation of men rest: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin appeared, and for Eve’s sake the land was cursed, by Thee, Virgin, Today you will be blessed again. The cherubim retreats from the tree of life and the gates of paradise are again opened to the faithful today, and the whole world is filled with joy, even as the great Gabriel, hail thee, O Virgin, from above. For this reason, let the heavens rejoice today, let the earth rejoice, and let every breath and creation sing to God about You: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing your all-joyful Annunciation from the Archangel, Mother of God, we praise all the terrible, glorious and great mystery of your pure and virgin conception of the Holy Spirit, we worship your incorruptible Son Christ our God, conceived from you, and with all our hearts we believe and confess, as in the Divine conception and After Your Nativity You remained Ever-Virgin. For this reason, together with Gabriel, we will bring to You the opulent Archangel’s voice: Rejoice, Full of Grace, clothed in the Sun, shining with grace and glory throughout the entire universe. Rejoice, Blessed One, from the east of the sun to the west, reverent and exalted throughout all the heavens. Rejoice, great angelic surprise, who surprised Gabriel with the beauty of her virginity. Rejoice, good joy to the whole world, who made fallen people glad with the joy of Your Annunciation. Rejoice, humble Servant of the Lord, who by the height of Her humility brought God down to earth. Rejoice, Merciful Mother of God Most High, who through Your maternal intercession brought many sinners to Christ. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Kontakion 13
Oh, All-Singing Paraclete Bride, Pure Marriage who has not known the Virgin! Having astonished the Archangel with the beauty of Virginity and the incorruptible Flesh that has now given itself to God the Word, today we have received the offering of Your all-joyful Annunciation from Gabriel, preserve those betrothed to Christ God in virginity, strengthen everyone in purity and deliver us from troubles, so that You may free us from eternal torment. Through You let us find paradise, where let us all sing to God about You: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)
