The Mother of God of Three Hands helps. "Three-handed" - icon of the Mother of God

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.

The history of the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” is closely connected with the fate of the defender of Orthodoxy and the veneration of holy icons, St. John of Damascus. In 717, the Byzantine emperor Leo the Isaurian began fierce persecution of admirers of icons. Icons were burned, broken, and their defenders were given over to torture and death. Only outside the Byzantine lands, in Muslim Damascus, did icons continue to be openly venerated thanks to the intercession of St. John, who held the position of adviser to the ruler of the city. However, the Monk John was soon accused by the emperor of treason and slandered before the local caliph. It was ordered to cut off his right hand and hang it in the city square to intimidate him. Towards evening, when the ruler’s anger subsided, the monk interceded with him and, taking his severed hand, shut himself up in his cell. The saint prayed long and tearfully before the icon of the Mother of God, placing the severed hand to the joint and asking the Lady to heal his hand. In a subtle dream, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him, bringing the joyful news of the healing of his hand, which he was now to use to glorify the name of God. Waking up, the monk felt his hand and saw it safe and sound. Touched by a feeling of deep gratitude to the Heavenly Lady for Her mercy, Saint John composed a song of thanksgiving to the Mother of God “Every creature rejoices in You, O Gracious One,” which in later liturgical practice began to be used as a hymn in the liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. Also, wanting to leave a memory of the miracle that occurred, the saint attached a hand made of silver to the lower part of the icon, through which he received healing, which is why this image received the name “Three-Handed”.

The news of John's healing immediately spread throughout Damascus. The caliph, enlightened by the miracle, recognized his guilt and asked John to take over state affairs again, but the saint had already decided to devote all his strength to serving God. He retired to the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified in Jerusalem and there accepted monasticism. There he also took with him the miraculous icon of the Mother of God.

The holy image was constantly in Jerusalem until the 13th century, when Saint Sava arrived at the monastery. By the special will of the Mother of God, the future Archbishop of Serbia was given the miraculous icon as a blessing. In the 15th century, during the Ottoman invasion, wanting to save the precious gift from destruction, pious Serbs entrusted it to the guardianship of the Queen of Heaven herself. The icon was placed on a donkey, and the animal, not led by anyone, itself came to the holy Mount Athos and stopped at the gates of the Hilandar monastery, founded in the 13th century by the Serbian ruler Stefan (Simeon). The Hilandar monks accepted the image as a great gift from above and placed it in the altar of the cathedral church, and since then a procession of the cross has been held annually at the site where the icon appeared.

Once, after the death of the abbot, the brethren, having begun to elect a new one, could not come to an agreement. The troubles of the brethren were not pleasing to the Mother of God, and She Herself took part in their dispute. Having gathered for the morning service, the monks discovered the miraculous image standing not in the altar, but in the abbot’s place. Attributing this to someone's secret actions, the monks returned the icon to its place, but in the following days this happened again even with the doors sealed. Soon the will of the Mother of God was revealed through a famous monastery recluse, who reported that in a vision the Mother of God told him Her will: in order to eliminate the disagreements of the brethren, She Herself would take the abbot’s place with Her icon and would directly manage the monastery.

From that time to the present day, according to the will of the Queen of Heaven, in the Hilandar monastery they do not elect a special abbot from the brethren, but only a hieromonk-vicar, in charge of monastic affairs. During the service, he stands at the abbot's place, where the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of the Three-Handed One is placed. By venerating the icon, the brethren sacredly believe that they are receiving a blessing from the Mother of God Herself, their Heavenly Abbess.

The miraculous image more than once protected the Hilandar monastery from the invasion of foreigners. During the era of the Russian-Turkish wars, according to the testimony of the Turks themselves, a mysterious Wife often appeared above the walls of the monastery, inaccessible to people and weapons.

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Video about the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos.

Iconography

From an iconographic point of view, 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. The image of the Mother of God is almost devoid of movement: Her head is slightly turned towards the Son, with her left hand She points to the Infant Jesus Christ as the Path of salvation. The Baby's head is removed from the head of the Virgin Mary, but His gaze is invariably turned to the Mother. On the back side of the icon is depicted St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

In the “Journey to Athos” by the Right Reverend Porfiry, the “Slavic Serbian appearance” of the images of the Mother of God and the Child is especially noted. There is an opinion, one of the first expressed by N.P. Kondakov, that the “Three-Handed” icon, kept in the Hilandar Monastery, is not of great antiquity. Kondakov dates the image to the 14th century, judging by his letter and such an insignificant but eloquent detail as a small orb in the left hand of the Infant Jesus, which, according to the scientist, testifies “to the late origin of the icon or to later correspondence.” To substantiate his opinion, Kondakov cites a record about the Hilandar Mother of God by the confessor and elder of the monastery Nikanor, compiled by him in 1685. According to this testimony, the icon of the “Three-Handed Lady” “by its own wave and miracle-working came from the God-protected city of Skopia, where sometimes the reigning Bulgarian<…>" Based on this entry, Kondakov suggests that the image could have been created “after 1377, when the Khilandars received a compound in Skopia”

Lists with icons

In Rus', the Hilandar Icon of the “Three Hands” has been revered since ancient times. At the request of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, on June 28, 1661, a copy of the image of the “Three-Handed Lady” was delivered from Athos to Moscow, which served to establish the second celebration of the icon in honor of its meeting on Moscow soil. The icon was placed by Patriarch Nikon in the Resurrection Monastery he founded in Istra, called New Jerusalem, from where lists of the icon began to spread throughout Russia. Many of them were glorified by miracles and therefore became especially revered among the people.

Due to the large number of miraculous lists from the Hilandar shrine, their lengthy descriptions cannot be given here.

Video about the icon of the Mother of God “Three Hands”

Photos and images in order of appearance: Public Domain ; Public Domain ; Public Domain ; Public Domain ; Public Domain ;

The “Three-Handed” Icon of the Mother of God is a talisman for those living in the house from enemies and all evil things. They turn to the shrine with petitions for the health of loved ones and their healing. In their prayers, believers ask for treatment of the eyes, hands and feet from even the most severe diseases. The icon also relieves emotional distress and drives away melancholy and sad thoughts.

The “Three-Handed” Icon of the Mother of God and prayer performed in front of the shrine help improve well-being.
The shrine patronizes those who do manual work (craft).
Many miraculous icons of the Mother of God are widespread in the Orthodox world, but the shrine of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” is considered one of the most famous.

Emperor Leo III the Isaurian, as the scriptures say, slandered John of Damascus, who so actively opposed iconoclasm. They cut off the hand of the unfortunate defender of Christianity so that he could not write petitions. John suffered greatly from the loss, but he believed and prayed before the icon of the Mother of God. He promised that if his hand was healed, then John would do everything to enhance the glory of the Lady.
Tired of everything that happened to him, the poor man decided to rest and fell into sleep. And a miracle happened. The image of the Mother of God appeared to him, and words poured out with which the Most Holy One notified that John’s hand had grown together and he could work again. Thanks for the miraculous healing, he hung a silver image of the right hand from the icon. Therefore, the icon received the name “Three-Handed”.

More than one copy of the first-revealed image remains on Russian soil. Patriarch Nikon received one of these lists as a gift in 1661, brought from the Athos Hilendar Monastery. In 1663, the donation was transferred to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Church.
As history says, in 1716 another one was removed from this list, which still remains today in the Assumption Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in Gonchary (Moscow). So that everyone could pray to the icon, another list was removed. You can find it in a tiled icon case located outside the western side of the temple.

Celebration Icon of the Mother of God “Three Hands” is performed in the Orthodox Church twice a year: July 11 and July 25 according to the new style.

Legends about the origin of the “Three-Handed” icon
Among the numerous miraculous icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, the image of the “Three-Handed Mother” occupies a special place due to its atypical iconography. There are various legends explaining the origin of this icon, but the most famous legend is associated with the name of St. John of Damascus. This famous Christian poet, philosopher and theologian was born and lived for a long time in Syria, being close to the court of the caliph, but did not hide his Christian faith. The ruler of Damascus, appreciating his educated and wise nobleman, did not prevent him from professing a religion different from the faith of his subjects. The life of the saint tells that the Byzantine iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, having heard about the ardent defender of icons, John of Damascus, decided to destroy him, since the latter’s works on icon veneration found many supporters in Byzantium. The emperor slandered John before the caliph by composing a forged letter on his behalf, in which a subject of the Syrian ruler offered assistance in the conquest of Damascus. The Caliph, believing this slanderous message, was very angry with John of Damascus and ordered his right hand to be cut off. Bleeding, the monk began to pray before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a miracle happened: the severed hand grew back together and was healed. In order to preserve the memory of the miraculous healing and help of the Queen of Heaven, John of Damascus attached an image of a hand cast in silver to the miraculous image. Such symbols were quite common in Christian churches and were called “votive gifts,” that is, “votive, sacrificial gifts.” These small symbolic objects were made of precious metals and they were used to decorate icons of saints as a sign of gratitude and memory of the miracle. Later, on copies of this image of the Mother of God they began to write a third hand.

Further history of the image “Three-handed”
It is known that the Monk John of Damascus brought the miraculous image as a gift to the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified, which was located not far from Jerusalem, and the icon remained there until the 13th century. Afterwards, the image of the Mother of God “Three-Handed” was presented to the Serbian Archbishop Sava, but the icon did not stay in Serbia for long: after the Turkish conquest, it was taken out of the country to prevent the desecration of the great shrine by Muslims. There is a legend according to which the icon was placed on a donkey and he himself brought it to the Hilandar Athos Monastery. Since then, the miraculous image has been on Mount Athos, being one of the most famous and revered relics of the Holy Mountain. Located in the Vvedensky Church of the monastery, the icon showed another miracle, showing the special patronage of the Queen of Heaven for the monastery: when the brethren gathered to elect a new abbot, the icon miraculously moved from the altar to the abbot’s place. Since then, the Hilandar Monastery has ceased to appoint an abbot, and monks receive blessings for worship from the “Three-Handed” icon.
In the middle of the 17th century, a copy of the “Three-Handed” icon was brought to Russia at the request of Patriarch Nikon, who wanted to have this image in the New Jerusalem Monastery he founded. It is known that at first the unusual and strange icon caused confusion among believers, so a tablet was attached to the icon, which gave an interpretation of this iconography. Another list was made for the wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and brought to Moscow. Many healings were performed from copies of the icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed”, and soon this icon of the Mother of God began to enjoy great love and veneration on Russian soil.

Description and symbolism of the icon of the Mother of God “Three-handed”
According to its iconography, the image of the “Three-Handed Woman” belongs to the “Hodegetria” or “Guide” type. The peculiarity of the icon is that in this image the Mother of God holds the Divine Infant with both hands, and extends her third hand to those praying. The deep symbolism of this image is revealed in the troparion dedicated to the icon, which says that the Queen of Heaven brings the Savior into the world with two hands, and extends her third hand over the believers and those who resort to Her, giving them protection and help.
There are also variants of this iconographic image. In Serbia and Macedonia, ancient paintings have been preserved, representing adaptations of the “Three-Handed” image. On them the Mother of God is painted in full height, in her right hand She holds Her Divine Son, and the other two hands prayerfully extend to Him. In the Bulgarian Troyan Monastery, another ancient image has been preserved, on which there are three silver pendants covering the hands of the Mother of God.

In what cases do they pray in front of the “Three-Handed” icon?
There is a pious tradition of prayerfully turning to the Mother of God in front of Her “Three-Handed” icon in case of diseases of the hands, feet, and other diseases. However, it should be remembered that before any image of the Mother of God you can ask for help and intercession. The main thing is that prayer is performed with sincere faith and from a pure heart. After receiving help, we must not forget to thank the Most Holy Theotokos, and if our request is not fulfilled, do not grumble, but realize our sinfulness and foolishness: perhaps at this moment, patience with sorrows and illnesses will bring great benefit to the salvation of our souls.

Troparion, tone 4:
Today, great worldwide joy has risen for us:/ given to the holy Mount Athos/ Thy celibate icon, 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 Thee to know this,/ as two You hold the Son and the Lord, / the third, show them as a refuge and protection to those who honor You, / to deliver from all misfortunes and troubles, / so that all who flow to You, by faith, receive abundant liberation from all evils, / protection from enemies, / for this sake, we too together with Athos we cry: Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.

Kontakion, tone 8:
Today is the joyful day of Your triumph, O Most Pure Mother of God,/ all faithfully filled with joy and gladness,/ as if you were worthy to greatly sing/ the wondrous appearance of Your honorable image/ and the Child born from You, the truth of God,/ Whose two hands embraced,/ and the third from you take away misfortunes and troubles from us // and deliver us from all evils and circumstances.

Magnification:
We magnify Thee, Most Immaculate Virgin, and honor the miracles of Thy holy image, the appearance of Thy three most pure hands to the glory of the Divine, in the Trinity of our God.

Prayer:
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. Amen.

Since ancient times, the Russian people have found in their souls the only true word in addressing the Mother of God: in everyday life they called Her, and now they call Her the same as their own mother, filled with tenderness and love: “Mother!” People spiritually saw that not in some conventional allegorical sense, but in the highest ontological reality, the Mother of God is the Mother of the Church, the blood - by the Blood of Christ - Mother of every believer.

Archpriest Lev Lebedev

The events that laid the foundation for the glorification of the “Three-Handed” icon of the Mother of God date back to the 8th century, to the times of iconoclasm. The warriors of the heretic emperor Leo the Isaurian scoured the houses of Orthodox Christians, looking for icons, took them away and burned them, and handed over the icon worshipers to torture and death.

Only outside the Byzantine lands, in Muslim Damascus, the Orthodox were not constrained in venerating icons. The reason was that the first minister of the local caliph was a zealous Christian, theologian and hymnographer John of Damascus (his memory is celebrated by the Church on December 4). 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. The inspired letters of John of Damascus were secretly copied and passed from hand to hand, greatly contributing to the reassurance of the truth of the Orthodox and the denunciation of the iconoclastic heresy.

The enraged emperor, in order to deprive the Church of the invincible defender of Orthodoxy, decided to treacherously target John of Damascus. He ordered skilled scribes to carefully study John's handwriting and write, as if by his hand, a forged letter to the emperor proposing treason. The letter reported that the city of Damascus was carelessly guarded by the Saracens and that the Byzantine army could easily capture it, for which all possible assistance from the first minister was promised.

The emperor sent such a fake letter to the caliph, hypocritically explaining that, despite John’s proposals, he wanted peace and friendship with the caliph, and advised the execution of the traitorous minister.

The caliph fell into a rage and, forgetting about the many years of devoted service of his minister, ordered his right hand, with which he allegedly wrote treasonous lines, to be cut off. The severed hand was hung in plain sight in the market square.

John suffered severely from pain, and even more from undeserved insult. By evening, he asked the caliph to allow him to bury the severed hand of his right hand. The Caliph, remembering the previous zeal of his minister, agreed.

Having locked himself in the house, John of Damascus applied the severed hand to the wound and went deep into prayer. The saint asked the Mother of God to heal the right hand, which wrote in defense of Orthodoxy, and vowed to use this hand to create creations for the glory of the Lady.

At that moment he fell asleep. In a dream vision, the Mother of God appeared to him and said: “You are healed, work diligently with this hand.”

Having awakened, John of Damascus poured out his gratitude to the wonderful Healer in the wondrous hymn “Every creature rejoices in you, O joyful one...”. The news of the miracle quickly spread throughout the city. The ashamed caliph asked John of Damascus for forgiveness and called on him to return to government affairs, but from now on John devoted all his strength to serving God alone. He retired to a monastery in the name of Saint Sava the Sanctified, where he took monastic vows. Here the monk brought an icon of the Mother of God, which sent down healing to him. In memory of the miracle, he attached to the bottom of the icon an image of his right hand, cast in silver.

Since then, such a right hand has been depicted on all lists of the miraculous image, called “Three-Handed”.

The image remained in the monastery in the name of Saint Sava until the 13th century, when it was presented to another. During the invasion of Serbia by the Hagarians, the Orthodox, wanting to preserve the icon, placed it on a donkey and let it go without an escort. With valuable luggage, he himself reached the Holy Mount Athos and stopped at the gate. Local monks accepted the icon as a great gift, and began to hold a procession of the cross every year at the place where the donkey stopped.

Once upon a time, the old abbot died in the Hilendar monastery. The election of a new one caused strife and division among the brethren. And then the Mother of God, appearing to one recluse, announced that from now on She herself would be the abbot of the monastery. As a sign of this, the “Three Hands”, which had hitherto stood in the altar of the monastery cathedral, was miraculously transported through the air to the middle of the temple, to the abbot’s place. From then to this day, Hilendar is ruled by a priest-vicar who stands during services at the abbot’s place, where the image of the “Three-Handed” - the Abbess of this monastery - is kept. The monks receive a blessing from Her, venerating the icon, as if from an abbot.

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 Hilendar monastery and out of reach of human hands.

The “Three-Handed One” has long been revered in Russia, where there are many copies of the first-revealed image, also famous for their miracles. Back in 1661, the Hilendar monks sent one such list as a gift to the New Jerusalem Monastery. Another list was taken from him in 1716, which has since remained in the Moscow Church of the Assumption in Gonchary (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. Nowadays, an akathist is read every Friday in front of this image in the church. In the tiled icon case on the outer western wall of the Church of the Assumption in Gonchary there is another list, and tireless prayers can be heard here before the face of the Mother of God “Three-handed”.

Miraculous lists from the very first revealed Athos image or from other lists of the “Three-Handed One” were also located in the Moscow Church of the Intercession in Goliki, in the Tula Vladimir Church on Rzhavets, in the Beloberezh Hermitage near Bryansk, in the Voronezh Alekseevsky Akatovo Monastery, in the Nile Hermitage on Se-liger and in other places.