Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore
The Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke, and it closely resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
The Icon received its name from the Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and in Holy Baptism he was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (Stratēlátēs). According to Tradition, the Icon was found by his older brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Monastery was built on the site. Prince Yaroslav (Theodore) became Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sit' River. In the year 1238, and he solemnly transferred his brother's relics from Rostov to the Dormition cathedral at Vladimir. Yaroslav (Theodore) gave the Icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who married Princess Bryachislava of Polotsk in that same year.
Prince Yaroslav (Theodore) is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest; and he was connected to almost every significant event in the history of Rus' in the first half of the XIII century. The land was burnt and devastated by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilding and beautifying cities, monasteries, and churches. He also restored the cities of Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, and Gorodets, along the Volga.
Prince Yaroslav (Theodore) founded he church of Saint Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Saint Theodore Monastery near Gorodets, in honor of his patron Saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land on a most difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the east, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the west. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his father's policies.
The Dormition Cathedral was built in Kostroma specifically for the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon, with a chapel dedicated to Saint Theodore Stratelates.
Once, as the Tatars approached Kostroma, the Russian militia came out to meet them, carrying with them the Holy Icon of the Mother of God. When the armies stood facing each other, an unknown horseman raced between them. His crimson cloak fluttered in the wind, and his gilded shield shone like the sun. The Russians recognized the Holy Great Martyr Saint Theodore Stratelates, but the Tatars were stricken with terror, and they fled the battlefield. That is how Kostroma was saved.
Another version of this event says that when Khan Batoy of the Golden Horde approached the city of Gorodets, its inhabitants had no time to take their precious Icon with them. In 1239 the residents of Kostroma had seen the Icon being carried through the city by a luminous figure. a warrior whom they took to be Saint Theodore Stratelates.
The wonderworking Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was always with Saint Alexander Nevsky, and he prayed before it. After Saint Alexander died on November 14, 1263 at the Monastery founded by his father, the Icon was taken by his younger brother Basil, as a remembrance of him.
Basil Yaroslavich was the youngest (eighth) son of Yaroslav Sevolodovich. In 1246 after the death of Prince Yaroslav (who was poisoned at Karakorum, the capital city of Mongolia) Basil became the Prince of the Kostroma appanage, the least important of his father’s domains, when he was just five years old, In the year 1272, Basil became Great Prince of Vladimir.
His four years as Great Prince (1272-1276) were filled with fratricidal quarrels. For several years Basil waged war against Novgorod with his unruly nephew Demetrios. After becoming the Great Prince, however, Basil did not travel to Vladimir, but remained under the protection of the wonderworking Icon at Kostroma, regarding this place as safer in case of further outbreaks of strife.
He also had occasion also to defend Rus' against foreign enemies. In 1272, during another Tatar incursion, the Russian army marched from Kostroma to engage them. Following the example of his grandfather, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (who took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with him on military campaigns), Prince Basil went into battle with the wonderworking Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon. Bright rays emanated from the holy image and scorched the enemy. The Tatars were defeated and expelled from the land of Rus'.
The Chronicles record that Great Prince Basil had a special love for the Church and for the clergy. After the martyric death of Bishop Mētrophánēs of Vladimir during the siege of Vladimir by Tatars on February 4, 1238, the Vladimir diocese had remained widowed for many years. This saddened Prince Basil. With his participation, a large Church Council was held at Vladimir in 1274. The main reason for this was the episcopal consecration of Saint Serapion (+ July 12, 1275) as Bishop of Vladimir, chosen from the Igoumens of the Monastery of the Caves.
Metropolitan Cyril III († 1282) predided over a Council of Russian hierarchs. The content of the conciliar acts was very broad - it was the first Council in the Russian Church since the Mongol invasion. Many problems and troubles in Church life had accumulated. The Russian Church was just recovering from the disaster that had befallen it. One of its main tasks was to recover a Russian Church literature – the restoration of traditions, and the revival of the ancient Russian “princely structure.” Without books, the Church’s salvific activity would be almost impossible, because books were needed for the Divine Services, for preaching, for the cell Rule of the monks, and so that the faithful could read them at home. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Cyril, Russian Hierarchs, and monastic scribes, this task, the most important for the subsequent Christian enlightenment of Russia, was successfully accomplished. The Council approved a new edition of the Rudder, the canonical basis for Orthodox Church life.
In 1276, Prince Basil completed the course of his life. Most of the important events in his life occured with the blessing of the Saint Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. He died at Kostroma, and there he also found his final resting place. Since that time, the Holy Icon has been kept in the Kostroma cathedral of Saint Theodore Stratelates.
Renewed interest in the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God and the spread of its veneration throughout Russia is connected with the events of the beginning of the XVII century, and the end of the Time of Troubles. In the year 1613, the wonderworking Saint Theodore Icon in the Kostroma cathedral was brought when Michael Romanov became the new Tsar.
This wonderworking Icon is associated with Michael Romanov's election as Tsar. In those significant days, when an All-Russian Council met at Hypatiev Monastery near Kostroma to elect a Tsar, and Michael took refuge there. An embassy was sent begging him to accept. Envoys brought the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with them from Moscow, and from Kostroma they brought the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God.
They went to see young Michael's mother, the nun Martha (+ 1645), and asked her to persuade her son to accept the throne. At first his mother refused, saying that Michael was too young. Then the Archbishop of Ryazan took the Saint Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in his hands and addressed Martha and Michael with these words: "Why did these Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos march with us on such a long journey? If you do not obey us, then for the sake of the Mother of God, bow down before her mercy, and do not anger the Lord God."
The Eldress Martha could not go against such words. She fell to her knees before the Saint Theodore Icon and said, "May your will be done, O Sovereign Lady. Into your hands I commend my son. Guide him on the true path, both for his benefit, and that of his country." Thus, the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon chose the first Romanov Tsar.
In remembrance of this historic event, March 14 was designated as the annual Feast Day of the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God.
Numerous copies of the Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon were made, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the XVII century, various copies of the Saint Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes around the borders, depicting events from the history of the wonderworking Icon.
In the year 1670 Hierodeacon Longinus of the Kostroma-Hypatiev Monastery wrote a “Narrative concerning the Manifestations and Miracles of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God at Kostroma.” Not all of the information contained in his article is the same as the foregoing, but sometimes a person's memory has its own chronology, and its own laws.
The Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon is two-sided. On the reverse is an icon of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskevḗ (July 26) depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Saint Paraskevḗ on the reverse of the Icon is connected with Saint Alexander Nevsky's wife. The original icon is kept in the Theophany-Saint Anastasia Convent in Kostroma.
At Tsarskoye Selo the "Sovereign's Saint Theodore Cathedral" was built (1909–1912) in remembrance of the appearance of the Saint Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, with a side chapel dedicated to Saint Alexei, the Metropolitan of Moscow, and a lower cave church in honor of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. By order of Tsar Nicholas II, work on the construction of this church was carried out with particular respect for ancient Russian art. This temple was built on the model of Moscow's Annunciation Cathedral, in its ancient form, and all the decoration in the church was designed in the old Russian style. In the upper church, the icons and utensils were new, but fashioned according to ancient examples; the cave church of Saint Seraphim of Sarov contained authentic antique icons and utensils. This was of great social and educational importance, and it testified to the special patronage which Tsar Nicholas II gave to Old Russian architecture and iconography.
The Saint Theodore Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 16.