“Seven Lakes” Icon of the Mother of God
The Seven Lakes Icon is one of the icons which enjoy extraordinary veneration in the places where it is located. The day of celebration in her honor is a celebration not only for the Seven Lakes Hermitage and Kazan, but also for the entire Prikama Volga region.
At the end of the XVI century, in the city of Ústiug, Vologda province, the monk Euthymios was born into a poor family. From a young age, he felt within himself a striving for spiritual feats (podvigs). Early he left his father's house and then withdrew to a monastery. After burying his parents, he moved with his only inheritance – the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God – to Kazan, where his brother also moved. 17 versts from the city, he chose a secluded place surrounded by seven lakes, which later merged into one. From these seven lakes, the Hermitage he founded and his cell Icon were named the Seven Lakes (Smolensk) Icon of the Mother of God.
After choosing this place, Euthymios fervently prayed to God and fell asleep at nightfall. In a dream, he saw fire rising into the sky from the place where he slept. Father Euthymios considered the dream a good sign and set up a cross there, and he made a cell for himself beside it.
Not far from it was an oak, which was revered by the surrounding cheremis as sacred. Here they made sacrifices — they slaughtered horses and oxen and hung skins on a tree. Father Euthymios prayed to God to put an end to this abomination, and a storm destroyed the oak.
Rumors about the devout life of the monk Euthymios drew the brethren to him. Father Euthymios himself was taken to the residence of the Metropolitan of Kazan, and he took the Icon with him. The brethren continued to turn to him for advice, so that he, not living in the wilderness, was still the ruler and guardian of their needs.
No matter how much Father Euthymios treasured the Smolensk Icon, a blessing from his parents, out of love for the brethren, he decided to part with it and to bless the Hermitage with it. At the request of Metropolitan Matthew, the Kazan clergy gathered to escort the Icon. When a Moleben was served, the Metropolitan, kneeling, exclaimed: "You are departing from us, our Lady!" Bless the wilderness into which Thou goest, and save those who dwell in it. But look upon us mercifully with them, for our whole country, O Sovereign Lady, trusts in Thy name!"
The Metropolitan ordered a priest and two deacons to accompany the Icon to the wilderness, and many citizens followed them, both out of zeal for the Queen of Heaven and out of a desire to see the newly emerging monastery. During the journey, some got tired, but as soon as they began to carry the Icon, their fatigue disappeared. The Icon was greeted joyously by the brethren of the Monastery. After that, people began to go to venerate the Icon and bring donations to the Hermitage. The wooden church was replaced by a stone one, an Igoumen was appointed, and another church was built and dedicated to the Smolensk Icon, which was placed there to the left of the royal doors, where it is located to this day.
In June 1654, a pestilence or plague began in Russia, devastating entire villages. The corpses remained unburied and were devoured by dogs. In Kazan, a pestilence was also raging. The citizens decided to bring the Seven Lakes Icon to the city, and on June 24 they arrived at the Hermitage with the Igoumen Pakhomios. The next day, after the celebration of the Liturgy, the Icon was taken up and they went to Kazan. On the night of that day, an Elder appeared in a dream to the nun Maura of the Kazan Monastery in the vestments of a Hierarch, similar in all respects to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and, touching her hand, he said: "Arise quickly and tell the clerk Michael Patrikeev what you see, and he will tell the city officials to order the inhabitants to fast for a week, repent of their sins and call upon God and His Most-Pure Mother for help. Having said this, the man who appeared became invisible. The nun Maura, awakening from her sleep, was horrified and could not tell anyone about her vision, because it was night then. The next day, having stood for Matins, she did not fulfill the commission given to her, but, after praying, she lay down calmed down a little and fell asleep. And then again in a dream the same Elder appeared to her and said to her angrily: "Should you have slept, Maura?" Or do you not know that hail can perish from a fierce plague? Get up quickly, and go to him whom I have shown you, and say to him, 'Someone appeared to me twice in the past night, and said that the Queen of all is coming to deliver the city from the Seven Lake Wilderness.' Let the city governors and all the inhabitants of Kazan go out to meet her Icon. The Lord, for the sake of the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, wants to show mercy upon this city.
The nun Maura then hastened to tell the city officials about her dream. After announcing this, the inhabitants of Kazan, taking the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, with a Cross Procession, everyone, young and old, left the city to meet the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, and two versts from Kazan they met it at the place where the Kizichesky Monastery now stands. Kneeling down, they prayed with tears, saying: "O Sovereign Lady of the world, save us, we perish from the multitude of our sins; we have angered your Son, Christ our God, with the multitude of our iniquities."
It was a touching sight when the clergy and people, kneeling, wept and prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God. On the same day, a chapel was built at this place in remembrance of the meeting of the Icon, and a cross was set up, and later the Kizichesky Monastery was founded. The Icon of the Mother of God was brought by the inhabitants to the city at the Resurrection Gate and surrounded the entire stone city. People came to venerate the holy Icon, and at the consecration they bowed their heads so that the holy Icon would be carried over them. During the Cross Procession all the bells in Kazan did not stop ringing. After they went around the city with the holy Icon, they brought it to the Annunciation Cathedral.
Through the prayers of the Most Pure Virgin, the deadly disease in the city subsided. Seeing their deliverance from death, the people gave thanks to the Queen of Heaven, their Deliverer.
In the evening of that day, an All-night Vigil was served. The next day, in the morning, they took the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God with a Cross Procession and walked around the wooden city. During the Cross Procession they saw that gloomy clouds had gathered outside the city, and it was quite clear over the city. This was seen as an omen of God's mercy through the intercession of the Sovereign Lady, the Mother of God. Then they began to carry the Icon of the Mother of God from house to house, offering prayers, and wherever there were sick people, when the holy Icon was brought to their homes, they received complete healing. When the Smolensk Icon was carried throughout the city and into all the houses, the plague ceased completely.
From that time, the citizens of Kazan have had a special faith and love for the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, which is kept in the Seven Lakes Hermitage.
The holy Icon remained in the city for seven days. After this time, the monks of Seven Lakes Hermitage asked the city officials to return the holy Icon to the Hermitage. The city officials consulted with the clergy and citizens, although they did not wish to part with the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, by the grace of which they were delivered from a deadly disease, nevertheless, taking into account that this wonderworking Icon was destined by Divine providence to dwell in the Seven Lakes Hermitage, they decided to let it go from Kazan.
On the eve of the departure of the Icon of the Mother of God, an All-night vigil was served in the cathedral and in all the churches of the city; and in the morning the inhabitants of Kazan gathered in great numbers to see their Protectress off. As soon as they lifted the holy Icon after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a terrible storm broke out over the city, darkness fell, and it began to rain and snow, so that it was impossible to leave the cathedral. This extraordinary phenomenon lasted for not one, but three days.
From this they all drew the conclusion that the Most Holy Virgin did not wish to leave the city, so they decided to keep the, Icon for a little longer, then the Icon was returned to the Hermitage. There people began to flock to it with even greater zeal.
Metropolitan Cornelius, who arrived in Kazan at the end of 1654, seeing his flock preserved from a deadly disease by the intercession of the Mother of God , thanked the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, and approved of the citizen's intention to bring him the wonderworking Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, and left it in Kazan for a whole year, after which, on his return from the Moscow Council, he solemnly escorted it to the Seven Lakes Hermitage.
But soon afterward, on June 25, 1656, the deadly disease reappeared in Kazan and began to rage more intensely than before. The citizens brought the holy Icon from the Hermitage to Kazan once again, believing in the speedy help and intercession of the Most Pure Sovereign Lady. Indeed, after the Icon was brought, the illness stopped. Since 1658, it was decided to bring the holy Icon to Kazan each year on June 26, which still takes place.
A multitude of people flocked for the celebration of the transfer of the Seven Lakes Icon from the Hermitage to Kazan, not just from the surrounding provinces, but also from distant places. The Icon is taken from the Hermitage on June 25 after Liturgy; they stopped for the night at the Kizichesk Monastery and perform further in the morning after church. In Kazan, another Cross Procession with icons and banners and a multitude of people, leaders and clergy await the arrival of the Icon beyond the Kazanka River. The fortress wall, the boulevard and both banks of the Kazanka River were covered by the crowds. Upon meeting the Icon, a Moleben was served, and the hierarch blessed the east and west, south and north with it, and then, with the ringing of bells in all the churches of the city, the beating of drums and military music at the Ivanovskaya Mountain, the procession goes to the cathedral, and on the same day in a certain sequence the icon begins to be carried around the city. On July 27, the Icon is solemnly returned to the Seven Lakes Hermitage.
In addition to the cessation of the plague, the Seven Lakes Icon was also famous for healing the sick with various diseases, and the blind.The Kazan commandant, General Kastelliy suffered from pains in his legs, so that he could not walk without the help of four people. After trying medical remedies in vain, he decided to seek help from the Queen of Heaven. In his position, he could leave the city only with a special permission from the Highest Authority (The Tsar), which he received on January 24, 1804. That same day he was brought to the Hermitage. Four people carried him to the Icon, which he venerated.
In his room at the monastery, where he spent the night, the Igoumen suggested that he anoint his feet with oil from the "Unsleeping" lampadas before the wonderworking Icon. The next day, he was in church for Matins, Liturgy, and an Akathist, standing on his feet. His condition improved more and more, and in a few days he had the same use of his legs as before his illness.
The Seven Lakes Icon is commemorated on June 26; July 28; October 13 (XVII century).
The Seven Lakes Icon differs from the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God in that the Theotokos is depicted blessing with the fingers of her right hand. The size of the Icon is 71.4 × 61.4 cm.
Unfortunately, the original icon was lost during the years of persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet period.