The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is associated with the most important events of church and state history, the prayerful memory of the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the spiritual connection of Russia with the ancient Christian tradition.
According to church tradition, this image was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a board from the table where the Savior was eating with the Most Pure Mother and the righteous Joseph. When the Mother of God saw the icon, she said, "From now on, all generations will bless Me. May the grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with this icon."
The shrine was brought to Russia from Constantinople in the 12th century. In 1131, the icon was given to the Holy Prince Mstislav and placed in the Maiden Monastery of Vyshgorod. Later, in 1155, Saint Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky moved her to Vladimir and placed her in the Assumption Cathedral he had built. From that time on, the image became known as the Vladimir image.
In 1395, the icon was brought to Moscow for the first time. This happened at a terrible time, when the army of Khan Tamerlane was approaching the Russian lands. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich marched with his army to Kolomna, and fervent prayers for the salvation of the Fatherland began in Moscow and throughout Russia. From Vladimir, the clergy carried the miraculous icon in a procession to Moscow. The people met the shrine on their knees, calling out: "Mother of God, save the Russian land!"
According to legend, at that very hour Tamerlane saw in a dream a Majestic Wife in splendor, Who commanded him to leave the borders of Russia. Terrified by the vision, Khan ordered his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance, the Sretensky Monastery was founded at the meeting place of the icon, and a celebration was established in the Church in honor of the presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
Other events of Moscow's liberation from invasions are also connected with the Vladimir Icon. In 1480, while standing on the Ugra River, the whole of Moscow prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for protection from Khan Akhmat. The Russian army and the Horde regiments faced each other, but there was no decisive battle: the enemy retreated. This event became one of the symbols of the liberation of Russia from the Horde dependence.
In 1521, Moscow was again under threat as the troops of the Crimean Khan, Mahmet Giray, approached the city. Residents of the capital, together with Metropolitan Varlaam, prayed in front of the Vladimir Icon for salvation. Church tradition has preserved stories of visions in which the Mother of God and the holy intercessors did not leave the city. Soon the Tatars retreated, and Moscow was saved.
The most important events of Russian Church history took place in front of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In front of this icon, St. Jonah, Primate of the autocephalous Russian Church, St. Job, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, as well as St. Tikhon, who was elected Patriarch in 1917, were elected.
The celebration of the Vladimir Icon is held several times a year in memory of the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the deliverance of the Russian land from enemies. These days remind believers that the history of the Church and the history of the Fatherland are inextricably linked with prayer, repentance and hope for God's help.
In April 2026, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. For the faithful, this event became a new opportunity to worship the great shrine and turn to the Most Holy Theotokos with a prayer for peace, protection and spiritual strengthening.