Celebration: March 15
The icon, called “Derzhavnaya”, brought light and hope to the hearts of the Russian Orthodox people on March 2/15, 1917, on that fateful day when Emperor Nicholas II abdicated, anticipating his future role as a royal passion-bearer. This incredible event took place in the village of Kolomenskoye, near Moscow. A resident of the village of Pererva, Evdokia Adrianova, was chosen by heaven for an important message. Three times it was revealed to her in a dream that there is a forgotten image of the Mother of God, which will become the center of heavenly mercy for the Russian Queen of Heaven and the entire Russian people. In her dreams, she heard heavenly words: “In the village of Kolomenskoye there is a great black icon. Take it, make it red, and call for prayers.” Evdokia turned to the rector of the church in Kolomenskoye, Fr. Nikolai Likhachev, telling about her vision. Father Nicholas did not interfere, and together they went in search of the image. After examining the icons in the church, they did not find a suitable image. However, the priest offered to inspect the icons in the church basement, which were placed there for various reasons and had already been there for a long time. Among the many icons, they chose one large one that was covered in years of dust. After clearing the icons of dust, they suddenly found an image of the Mother of God sitting on a throne, with the Infant Christ on her lap. The Infant’s blessing hand was extended to the faithful. In the right hand of the Virgin was a scepter, and in the left-a symbol of sovereign power. Her head is crowned with a crown, and on her shoulders she wore a red robe or porphyry. The face of the Mother of God radiated a stern royalty. All the signs indicated that the Mother of God had now taken special care of the suffering Russian people. Evdokia instantly recognized the image she had been told about in the dream. Father Nicholas immediately held a prayer service with an akathist in front of the icon. The news about the newly discovered icon quickly spread not only in Kolomenskoye, but also in other districts. Believers from Moscow and other places flocked to the Church of the Ascension in droves, and many received gracious help from the Mother of God. Events are also described in the St. Sergius Leaflets, when the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God was greeted at the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery in Moscow with a great holiday. The icon was also delivered to various churches for the worship of believers, and on Sundays and holidays it remained in Kolomenskoye. According to some sources, the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God was located in the Ascension Convent in Moscow until 1812. To save the icon from being looted by the French during the Napoleonic Wars, it was hidden in the village of Kolomenskoye, and there it apparently remained for 105 years, until a supernatural will came to it again. It is significant that the discovery of the holy icon occurred during the Russian hard times. The image on the icon, with a crown, scepter and power, seemed to emphasize that the Mother of God takes on the special care and protection of the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church. The service and akathist before the Imperial Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos were composed with the participation of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (+1925). Today, the holy Sovereign Icon is located in the church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Kolomenskoye, where it returned on July 27, 1990. From that moment on, it has become a symbol of hope, faith and prayer for many believers, and instills in all of us the importance of the spiritual connection and protection provided by the Mother of God.
