Kursk Root Icon of Theothokos
The portrayal of Theothokos (Virgin Mary), Mother of God, refers to one of the first portraits and is considered as one of the remarkable and oldest icons in Orthodox Russia.
According to the legend that speaks of the appearance of the Icon in Kursk. It happened on September 8, 1295. A hunter was walking in the forest around the Tuskar river and found something unusual at the hill near the roots of a tall tree. It was an Icon that was placed facing downwards. As soon as the hunter picked it up, fresh spring water emerged from the ground. The Icon was small in size (15.2 cm x 15.6 cm).
The icon was named after Kursk due to the name of the area, and the Root-because it was found at the roots of a tree. Those who found the icon immediately felt its grace and did not dare to take it anywhere; placing the icon in the hollow of the same tree. He and his acquaintances agreed on building a chapel a few meters from the source of spring water.
When the Prince of Rylsk “Vasily Shemyaka” heard of the story, he gave the order to bring the Icon to Rylsk. The Icon of Theotokos was met with solemnity by everyone, but Shemyaka gave an excuse to avoid the calamity and restricted its contact with the people. For this reason, he got blind. Shemyaka realized his fault, repented sincerely, prayed and was miraculously cured. To express his gratitude, he built a church in the name of the Birth of the Virgin Mary.
In 1383 the Tatars came to Kursk region again, and on the way found that chapel. They captured a monk and decided to burn down the chapel. Despite their effort, not a single flame was produced. The superstitious barbarians blamed the monk and said he was a magician, but then he pointed at the Icon and said “Because she is there”. The bittered Tatars chopped the Icon into two parts and threw it into two opposite sides, and burnt the chapel down.
While being in captivity of the Tatars, he was tending a flock of sheep and sang prayers. He was saved by Muscivian ambassadors who heard him singing the prayers. The monk came back to his ruined chapel and found two pieces of the Icon. As soon as he attached two pieces together, it fused into one piece again.
The inhabitants of Rylsk celebrated the Icon return and refreshed the church built by Shemyaka. They tried to bring back the icon there, but in a miraculous way returned back where it was discovered by the hunters. Pilgrims decided to build a new chapel in that forest where the Kursk Root of the Sign stayed for 200 years.
Only in 1597 Kursk was restored and rebuilt when the Muscovian Prince Fyodor Ioanovich, who heard the wonderful stories about the Icon. He wanted to see it with personally and gave an order to bring the Icon to Moscow. It was then the condition of the Icon was restored to how we may see it now, and monks started making copies too.
In 1615, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich returned the icon to the Kursk land, where the Tsar ordered a monastery to be founded on the site of the chapel, called Korennaya pustynya. Since 1618, the icon spent most of its time in Kursk in the Cathedral of the Znamensky monastery.
The most known were kept in Korennaya and Kursk churches. Both copies were made in approximately same period, in the XVII century and since then there is one ceremony which is now well-known among all religious and spiritual people: religious procession happening annually two times. These copies are in charge only when there is no original, that’s why in the summertime you find the original icon in Kursk, and the rest of the year in Korennaya.
In 1898, in the Kursk Znamensky Cathedral, inventor A. G. Ufimtsev planted a bomb next to the Kursk Root icon. The explosion partially destroyed the temple. Some sources show that the Icon remained intact, while others claim that the one that was destroyed was one of the many copies that was held by the monks.
Surprisingly the Kursk Root Icon wasn't just in Kursk. Due to the civil war at the end of October 1919, the Icon traveled across Russia and to some parts of Europe and America. Only after 90 years, the Icon returned back to its root.
Summary of its journey (1919–2009):
REFERENCE
1. курская-епархия.рф/index.php/khramy-i-monastyri/monastyri/item/86-курской-коренной-рождества-пресвятой-богородицы-мужской-пустыни
2. ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Курская_Коренная_икона_Божией_Матери
