#Novgorod province

[vintage-russia]

Aleksandra Nikolayevna Nikushkina,Novgorod province (1916)

[city-flag-tournament]

✯ Round 2 ✯ Match 41 ✯

The current flag of Córdoba, Córdoba Province, Argentina

Propaganda:

None

vs.

The current flag of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russian Federation

Propaganda:

None

Tournament Policies: ✯ Choose the flag that's more meaningful to you! ✯ Be respectful of place names and cultural symbols in your commentary! ✯ If you want to submit propaganda, you may do so at the submission form linked in the pinned post. It will only be included if it is submitted before the next post with that flag is drafted and will be included in all subsequent posts the flag is featured in.

[inky-duchess]

Do you know Tsar Nicholas II's full title? I remember it being very long, as it encompassed all the territories of Russia that he was Emperor/King/Duke/Prince of, but I can't seem to find it anywhere?

Tsar Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, Tsar of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Kazan, Astrakhan, of Poland, of Siberia, of Tauric Chersonese, of Georgia, Lord of Pskov, Grand Duke of Smolensk, of Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia and Finland, Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalia, Samogotia, Bialostock, Karelia, Tver, Yougouria, Perm, Viatka, Bulgaria, and other countries; Lord and Grand Duke of Lower Novgorod, of Tchernigov, Riazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslav, Belozero, Oudoria, Obdoria, Condia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and, all the region of the North, Lord and Sovereign of the countries of Iveria, Cartalinia, Kabardinia and the provinces of Armenia, Sovereign of the Circassian Princes and the Mountain Princes, Lord of Turkestan, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, of Storman, of the Ditmars, and of Oldenbourg.

But he preferred Nicky.

[zhurawina]

7/18. Nizhny Novgorod province, Bezvodnoye village

[vermutandherring]

This is gonna be really long long read

Recently, my post with the paintings of Wilhelm Kotarbinski attracted a lot of attention from a couple of individuals. In this post, I share paintings for The Sims 4. 41 paintings that represent Kotarbinski's work in different periods of his life, on various motives. Against the background of my other publications, this is a rather unpopular post with a small number of likes and reposts (big respect to those who do this). This post is practically invisible by the standards of Tumblr and especially the Internet.

But it is noticeable for certain individuals who came under this post not for sims or even pictures. They appeared to restore justice and correct me, although I would rather call it bullying and humiliation of the national dignity not only of me, but of the entire Ukrainian people. But I don't want to play the victim. I just want to refute these arguments in a good way.

Take 1 – Kotarbinski is a Polish artist. Calling him Ukrainian means appropriating Polish heritage.

A lot of confusion arises when we talk about the past - the times of the existence of empires, when most modern countries (in this context, European ones) were under the oppression of metropolises. For some reason, a certain number of people still think in these categories, dividing countries into "newer" and "older". The purpose of such distribution is simple – to diminish the importance of the mentioned country. But we will gradually return to this issue.

But there is another, less obvious reason why it is difficult to talk about people of the past. Centuries ago, people did not think the way we do today - I am a citizen of this country, and therefore I carry its culture. Before the First World War, people preferred to identify themselves with a certain social class, a certain stream of like-minded people, a type of employment or religious denominations. They were subjects of their states, members of their noble and not so noble families, were Christians, Jews or representatives of other denominations, and only then representatives of some country or nation. And if the things created by people themselves do not give us a hint of their own position, our own thoughts are only speculations.

T. Shevchenko. Self-portrait 1860 (with a candle) (paper, etching on pleura, aquatint)

For example, let's take the artist Taras Shevchenko. He was a subject of the Russian Empire, which he hated, his work and life took place in Ukraine, he was Ukrainian by birth and wrote in Ukrainian, criticizing the government. There are no questions about his nationality and self-identification.

How about, for example, the artist Vasyl Tropinin? Tropinin was born in the Novgorod province, the territory of russia. He was of russian origin, studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and lived most of his life in russia. At the art academy where I studied, among the various art history courses, we had a separate subject on the history of 'russian art'. The art of no other country or period was defined as a separate subject. Except for russian (which somehow miraculously had a special status). But surprisingly, Tropinin did not appear in this subject as a russian artist. He was considered in the context of the history of Ukrainian art as an artist who represented the Ukrainian culture of the first half of the 19th century. Tropinin himself spoke about his work as follows:

Again, notice - I do not indicate that he was considered Ukrainian by origin. It was his work that was defined as Ukrainian, and therefore he himself is defined as a Ukrainian artist in the scientific studies of art critics based on the nature of his works. He owns many portraits depicting the Ukrainians of Podillia and their national clothes, emphasizing the diversity of Ukrainian culture. We can say that Tropinin is a russian by nationality, who has a Ukrainian period of his art.

Art by Tropinin

Speaking of this, I would rather pay attention to such a Ukrainian artist as Ilya Repin (real name - Ilya Ripa), Ukrainian artist of Armenian origin Ivan Ayvazovsky (real name - Hovhannes Ayvazyan) or composer of Ukrainian origin Pyotr Tchaikovsky ( real name is Petro Chayka). At this moment, you will most likely raise an eyebrow and distrust what you read, because all your life you have heard that these are Russian artists. But they are russian only because of the imperial hand of the russian empire, which represented the culture of the captured territories as its own cultural diversity.

Moreover, playing along with the empire and pandering to its colonial policy was the only way to "break out into the high society" and become something more than an ordinary peasant from the colony. For this, you had to do a few simple steps: to give up one's cultural identity, speak russian, and change a difficult (by russian standards) surname to one that is easier for russian to pronounce. That is why I added their real names in parentheses.

They know perfectly well what it means to sell one's soul to the devil

What does Wikipedia tell us?

Ukrainian-born, but still Russian. After all, I cannot deny the simple fact that their work, their life and fame really have a very close connection with Russia, at least because they were its citizens. In Tchaikovsky, you will find many works inspired by Russian culture, such as the operas Oprychnyk, Yevgeniy Onegin, The Queen of Spades, etc. The Cossack origin did not prevent the composer from distorting the image of the Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa in the opera of the same name. The image, which in contrast to the Russians, who historically perceived Mazepa as a traitor, had an epic and romantic image in the works of European artists (in the works of Lord Byron, for example).

Ukrainian motifs prevail in Ilya Repin's work. His most famous works depict the Cossacks and the Ukrainian countryside, but he himself, despite his descent from the Cossack family and great love for his native land, identified himself as a russian, separating himself from the 'little russians'.

Art by Ilya Repin

After this lengthy passage, in which I prove that often the origin does not say much about the affiliation of the artist, we can return to so much suffered Kotarbinski. Wilhelm Kotarbinski was born in Neborów, in the central region of Poland. The boy was interested in drawing from childhood, so after entering the Warsaw gymnasium, he additionally attended drawing courses. While studying in Warsaw, young Kotarbinski fell in love with a cousin - a relationship that the family could not allow, and therefore gave the girl in marriage to someone else. Shocked by this, Kotarbinski decided to leave Warsaw and go to Rome. Kotarbinski lived in Italy for 15 years, where during this time he managed to graduate with a silver medal from the Art Academy of St. Luke.

The joke about the fact that Kotarbinski studied and lived in Italy, but for some reason is not considered an Italian artist, looks a bit lame. As Viktoriya Sukovata points out in the study "Wilhelm Kotarbinski, the forgotten genius of Ukrainian Modern", being a Pole, Kotarbinski received an academic base in Rome, and therefore to some extent he can be called a representative of the Italian art school.

Roman Orgy

In 1888, Kotarbinski returned to Warsaw, where he was able to marry his already widowed cousin, although over time he realized that this marriage did not bring him the desired joy. So at the invitation of his old friends from the Roman period, the Svedomskyi brothers - russian artists - Kotarbinski moved to Kyiv. Here he actively took part at exhibitions, being one of the most active Kyiv artists.

Imitating the organizational forms of The Itinerants (association of artists of the russian empire, including Ukrainian artists), in May 1893 Wilhelm Kotarbinski, together with Vladyslav Galimsky and other artists, appealed to the authorities with an official request to approve the charter of the Kyiv Society of Art Exhibitions. In 1897, he became a member of the Kyiv Society of Antiquities and Arts, which was reformed from the Society for the Promotion of Arts. It can be said that the Kyiv cultural environment was not alien to the Polish artist at all, and he actively contributed to his work with his creativity and social activities.

Paintings Roman Orgy and Death of Messalina at an exhibition in Lviv, 1894

If you are a little familiar with the history of art, you will notice that Kotarbinski's works, with their Ancient and Oriental motifs and chosen themes, is very reminiscent of the works of representatives of mid-19th-century academicism, Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Henryk Siemiradzki. However, as Viktoriya Sukovata points out in her already mentioned article, this perception is a bit wrong, since Kotarbinski was working at the end of the century. Instead of the romantic interpretation and fascination with the past, inherent in the middle of the last century, Kotarbinski perceived exotic Orientalism through the prism of the decadent present, on which was superimposed the mystical aesthetics picked up by Kotarbinski from the cultures of Eastern Europe.

This mysticism is particularly visible in his erotic female images. According to the researcher, they are inspired by such currents of European modernism as Jugendstil and Vienna Secession, which enriched his Italian academic base with "bright decorativeness, sophisticated plots and symbolism." It was during this second Polish and Kyiv period that Kotarbinski painted many canvases depicting creatures from Slavic mythology. Numerous mavkas, mermaids, female spirits of nature, ghosts and other creatures are permanent characters in his works.

It is also worth mentioning the fact that, in addition to easel works, Kotarbinski had extensive experience in painting churches. He painted Orthodox and Catholic churches in Ukraine and Belarus, the most famous of which is the Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, as well as the Church of St. Nicholas in Radomysl (Zhytomyr Region, Ukraine), the Cathedral of Tree Anastasias in Glukhiv (Sumy Region, Ukraine), etc.

The ceiling in Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv, painted by Kotarbinski.

This, in turn, could not help but leave an imprint on Kotarbinski's work. In Orthodoxy, the temple is the embodiment of God's house on earth and a semblance of paradise for Christians. Its inner space should remind the believer of his purpose and life path, in which he is accompanied by saints, martyrs, archangels and other forces of the heavenly host. Kotarbinski worked on the frescoes of the church under the supervision of Sviedomskyi, because as a Catholic, he could not be allowed to independently paint an Orthodox church. Perhaps that is why, in this period of Kotarbinsky's work, in addition to nymphs, he also depicts numerous angels of death, drowning women or paintings with the leading motif of death, full of the same aesthetic mysticism, but in different context.

"Stop. What all this does with the aesthetics of mysticism ?" - you ask. This is about my answer to not so respected person that the environment has a considerable influence on the creativity of any artist:

I'm sorry for the 'forks' typo, it was about works.

Do you really believe that after living in another country for more than 30 years, you can remain completely untouched by the local culture? But in the eyes of someone, I am the thief here for calling Kotarbinski a Ukrainian artist for his conscious choice to incorporate local motifs into his works. However, his most significant role for Ukrainian art is bringing the style and themes of European art of that time to Ukrainian. Viktoriya Sukovata writes about this in the already mentioned work:

Panels from the Tereshchenki-Khanenki house, created by Kotarbinski. Photo from the site Culture.PL

Returning to the question itself - whether Kotarbinski can be called a Ukrainian artist based on the nature of his creative heritage, I believe that there is every reason for this. Firstly, Wilhelm Kotarbinski spent a significant part of his life in Kyiv, surrounded by its artistic life, in which he actively participated. He not only enriched Ukrainian culture with European modern trends, but also borrowed local motifs in his work, creating his mystical worlds full of mythical creatures.

Take 2 – Kotarbinski could not be a Ukrainian artist, because Ukraine did not exist.

Here I'd like to address both disreputable individuals who repeated this slogan twice in different variations:

Can you guess who else likes to use this narrative about "Ukraine didn't exist"?

Here I would like to introduce my Polish not-friends to one russian under my post, dated October 31, 2023. This was a post in which I adapted for The Sims 4 novel "Vyi" by the writer Mykola Gogol, calling him Ukrainian because of him (you won't believe) being a Ukrainian.

I will not raise a historical polemic about who owns which lands and when which state arose. After all, in such a case, it is possible to reach extremes, in which Ireland never existed without Britain, and Poland without the soviet union. Doesn't sound very nice, does it? But the imperial past of Poland and russia still allows certain individuals to draw this trump card and throw it in the face of Ukrainians, whose separate country really did not exist for a long time precisely because of them. But for some reason they don't like to mention it. Currently, Ukrainians are going through a difficult stage of self-identification, collecting parts of our culture, scattered by empires over the centuries, barbarically looted and erased from the face of the earth. A very convenient position is to ban culture and language, erase at least a hint of its existence and appropriate it, and then declare that neither such a nation nor its "poor culture" exists.

I want to add only one thing: Kyiv has always been Ukrainian, and no barbaric capture by another state for over 10 centuries made it either the cradle of some imaginary civilization, or the mother of distant and foreign cities for us.

I wrote "Polish-Ukrainian" artist precisely because Kotarbinski was an important part of Ukrainian cultural life of the beginning of the 20th century; precisely because that is how it is defined by the art history scientific community, and not my personal whim. It is thanks to him that the St. Volodymyr Cathedral has its majestic interior full of mystical awe, the house of the Khanenkos is filled with exotic panels with Oriental motifs, and Ukrainian museums preserve rare easel works of the artist, which embody the tragic uncertainty of the future, so characteristic of all European art of this era.

Wilhelm Kotarbiński in his workshop in the hotel 'Prague', Kyiv. Photo: Central Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine.

Unlike the Ukrainian works in the Tretyakov Gallery in St. Petersburg, Kotarbinski's works were not stolen, illegally exported, or shamelessly appropriated under the guise of "evacuation" or forced restoration. Kotarbinski spent the last years of his life in Kyiv. Against the background of the First World War, his fate was not the best. He died poor and forgotten, unable to return to his homeland in Poland. Today, his works are kept in museums in Warsaw, st. petersburg, Ukrainian Kyiv and Sumy. His work is examined from the perspective of all three countries with which he was in contact, and the scientist of each of the countries will emphasize those aspects of his work that are related to this country. But for God's sake, no one tries to steal from a dead person, unless you're into strange practices.

What to do to see Ukrainian culture?

For example, to begin with, open your eyes. This can be especially difficult if you're a prejudiced chauvinist, but it's worth a try. Next, as the fastest solution, I can offer you the blog @vintage-ukraine, where works of Ukrainian fine art, films, famous Ukrainian cultural figures, historical photos, musical works, etc. are published every day. As a next step, I can recommend the Культуртригер channel, in which the authors talk about Ukrainian fine art and refute imperial narratives about Ukrainian art that have been cultivated for centuries. This channel is in Ukrainian, but it seems quite similar and easy to understand for Russian and Polish speakers, so I think you won't have any problems with it. According to the same principle, I can recommend the Ukrainian-language literary channel Твоя Підпільна Гуманітарка, where authors research and talk about Ukrainian literature, language and mythology in an accessible form.

If you don't see something, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist

Many thanks to my Ukrainian friends for their support 💖

P.S: If you think that all this post is about my personal drama and offence, I kindly recommend you to pay a visit to @lichozestudni and read just a bit more. You'll find a lot of interesting things 👋 (Please, I'm not calling for threats and humiliation. You can use Tumblr's tools for regulating this kind of thing).

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday , January 23, 2024

january 9_january 23

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE, BISHOP OF TAMBOV (1894)

George Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest.

At first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. In these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. After graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, and later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. Before he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy.

Saint Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. After being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. Soon he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Saint Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools.

On May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, where he established a diocesan school for girls. During his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. In 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. He also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir.

The holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. It was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. Many abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. Instead, he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral.

He was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. He had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. When Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds.

In 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. He was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles.

As he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. On July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, and to devote himself to writing spiritual books. Through these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. Although he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him.

Bishop Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. He wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, such as how to live a Christian life, how to overcome sinful habits, and how to avoid despair. He tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. Some of his books include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, The Path to Salvation, and Letters on the Spiritual Life. He also translated the Philokalia in five volumes, and The Sermons of Saint Simeon the New Theologian.

For the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. He stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. He often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days.

Beginning in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) and no longer left his cell to attend church. He built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. For ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. For the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent.

Whenever anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. If anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books.

Whenever he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. He received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. He was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls.

His eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. In the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. After finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. On days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day.

Bishop Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord.

Saint Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery.

Several of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

SAINT THEOSEBIA, THE DEACONESS SISTER OF ST BASIL AND GREGORY OF NYSSA (385)

Saint Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory, afterward Bishop of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism.

When her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy.

HEBREWS 9:8-10, 15-23

8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

JOHN 10:9-16

9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

[unhonestlymirror]

...

I am begging you, please stop using Himaruya's creation as "canon". We have history for this.

The reason why Ukrainians and Belaruthians usually don't say anything is because we are really damn tired of explaining the most obvious to us things over and over. Unfortunately, if we don't do that, there will be more and more people who genuinely believe in things like on this screen.

"Muscovy, on the other hand, grew out of the share of Yuri Dolgorukiy - "Suzdal Valley", or the Volodymyr-Suzdal Principality , located in the basin of the Oka River , the upper reaches of the Volga and its tributaries - Sheksna and Kostroma . The main cities of the Suzdal Forest were Suzdal , Rostov , and Vladimir . The earliest inhabitants of this region were the Finno-Ugric tribes, some of which were later conquered by the boyars of Dolgorukiy Long-armed"

"The ancient history of the Scandinavians often mentions two Finnish countries, free and independent: Kyrialandia, which stretched from the Gulf of Finland to the White Sea and included modern M. Karamzin Olonetska and part of the Arkhangelsk province, and Biarmia, which covered the space from the Northern Dvina and the White Sea to the Pechora River".

"That Moscow is a Finnish word and that the future capital of Great Russia was, using colonization terms, a “fortified trading post” in the Finnish country, everyone knows this, as well as the fact that the surroundings of Moscow were extremely densely populated even in prehistoric times, so depict the emergence of this city how the settlement by "cultural Slavs" of a completely wild place is possible only by ignoring everyone, again, well-known archaeological data. - Pokrovskiy M.N. "The emergence of the Muscovite state and the "Great Russian nationality"— historical science and class struggle. Historiographic essays, critical articles, and notes." Edition 1. [archived on 11 December 2019 at the wayback machine]/ Pokrovsky M. N.— M.—L.: Sotsekgiz, 1933— P. 267—284.

It's a russian source that they most likely used for exusing the attempt to occupy Finland in 1939-1940 . Finland has nothing to do with russia.

"Ukrainian historian N. D. Polonska-Vasylenko claimed that "In the territory remote from the centre of the state of Ukrainians - Kyivan Rus' - on the basis of not only a non-Ukrainian, but even a non-Slavic people in the 12th century - the foundations of the state organization were laid, which slowly began to assume not only a leading role in the history of Ukraine, but also to claim its historical heritage and even the name Rus, although it had no rights to that heritage or to the name Russia" . This is what the Russian historian Vasyl Klyuchevskiy wrote about the ancestors of the Russians (so-called "Great Russians"): "The first separate principalities into which, starting from the 12th century, Kyivan Rus was divided, were also not ethnically homogeneous. In the northeast of Russia, as a result of the subjugation of the Finnish tribes, a new ethnic group was formed, which in the 19th century was called the Great Russians"

"During the 11th and 14th centuries, a huge state populated by numerous non-Slavic ethnic groups arose in the northwest around the territory of the Novgorod lands. The inner circle of Finno-speaking tribes in the north — Karels, Votyaks, Izhorts (Ingras) and Veps — was governed directly from Novgorod, the outer circle was subject to weak indirect tribute authority. Finno-speaking Lapps in the Far North and further in the northeast also Finno-speaking Zyryans and Permians, Ugromov Ostyaks and Voguls, as well as Samoyeds belonged here."

"The emergence of Muscovy in the second half of the 13th century was facilitated by Mengu-Timur, Feodora Sartakivna, and Peter Ordynskyi. The 16-year-old son of Alexander Nevsky became the first prince of Moscow." - Alexander Nevsky, just another occupier who wasn't loved by people of Novgorod at all and became "Saint" in russia XV century, when a great historiographical myth about this prince began to take shape.

Prince Alexander really succeeded in intrigues against his own brothers and neighbouring princes. "Andriy Yaroslavovych (brother of Alexander. - V.B.), becoming the Prince of Volodymyr (Grand Duke. - V.B.), concluded an alliance with the strong prince of Southern Rus (Kyivan Rus; with such tricks they try to convince us that there was another Rus - V.B.) Danylo Romanovych Halytsky, marrying his daughter, and trying to conduct politics independent of the Golden Horde. But in 1252, Batyi organized military actions against Andriy and Danylo. Against the Galician prince, Batyi sent an army of Kuremsa, which did not succeed, and against Andrii - an army under the command of Nevryuy, which ravaged the outskirts of Pereyaslavl. In the same year, even before Nevryu's campaign (pay special attention to this fact! - V.B.), Alexander went to Batyi, received a label for the Volodymyr Grand Duchy, and after returning settled in Volodymyr. From 1252 until his death in 1263, Alexander (Nevsky. - V.B.) was the Grand Duke of Volodymyr." / "Batkivshchyna" magazine #11, 1993, p. 29./

"...it was Alexander's collaborationism towards the Mongols, his betrayal of the brothers Andriy and Yaroslav in 1252, that caused the Golden Horde to establish a yoke in Rus." / "Batkivshchyna" magazine No. 11, 1993, p. 30./

"The population of the Moscow principality grew rapidly due to the flow of colonizers: the southern, from the lands of Vyatichi and the Kyiv region, and the western, from the Polatsk, Novgorod, and Smalensk lands, as well as immigrants from Western Tartary. The incoming population mixed with the Finnish tribes - Meri and Muroma - who had long lived in these lands." Alberto Campenze, in a letter to Pope Clement VII around 1523-1534, wrote about the Moscow principality (Moscovia) that it was inhabited by various peoples: Yugras, Karelians, Pechorans, Vogulychis, Cheremis

In 1493, Ivan III independently added to his grand ducal domain a prefix - "all of Rus," which was not found in the Moscow princes in older documents and was not recognized by other monarchs.

"In all this [built by Ivan III] - in church and secular buildings, in the names and dedications of churches, in inscriptions or chronicles about the construction - there is almost no hint or even allusion of Kyiv's heritage. The temples, with some details of the Italian Renaissance, are generally modelled after Russian Upper Volga cities such as Vladimir and Suzdal, but not Kyiv. There is neither the Tithe Church, nor Borysoglibska, nor even St. Sophia (as in Novgorod and Polatsk) - despite the fact that Ivan's second wife, who obviously put a lot of effort into creating a new image of the capital, was named Sophia (Zoya). As for the gates of the Moscow Kremlin, not only were none of them named after the famous Kyiv gates (especially the Golden Gate), but the inscription on the main one was not written in Cyrillic, but in Latin! A hundred years later, Boris Godunov, in accordance with his grandiose plan to renew the capital, partially rebuilt the Kremlin and added a bell tower, and again, the same striking absence of Kyiv reminiscences. These people have never even thought about Kyiv." - Edward Keenan. Russian historical myths [Archived August 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine]. Kyiv: "Krytyka", 2001.— 284 p.— P. 8-9

"The rise of Muscovy began under the vassalage of Ivan III, who conquered, either by force or by agreements, the lands surrounding the Muscovite principality: the largest trade center, Veliky Novgorod, was taken thanks to a crusade organized in alliance with the Tatars, the main slogan of which was: "force Novgorodians to appoint archbishops in Moscow" (the Novgorodians sent ambassadors to the canonical Metropolitan of Kyiv to consecrate an archbishop for them), as well as the principalities of Tver, Rostov, Yaroslavl and Ryazan."

"His policy was continued by his son Vasyl III (1505-1533) and grandson Ivan IV the Terrible (1533-1584), and later by representatives of the Godunov dynasty (descendants of the Chetov princes of the Golden Horde)."

British historian Norman Davis in his own work "Europe. History" describes the process of the appearance of the ethnonym "Russia" in Muscovy:

Muscovite princes rose from darkness to shining heights within two centuries after the Mongol invasion.

First, by combining conquest and bribery, they brought under their control numerous principalities of the Rurikovichs around the Volodymyr-Suzdal land. In 1364, they appropriated the hereditary title of Grand Dukes of Volodymyr.

Secondly, enjoying the favor of the khan of the Golden Horde, the Moscow princes received a label that gave them the right to be the main collector of tribute for the Tatars, they were responsible for the payments and debts of the rest of the princes. Ivan I (ruled 1325-1340), known as Kalita, spent most of his reign not in Moscow, but on the way to Sarai.

Third, by generously endowing the Orthodox Church, the Moscow princes added an aura of piety to their political power. In 1300, the Metropolitan of Kyiv moved his seat (residence) from Kyiv to Volodymyr nad Klyazma, and in 1308 to Moscow. Monasteries founded in forest forests were new centers of trade and territorial expansion.

Muscovites gained strength but were still vassals [of the Golden Horde]. It was at that time that Muscovites began to call their state by the Greek word "Russia," which meant "Rus," and called themselves Russians. These Muscovites never owned Kyiv, but the lack of grounds did not prevent them from considering Moscow the only legal heir to Kyiv lands. It was their speech that became the basis of the modern Russian language.

"Another strange and still unnoticed manifestation of the interruption of tradition or historical amnesia can be seen from the names that the Moscow nobility gave to their children. It is worth talking about the importance of this act for any culture, its symbolic meaning, cultural conditioning, and subjection to fashion. Historical sources from the time of Ivan the Terrible have preserved the names of thousands of men from the upper class. In terms of uniformity, they did not differ from names in other societies. The ten most common names covered 70% of the people, and the rest were rare. The most popular were the names of the rulers of the Moscow dynasty — Ivan (20%) and Vasiliy (10%). Nothing unexpected. What is really surprising if you adhere to traditional ideas about this culture is the almost complete absence of specifically Kyivan names. Among the almost three thousand names in the digit books of Ivan's time, there are no Igors, Svyatoslavs, Mstislavs, less than 1% of the Volodymyr and only three of Gleb. The Moscow courtier of Ivan's time would rather be called Temir or Bulgak than Volodymyr, Gleb or Vsevolod". - Edward Keenan. Russian historical myths. Kyiv: "Krytyka", 2001. — 284 p. — p. 9

The very fact that Russia, having received its name no earlier than the 18th century, claimed the historical heritage of Russia, created seven hundred years earlier, gave Karl Marx the reason to assert in his work "Exposure of the Diplomatic History of the 18th Century":

«The bloody mire of Mongolian slavery, not the rude glory of the Norman epoch, forms the cradle of Muscovy, and modern Russia is but a metamorphosis of Muscovy».

At the same time, the names "Russia" and "Russian" of Greek origin "literate people began to introduce into the book language" from the 16th century. - Historical grammar of the Russian language, compiled by Ө. Буслаевымъ. Fifth edition. Etymology.— M., 1881.— P. 5.

[iseo58]

Vintage Russia, Novgorod province

[vinlandmapper]

Timeline of the Rus' Empire (alternate history)

1000- The Rus' Empire starts as an Eastern and Orthodox Christian fragment of the Viking Empire split under the Treaty of Novgorod. The Emperor installed is Vladimir the Great who rules until 1015.

1015- The Rus' Empire conquers Azerbaijan, thus making it part of Caspian Rus' (Kaspiya) along with Kaukasiya (Dagestan). Ingvar the Far-Travelled is the governor of Kaspiya. But invasions of Persia fail.

1050- Kaspiya Province falls to the Seljuk Turks under Tughril.

1074- After several failed attempts, the Rus' finally conquer Pecheneg lands and assert dominion over Crimea.

1140s- Emperor Vsevolod II incorporates Uralic tribes into the Rus' Empire.

1223- The first Mongol invasion of the Rus' Empire ends in the Mongols conquering a huge swath of Pontic-Caspian steppe.

1237-1240- Under Batu Khan, the Mongols launch successful conquests of the several cities in the Rus' Empire. Which lead to the siege of Kiev in 1240, thus ending the Empire.

1240- Independent states in the Far North of the Rus' such as The Karelian Republic and Varangian Commonwealth form.

[eruverse]

More ideas for OCs, 75% deciding to go with these:

-Personifications inside Russia. Russia is HUGE, like, fucking HUGE. Russia has 83 federal subjects (excluding the disputed ones), divided into 46 oblasts (provinces), 9 krais (territories, which is a historical term but identical to oblasts), 21 autonomous republics, 4 autonomous okrugs (districs), 2 federal cities, and one and only autonomous oblast (aka Jewish autonomous oblast, even tho a huge majority of ppl there are Russians).

Oblasts and krais don’t have personifications as they’re, basically, Ivan. All the autonomous regions have one, so they amount to 27. Federal cities, aka Moscow and Saint Petersburg have one. If there are significant historical cities in Russia they might have one too.

Yes, I’m differentiating between Moscow and Russia here. I think this makes sense since Russia isn’t just Moscow, even historically so. This actually goes way back: backkk then when Russia was a wee baby and the land of Rus were divided into principalities. They had personifications as well: Novgorod, Tver, Smolensk, Suzdal, etc etc. They were like old men vying for Ivan’s attention and favor, because somehow they knew that Ivan was the promise of a unified Rus land on the North-Eastern side of the Rus land until Ural and beyond. Moscow was the sneakiest and smartest old man among them and he was most successful at currying Ivan’s favor until Ivan decided to stay with him for Moscow’s expansion. Well ofc, now Moscow is possibly the only one from old principalities still alive. He is that powerful. He and Ivan are connected, so if one is ill the other will as well.

[vintage-russia]

Girl and Woman of Valday (1876)

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT ANDREW Feast Day: November 30

"Love is acceptance. When you love someone... you take them into your heart, and that is surely why it hurts so much when we lose someone we love, because we lose a part of ourselves."

Andrew was born in Bethsaida in Galilee, and was the son of Jonah and the brother of Simon Peter. He is referred to in the Orthodox tradition as the First-Called (Protokletos). Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them 'fishers of men'. At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum.

In contrast, the Gospel of John states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.

Subsequently, in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus. Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes, and when Philip wanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first. He is also present at the Lord's Last Supper. and was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the 'end of the age'.

After receiving the Holy Spirit through Pentecost, Andrew preached the Gospel in many lands. The Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, and from there he travelled to Novgorod. Hence, he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to Hippolytus of Rome, Andrew preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew.

Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras in Achaea, in the year 60 AD. Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours, describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called saltire (x-shaped cross or crux decussata), now commonly known as a 'Saint Andrew's Cross' — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been. The iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages.

Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities, including Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Sarzana, Pienza and Amalfi in Italy,  Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque and Cainta (in Rizal Province) in the Philippines and Patras in Greece. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The flag of Scotland feature Saint Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the Russian Navy Ensign. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Alabama state flag also shows that device.

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

i just spent more than an hour doing this first-division world map quiz in jetpunk and these are my results:

i scored 609/3795 so 16%. i'm actually very embarrassed cause i had multiple brain farts and i couldn't remember some very very easy ones (don't worry i WILL talk about them). but first of all, the most embarrassing one of all. i missed la rioja 💀💀💀

i'll talk more about my cagadas (and not cagadas) after the read more cause it could get lengthy lol

first of all, I'M SO SORRY ALL OF LATAM 😭😭😭😭

let's start with mexico... when i tell you i wrote 'california del sur' like dozens of times and was genuinely shocked it wasn't counting it like correct like the quiz was bugged or something lol. i will never forget it's baja california and not del sur i promise. there's also so many of these i should've got: campeche, durango, cuanajuato, méxico, puebla, querétaro, quitana roo, san luis potosí, sinaloa, and veracruz AT LEAST.

for argentina, chubut gave me so much trouble... like i knew i knew it but my brain just wouldn't told me. and as you can see, i didn't got it 😔. also i hate that if i had guessed la rioja i would've gotten 2 points en fin.

i have no idea why the netherlands were like this... i was so ready to name the provinces i actually know quite a few of them

i know it's the easiest to get, but i got all belgium :)

also all pakistan :)

brazil 😔😔😔 i should've gotten bahia, espírito santo, goiás, and rio grande do norte & do sul...

i can't believe i missed new brunswick in all US + canada

so so sorry portugal :( i should've gotten bragança, évora, leiria, santarém, setúbal, viana do castelo and vila real

i'm not putting the china one cause it's too large but when i tell you i wrote like 20 times heilongjiang cause i knew it and where it was but did not. write it correctly. at any point.

i'm also not putting russia for obvious reasons but i had so many brain farts with it. i can't believe i missed chukotka, amur, irkutsk, ivanovo, magadan, murmansk, nizhny novgorod, novgorod, samara, smolensk, volgograd, vologda, voronezh, yaroslavl, adyghea, buryatia, ingushetia, karelia (this one gave me so much trouble yall), tuva, udmurtia, khabarovsk, and primorsky, all of them i perfectly knew :/

i knew all four of these but only kosrae came to mind rip me i guess

france gave me SO MUCH TROUBLE i kept coming back to those two last regions in mainland france and i could just not remember their names. the worst thing is at one point i wrote 'val de seine'... so close 😔

germany and italy humbled me so much. i thought i was gonna know every single division and i did horribly lol

i might've not gotten all of the divisions in my country correct but at least i got all greece (not counting mount athos) :)

I WROTE JIJU INSTEAD OF JEJU 😭😭😭😭 also for the life of me i could not remember train to busan

india is also a long one but it gave me sooo much trouble i couldn't remember ANY. en fin, i should've gotten AT LEAST arunachal pradesh, manipur, mizhoram, tripura and uttar pradesh.

i don't know what's worse, that i almost got all israel or that i forgot tel aviv 💀💀

en fin. that's all. maybe i'll try again some other time.

[athena-endre]

House Wittlsbach is on the Throne after being elected by all major princesses of the Empire, Emperor Maria is crowned on the Red Throne at age 40. The League of Empresses forms between Song Empress (Bao), Bengal-Ganges Empress, Tsarina of Russia, German Kaiserin and Persian Shashanah in an effort to control the Empire away from Rose Red and towards their respective realms. Their bid on Maria is poorly made when he begins centralizing the Empire. They think they can control their daughter Enya to do their bidding. The Queen of Phoenicia-Canaan is one of the many invited to the scheme, but reports it to the Secret Service, who begin their investigation. 

The League then orders Maria to be killed on the day of Prince Coby's first birthday. They begin with stoking rebellious provinces, mainly in the east, to rise up against the power of Rose Red. The League of Assassins kill Maria on the day in question. King Nadeem, now acting regent, begins the preparations to prepare his daughter Vilma to ascend to the Red Throne. The League ignites their Green Shirt rebellion in the east. During this, the League begins slipping by acting too directly to end the rebellion, mostly paying rebels off. 

The Tsarina, in a fervor of the events going on, outs herself with photos taken of her bribing certain members of a then unknown rebel leader. The Sickle Rebellion begins to ally themselves with the Green Shirts. Following many months, the leader of the Sickle Rebellion turns on her benefactor in exchange for a deal. She indicts the Tsarina spilling many of the juicy details about her plan to pay a rebel leader to rebel, in order to gain control of the 8th Imperial Army. The 8th Imperial Army is a Russian group which at the time secretly swore to the Tsarina before the event. The Secret Service discovered the leader and her details through the photo. The Tsarina is executed for treason under orders of Nadeem. 

Following the execution, the 13th Imperial Army under orders from Bao set into motion the kidnapping of Vilma’s husband, Prince Timur, in an effort to gain the upper hand and strike a deal. The 8th Army, a month following the execution, is reorganized with loyalist leaders. Empress Vilma is crowned in a quick ceremony during campaign in Novgorod. During this time the Kaiserin, Queen of Egypt, and Yavana Queen bladder to the Secret Service in an effort to distract them from frame both Empress of Great Scythia, Basilissa, Queen of Romania, and the Queen of France (all of whom were never involved with the League) as the perpetrators of the rebellions. Blaming the Tsarina for their involvement. Following the capture of Prince Timur, Bao makes a demand to Vilma, personally, to abdicate or her husband gets it. Not exactly having a leg to stand on, with her Empire falling and Bao attempting to subvert them all, she gives in. Nadeem after figuring this out has a bounty put on Bao in secret. 

Enya is crowned at the age of 11 in a grand ceremony offered by Bao and her compatriots. The League suspecting the Service is off their tails start to manipulate Enya for their own purposes, as an emergency diet is called, and then elects Bao as temporary Speaker until the crisis is over. King Nadeem becomes regent of the young Enya. The service releases new evidence pointing to the League which made news world wide that there is a shadow cabal running the government via the new Empress. Revolts start to intensify as Bao attempts to keep order in the realm. The tribal districts and states are the first to attempt to leave, with massacres being very effective to keep them within the Empire. As the populace starts to fall in this new normal for the time being. Bao starts to divert what powers she can from the Diet, President, Empress, and Subdiets to the Empresses of the Empire, fulfilling the goal of the League. Enya begins to be the hero the League needs and buys into their propaganda of decentralization. Bao dies of old age at 56 of a gunshot to the back of the head. 

Following this Nadeem is elected Speaker and coaches Enya to become her own Empress. Enya goes on a quest to explore herself, her Empire and most importantly figure out what is really going on. During her 3 years of explorations she makes friends, and realizes the atrocities that Bao and her co-conspirators have committed against the populace with their new found powers. 

The Service finally has found the smoking gun for their entire investigation. While Enya was away they got permission from Nadeem to investigate the Imperial Palace and other offices of the Capital. There they found the entire correspondence of the League, as well as the receipts for their hitman and rebellion leaders. In the same office they also found files on top of files of a ring going back as far as the Empire’s founding, and them talking of a secret organization which according to them “aims to capture the minds, and make reality as they see fit” or “to suppress the truth of the flat earth and discredit anyone claiming that dinosaurs do not exist”. In a more shocking turn of events during a raid on a League owned company outside of city limits, they found the receipts for funding various criminal organizations out of Gotham including the infamous Falcone crime syndicate. In the same offices they find a room for torturing and murder, along with personal effects of those murdered there. Implements were found and the instigators of this crime are rounded up. In a third location they found ties to hidden and secretive cults in low places. As well as ties to various different worldwide criminal organizations. This newfound fury led to dozens of assassination attempts against members of the League. 

The League, now with more known members and a list longer than my arm, has been brought to trial with Empress Enya, and King Father Nadeem acting as judges. Half of them receive death sentences. Most of the rest were forced into Brazilian Penal Colonies or banished to Aethiopia. Few escaped with their lives and dignity intact, though were still stripped of titles. During the chaos of this period the Diet forced the Song Empress, Wang Zhi, into abdication and eventual banishment to Brazil. Enya returns from her trip with friends, and a potential future queen, galore! She also comes back a wiser, more knowledgeable person. The League of Empresses Conspiracy is ended, Enya begins recentralizing everything that was decentralized.

In the following years reports are made, security is tightened, and things begin to return to normal following the Royal Wedding. 

Authors Note: This is an expansion on the world before the current Empress. Also, Chapter 1 shall be coming out soonish, just been a bit procrastinating on it. Most of these filler stories are the ideas I have come up with for now before expanding upon Athena's Story

[blogynews]

"The Unseen Threat Looming in Nizhny Novgorod: Unveiling the Perils of its Devastating Reach Across Russia"

Russian virologist Sergei Vostrokhov has issued a warning about the high risk of a measles epidemic in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod province. With more than 90 recorded cases of the disease, Vostrokhov assessed the potential risks associated with a measles outbreak in the region. He emphasized that there is currently no special treatment for measles, which increases the likelihood of its spread.…

[orthodoxydaily]

ICON: Friday, July 5, 2024

The Kursk Root icon of the Mother of God "The Sign"

june 22_july 5

(movable holiday on the 9th Friday of Pascha).

The Wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God

In the 13th century, during the dreadful period of the Tartar invasion of Russia, the devastated province of Kursk was emptied of people and its principal city, Kursk, became a wilderness. Now, the residents of the city of Rylsk, which had been preserved from invasion, often journeyed to the site of Kursk to hunt wild beasts. One of the hunters, going along the bank of the river Skal, which-was not very far from ruined Kursk, noticed an icon lying face down on the ground next to the root of a tree. The hunter picked it up and found that it was an icon of the Sign, such as was enshrined and venerated in the city of Novgorod. At this time, the icon's first miracle was worked, for no sooner had the hunter picked up the sacred image than there immediately gushed forth with great force an abundant spring of pure water. This took place on September 8th in the year 1295.

 The hunter constructed a small wooden chapel and placed the newly manifested image of the Mother of God therein. The residents of Rylsk began to visit the place of the manifestation of this holy object and the icon was glorified by miracles all the more. Prince Vasily Shemyaka of Rylsk ordered that the icon be brought to the city of Rylsk itself and this was done in a solemn manner, for the people of the city went forth to met the icon of the Mother of God; but Shemyaka himself declined to attend the festivities and for this reason was punished with blindness. The prince, however, repented and straightway received healing. Moved by this miracle, Shemyaka constructed a church in the city of Rylsk in honor of the Nativity of the All-Holy Theotokos, and there the miraculous icon was enshrined on September 8th, the day of its manifestation, appointed as the annual feast date.

But the icon vanished in a miraculous manner and returned to the place of its original appearance. The residents of Rylsk continually brought it back, but each time it returned to its former place. Then, understanding that the Mother of God was well pleased to dwell in the place of the manifestation of her image, they eventually left it there in peace. Innumerable pilgrimages streamed to the site and services of supplication were celebrated there by a certain priest whose name was Bogoliub and who dwelt at the site of the wooden chapel and struggled there in asceticism.

In the year 1383, the province of Kursk was subjected to a new invasion of Tartars. They decided to set fire to the chapel, but it refused to burn, even though they piled up fuel all around it, and so the superstitious barbarians fell upon the priest Bogoliub, accusing him of sorcery. The pious priest denounced their foolishness and pointed out the icon of the Mother of God to them. The malicious Tartars laid hold of the holy icon and cut it in two, casting the pieces to either side. The chapeI then caught fire and the priest Bogoliub was carried off a prisoner.

In his captivity, the God-loving elder kept the Faith, placing his hope on the all-holy Mother of God, and his hope did not fail him. Now, one day as he was guarding flocks and passing the time by singing prayers and doxologies in honor of the Mother of God, there passed by some emissaries of the Tsar of Moscow.

They heard this chanting, arranged to ransom the priest from captivity, and Bogoliub returned to the former site of the chapel. There he found the pieces of the miraculous icon which the Tartars had cast away. He picked them up and straightway they grew together, although the signs of the split remained. Learning of this miracle, the residents of Rylsk gave glory to God and to His all-pure Mother. Again they attempted to transfer the holy icon to their city, but once more the miraculous image returned to its former place. A new chapel was then built on the original site of the icon's appearance and here it remained for about 200 years.

The city of Kursk was revived in the year 1597 at the command of Theodore Ivanovich of Moscow. This pious Tsar, who had heard of the miracles of the icon, expressed his desire to behold it, and in Moscow, the icon was greeted with great solemnity. The Tsaritsa, Irene Theodorovna, adorned the holy icon with a precious riza. At the command of the Tsar, the icon was set in a silver-gilt frame upon which were depicted the Lord of Hosts and prophets holding scrolls in their hands. The icon was subsequently returned and, with the close cooperation of the Tsar, a monastery was founded on the site of the chapel. A church, dedicated to the Life-bearing Spring, was built above the same spring that had appeared when the icon was first revealed and the monastery attached to it was called the Kursk Root Herrnitage in honor ofthe manifestation of the icon at the root of the tree.

During an invasion of Crimean Tartars, the icon was transferred to the cathedral church of Kursk, and an exact copy was left at the Hermitage. Tsar Boris Godunov bestowed many precious gifts for the adornment of the icon and even the pretender, the false Dimitry, who desired to call attention to himself and to win the support of those who lived in the vicinity of Kursk, venerated this icon and placed it in the royal mansions where it remained until the year 1615.

While the icon was absent from the city of Kursk, the grace-bearing aid of the Mother of God did not forsake that city, for when in the year 1612 the Poles laid siege to Kursk, certain of the citizens beheld the Mother of God and two radiant monks above the city. Captured Poles related that they, too, had beheld a woman and two radiant men on the city walls, and that this woman made threatening gestures at those who were conducting the siege. The citizens then made a vow to construct a monastery in honor of the all-holy Theotokos and to place the miraculous icon therein. The besiegers were quickly put to flight and in gratitude to their heavenly helper, the people of Kursk built a monastery in honor of the all-holy Theotokos of the Sign.

In 1676, the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was borne to the Don River to bless the forces of the Don Cossacks. In 1684, a copy of the miraculous icon of the all-holy Theotokos of the Sign was sent to the Monastery of the Root by the sovereigns and great princes Ivan and Peter Alexievich. This copy was set in a silver-gilt frame and a command was made that this copy be borne wherever Orthodox warriors went into battle.

In the year 1812, the Kursk Civic Society sent to General Kutuzov a copy of the miraculous icon of Kursk, setting it in a silver-gilt frame. The commander expressed his gratitude to the citizens of Kursk and his belief that Kursk would remain free, thanks to the protection of the Queen of Heaven.

In March of 1898 a group of anarchists, desiring to undermine the faith of the people in the wonderworking power of the icon, decided to destroy it. They placed a time bomb in the Cathedral of the Sign, and at two o'clock in the morning a horrendous explosion rent the air and all the walls of the monastery were shaken. The frightened monastic brethren rushed immediately to the cathedral, where they beheld a scene of horrible devastation. The force of the blast had shattered the gilded canopy above the icon. The heavy marble base, constructed of several massive steps, had been jolted out of position and split into several pieces. A huge metal candlestick which stood before the icon and been blown to the opposite side of the cathedral. A door of cast iron located near the icon had been torn from its hinges and cast outside, where it smashed against a wall and caused a deep crack. All the windows in the cathedral and even those in the dome above were shattered. Amid the general devastation, the holy icon remained intact and even the glass within the frame remained whole. Thinking to destroy the icon, the anarchists had, on the contrary, become the cause of its greater glorification.

Every year on Friday of the ninth week after Pascha, the icon of the Sign was solemnly borne in procession from the Kursk Cathedral of the Sign to the place of its original manifestation at the Kursk Hermitage, where it remained until September 12. On September 13, it was again solemnly returned to the city of Kursk. This procession was instituted in the year 1618 in memory of the transfer of the icon from Moscow to Kursk and to commemorate its original appearance.

During the Bolshevik revolution, the icon was removed from the Cathedral of the Sign on April 12, 1918. Search was made for the icon but without result. The holy object was discovered under the following circumstances: Not far from the monastery there lived a poor girl and her mother who for three days had not had anything to eat. At that time Kursk was controlled by the Bolshevik regime. On May 3, the girl, a seamstress, went off to the marketplace in search of bread. Returning home at about one o'clock in the morning, she passed by a well which, according to tradition, had been dug by St. Theodosius of the Caves. There, on the edge of the well, she beheld a package wrapped in a sack, and when she opened it, in the package she found the sacred icon, which apparently had been left there by those who had stolen it.

At the end of October 1919, when the White Russian Army was evacuating the city of Kursk, twelve monks of the monastery transferred the icon to the city of Belgorod, from which it was again transferred, first to Taganrog and Ekaterinodar, and then to Novorossiisk. During the evacuation, with the permission of Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky who was then President of the Higher Ecclesiastical Administration in Southern Russia, the icon was taken aboard the steamship St. Nicholas by Bishop Theophan of Kursk on March 1, 1920, and was transported to the city of Thessalonica. On April 3, Bishop Theophan took the icon to the city of Pec, the ancient capital of Serbia. For four months the icon remained in Pec, and in September, at the request of Baron Wrangel, it was returned again to the Crimea. A year after departing from the city of Kursk, on October 29, 1920, the holy image against left its native land during the evacuation of the White Army and those Russian people who refused to submit to the Soviet regime. After arriving again in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croatians and Slovenes, with the blessing of Patriarch Dimitry, the holy icon remained with Bishop Theophan in the Serbian monastery of Yazak on Frushkaya Mountain. From the end of 1927, the icon was to be found in the Russian church of the Holy Trinity in the city of Belgrade.

With the blessing of the Synod of Bishops, Bishop Theophan bore the icon around to various places where Russians of the diaspora dwelt. During World War II, when Belgrade was subjected to bombardment and other tribulations associated with the war, the miraculous icon became a rampart of hope for all that approached it with sincere prayer.

The steadfast companion of those Russian people who did not accept the satanic authority, this great and ancient holy object, which remained in Moscow during the dreadful turmoil of the 17th century, was removed from Yugoslavia in the autumn of 1944 together with those who again fled the godless regime. From ruined Vienna, the icon was borne to the tranquil city of Carlsbad to which the Synod of Bishops had been evacuated. With the approach of the Bolsheviks it was again transferred to Munich in the spring of 1945. The holy icon proved to be an unending consolation to many thousands of people who were experiencing all the trials and tribulations of the latter years of World War II. From Munich the icon was borne to Switzerland, France, Belgium, England, Austria, and many cities and camps in Germany itself. Subsequently, the icon was transferred to the New World where it had its permanent residence first in the New Kursk Hermitage in Mahopac, N.Y., and then in the Synod's Cathedral Church of the Mother of God of the Sign in New York City, the residence of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. At present, by decree of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, a festival is held in honor of the icon at the New Kursk Hermitage in Mahopac, N.Y., on the Sunday nearest the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in the Synod's Cathedral of the Mother of God of the Sign in New York City on November 27/ December 10.

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Source: Western American Diocese_ROCOR