Our Lady of Kazan Icon finally found!

[尼古拉前执事]

Three miraculous icons is counting the number of miraculous Icons of Our Lady of Kazan.

[mwoerl]

when referring to the "Kazan Icon ("Kazanskaya")," generally, a specific icon is meant-which appeared in Kazan in 1579 when after appearing frequently in the dreams of a pious girl, Matrona, who then asked the Archbishop of Kazan, Jeremiah, to "remove the Mother of God from the earth." After this, the place where the Icon was buried was revealed in the girl's dreams, it was unearthed on July 8, carried to the nearest church, then on to the cathedral. this same Icon is also commemorated on October 22 in memory of its miraculous deliverance of Russia from being conquered by the Poles.
the Kaplunovskaya Kazanskaya Icon is commemorated on September 11; the Alexandrovskaya Kazanskaya on April 27; the Arzamasskaya Kazanskaya also on July 8; the Vishenskaya Kazanskaya on May 15 and also July 8; the Simonovskaya Kazanskaya also on July 8; the Sitkhinskaya Kazanskaya also on July 8; the Suzdalskaya Kazanskaya also on July 8; the Tabinskaya Kazanskaya on July 8; the Tambovskaya Kazanskaya on December sixth; the Temnikovskaya Kazanskaya also on July 8; the Tobolskaya Kazanskaya on October 22 and July 8; and finally the Yaroslavskaya Kazanskaya on July 8, for a total of thirteen! After the first, the rest would have been copies of the "type" of the original Kazan Icon, glorified by miraculous occurrences. Those mentioned above are listed on the Jordanville calendar; quite possibly there are others not listed on that calendar. The "original" is the one being referred to in the article with Abp John Shakhovskoy, the one that the Catholics claim they ended up with, the one the Pope wants to return to Kazan "personally," but also the one that Saint John of Shanghai & S.F. stated IS NOT the original one because the dimensions (size) are not correct as compared to the original Kazan Icon.
michael woerl

[user_209]

I THOUGHT THIS IKON WAS THE ONE AT FATIMA PORTUGAL THAT ROME WAS GIVING BACK TO THE ORTHODOX CHURCH. I MAY BE WRONG, BUT I HEARD IT WAS IN THE RUSSIAN CHAPEL THERE FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS UNTIL RUSSIA WAS TOTALLY LIBERATED FROM COMMUNIST RULE AND ORTHODOXY RESTORED. :mrgreen:

[mwoerl]

an icon of the "kazan" type was brought out of russia sometime after the revolution. for many years, it was for sale, for quite a steep price. this same icon is the one mentioned at the beginning of this topic in the article about then bishop john (shakhovskoy) of the north american metropolia (later the oca). bishop john hoped to purchase the icon, as the article states. however, enough money was not collected, and bishop john did not purchase the icon.

later, this same icon was purchased by roman catholics associated with the fatima shrine. they kept the icon at fatima for some time, and "promised" it would be returned to russia "when russia is converted" (presumably to roman catholicism), which, of course, is a completely different phenomenon than russia being "liberated from communism and restored to orthodoxy."

at some point, the icon was removed from fatima, and taken to the vatican. recently pope john paul II "offered" to return the icon to kazan; this offer was contingent upon the pope visiting kazan. the moscow patriarchate does not want the pope to visit russia; they also do not want this particular icon delivered to kazan, but to moscow (as kazan is no longer even part of russia, but capital of the republic of tatarstan, independent from russia since 1990). the mp feels that the icon was stolen from the russian orthodox church, and that it should simply be returned, without any conditions, such as a visit by the pope. they also feel that, as any stolen property, there should be no "fee" or any conditions whatsoever, for its return, and that the purchasers (the roman catholic church) are basically guilty of "receiving stolen property." as it is now, the icon is still in the vatican, and, as far as i know, no negotiations are taking place concerning its return to the moscow patriarchate, or kazan, at this time. i don't know, but undoubtedly, the government of tatarstan probably also wants this icon.

this icon was "advertised" by the sellers as being "THE" original kazan icon. i read somewhere (i cant remeber where now) that saint john of shanghai and san francisco (archbishop john maximovitch, +1964) either actually examined, or examined photographs and measurements of this icon, and proclaimed that it was NOT the original kazan icon, as, he stated, "the dimensions are not those of the kazan icon."

michael woerl

[Natasha]

hope I am attaching this to the right thread.....
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040711_785.html

Pope: Time Has Come to Return Icon
Pope Believes 'Time Is Ripe' to Return Revered Icon to Russia, Spokesman Says

The Associated Press

INTROD, Italy July 11, 2004 — Pope John Paul II believes "the time is ripe" to return a revered icon to Russia to give a major push to improving relations between Catholics and Russian Orthodox Christians, his spokesman said Sunday.
The Vatican announced on Saturday that the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, which usually hangs in the pope's private chapel, would be given back. The Vatican has had the icon for three decades.

John Paul has long dreamed of visiting Russia, but tensions between Catholics and Orthodox since the fall of communism have prevented what would be the first trip there by a Roman Catholic pontiff.

The pope had been hoping to return the icon himself, but the pontiff's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said Saturday that a delegation, still to be named, would return the wooden icon on Aug. 28.

John Paul has not given up on a Russian trip even though he will not be bringing the icon there, said Navarro-Valls in this Alpine hamlet where the pontiff is vacationing.

The "donation is not necessarily connected to the possibility of a papal trip," he said.

The spokesman said there had been positive steps between Catholics and Orthodox in recent weeks, and John Paul believes the "time is ripe for such a donation."

During a recent visit by the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians to the Vatican, both sides agreed stalled theological talks must be resumed.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew II of Constantinople also invited John Paul to visit him in Istanbul, and the pope is considering accepting the invitation, Navarro-Valls said.

Tensions between the Russian Orthodox Church, the dominant Christian faith in Russia, and Roman Catholic Church have long roots. But they sharpened after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and communist restrictions on religion faded.

The wooden icon, which first appeared in Kazan in 1579, hung in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square and the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg before being taken to the West after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. A Catholic group bought the icon in the 1970s and later presented it to the pope.

Making the only scheduled public appearance Sunday of his 12-day vacation, John Paul blessed some 6,000 pilgrims gathered near his chalet, telling them that the silence of such a natural setting was a rarity in today's world.

He said modern society was leaving people "incapable of reflection and prayer."

The 84-year-old pontiff, who has Parkinson's disease and knee and hip problems, looked rested and spoke in a relatively strong and clear voice.

John Paul is decidedly "feeling well" in the mountain air, Navarro-Valls said. "Even his appetite has improved." Sitting in a shaded chair outside the chalet, John Paul greeted local faithful and led noon prayers, finishing with a wish to all for a good vacation.