July 31 is the Day of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God: how the image and strong prayer help

Every year on July 31, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Thursday. Izvestia tells about the history of the miraculous image and shares powerful prayers.

Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God — the story of the miraculous image

The icon of the Mother of God, named Kaluga, was found in 1748 in the village of Tinkovo near Kaluga. According to legend, two maids of the landowner Vasily Khitrovo were sorting through old things in the attic of the estate. One of them, Evdokia, was characterized by a short temper, often indulging in unrestrained and rude speech. Her pious friend warned her against such behavior more than once, but Evdokia did not listen.

While working, a modest maid found a painting wrapped in a coarse canvas, which depicted a woman with a book in her hands. Deciding that this was a portrait of a nun, the girl showed it to her friend and again shamed her for swearing, threatening the abbess with anger. Evdokia got angry and in a fit of anger spat on the painting. At the same moment, she had a seizure and lost consciousness. The frightened maid hurried to get help and told everyone about the incident.

The next night, the Mother of God appeared to Evdokia's parents and revealed that their daughter had violated her image. The Mother of God ordered them to serve a prayer service in front of the icon, and to sprinkle the blasphemer with holy water. When all this was done, Evdokia recovered.

Baptized Russia: how Orthodoxy was preserved by the Russian state

2025 marks the 1037th anniversary of Russia's conversion to the Orthodox faith.

The landowner Khitrovo took the icon to his house and placed it in a place of honor. Soon, numerous healings began to take place from her. Later, the image was transferred to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Kaluga, and a list of it was sent to Kaluga.

Numerous miracles are associated with the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God. In 1771, during the devastating plague epidemic, Kaluga residents marched around the entire city with the icon and held a general prayer service, after which the disease receded. And in 1812, when Napoleon's troops approached Kaluga, many invaders saw the Virgin Mary in the sky, surrounded by a luminous army. In memory of these events, holidays were established — September 15 and October 25.

Another celebration in honor of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated on July 31. On this day in 1898, Kaluga was miraculously spared from the cholera epidemic.

Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God — how it helps

The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God differs from other images of the Mother of God in its unusual composition. It is a waist-length image of the Virgin Mary with a book in her hands. According to one version, the icon depicts the Virgin Mary, carrying Christ under her heart and reflecting on the immaculate conception.

Believers can pray for anything in front of the Kaluga Icon. The clergy note that a person does not ask for help from an image, but from the Virgin Mary depicted on it, who is considered the main intercessor of people before the Lord, so it is important for the worshipper to think about what exactly is bothering him and to trust the Mother of God.

Nevertheless, most often they pray before the Kaluga Icon for recovery from serious illnesses, as well as for the healing of loved ones. This image is used by people who stand at a crossroads and want to find a way of life. In addition, believers can ask the Mother of God to strengthen their faith, get rid of grief, and guide their children on the right path.

Where is the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God?

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God was kept in the church of the village of Kaluga. After the revolution, it was moved to the Trinity, then to the Assumption churches, and then transferred to the Kaluga Museum of Local Lore. In the 1940s, the image was returned to the Orthodox Church and placed in the church of St. George the Great Martyr, where it remains to this day.

However, researchers cannot come to a consensus on whether this is an authentic icon or an early list of it. According to one version, the miraculous image was replaced back in the 18th century, when numerous copies were made of it. The fate of the original remains unknown.

Symbolic protection: the law will prohibit the image of temples without crosses

An exception will be made for floor mats and seats in transport to prevent desecration of religious signs.

One of the venerated lists of the Kaluga Icon is located in the Trinity Cathedral in Kaluga. For a long time it was kept in the archaeological museum of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and was transferred to the Kaluga Diocese in 1998. It dates back to the last third of the 18th century, so it is rightfully considered one of the oldest and closest to the original. The image of the Virgin with the book can also be seen in the convent in honor of the Kaluga Icon.

Prayer to the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God

You can pray in front of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God both in your own words and with the help of ready-made texts, there are no restrictions on the time, place and form of prayer to the Mother of God. The main thing is to remain sincere and not demand immediate fulfillment of desires, but humbly entrust your fate to the Lord. Here is one example of a short prayer to the Mother of God:

"O Most Holy Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth! We turn to You and cry out for Your help: preserve our land from the invasion of foreign enemies and from all mental and bodily diseases and deadly plagues, so that we may always sing, magnify and glorify You, the Most Holy Theotokos, as our good and wondrous Intercessor forever and ever. Amen to that."

Longer prayer texts, as well as kontakions and akathists, can be found in prayer books or on Orthodox websites.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and significance of the icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity.